Our weekly blog posts, over the previous 7 weeks, have focused on the changes in the investment markets throughout the past 12-15 months. You have read our thoughts on rising interest rates, bond valuations, the effects of stimulus and government policy, global investing, the dangers of trend following, and the importance of strategic diversification. We hope you have found these blog posts informative and helpful. As we have highlighted the… Read More
When most people think of financial advice, they think immediately of managing investments. While this is certainly a part of what we do here at Master’s, our Total Wealth Management service is much more holistic in nature. Today, I want to discuss what holistic financial advice is and why working with an advisor that provides holistic financial advice is so beneficial. What Holistic Financial Advice Is – Holistic financial advice… Read More
Serious Money is “Not trading or gambling. It is using engineering and real due diligence to deliver terrific returns with certainty” – Jonathan Hirtle I heard this quote on a recent podcast about the business of investment management. It reminds me of another saying we have at Master’s, “we do not gamble with our client’s money.” Our investment approach is well-researched, steady, void of emotion, and fact centered. We do… Read More
To combat the recent drought, I decided to install a simple irrigation system in my garden. To make it all work seamlessly, I needed an extra hose. However, after I buried the hose underground and turned on the water, to my dismay, I realized I had mistakenly purchased an irrigation hose instead of a standard one. The frustration of buyer’s remorse was undeniable. Buyer’s remorse is a common affliction with… Read More
When investing, it is easy to fall into the trap of making decisions based solely on past performance. However, this approach often leads investors astray, causing them to buy high and sell low. In this blog post, we will explore the dangers of relying on past performance and discover the solution that can lead to long-term investment success: diversification. Investors, both professionals, and novices alike, are often tempted to make… Read More
When investment markets have difficult years like 2022, ideas about finding alternative investments that behave differently in down markets are written. Typically, there is a specific economic factor that these ideas solve for, and over the past year, that factor has been inflation. Many pundits had ideas about how to position your portfolio for rising inflation, so let’s see how they turned out! Some of the most common ideas for… Read More
I went to my first Hershey Bears hockey game with my grandparents when I was five years old. Since then, I have loved the game of ice hockey. I know we ice hockey fans are a bit of a distinct breed. In fact, I have spent considerable time pondering what captivates me about the game of ice hockey. While I enjoy the speed and flow of the game, I have… Read More
The United States has passed some of the largest stimulus packages in its history in the last few years. As a result of this money in the hands of consumers, consumer spending increased and inflation rose to its highest level since the early 1980s. Now that we are removed from these events, where does the U.S. consumer stand going forward and what could it mean for consumer spending? In April… Read More
2022 was certainly an interesting year in the markets, with the US Federal Reserve playing an outsized role in the headlines with their efforts to rein in stubborn inflation by embarking on the most aggressive interest rate-hiking campaign in over thirty years. When interest rates rise, bond prices fall. As a result, the rapid rise in rates during 2022 resulted in the worst bond market returns in recorded market history…. Read More
Many of us believe that no single issue has recently interrupted the financial markets more than rapidly rising interest rates! In the past 13 months, the Federal Reserve has raised rates a staggering nine times, totaling almost 5% in cumulative increases. This has created turmoil for both bonds & stocks, as well as both challenges and opportunities in lending & saving. Today’s blog post will focus on the lending &… Read More
