Investing Dry Powder Posted on January 9, 2019 By Matt I’ve got some dry powder set aside for a situation just like December. During a bear market (when the market drops 20%), the plan is to deploy half of it into equities. The S&P 500 fell 19.4% from September through Christmas Eve. It was chaos on CNBC. This was the… Read more
The Price of Admission Posted on December 28, 2018 By Matt Everything is down this year except cash and municipal bonds. Headlines are dismal. Volatility is rampant. This isn’t some freak event. It’s the price of admission. Taken as a whole, yes it is unusual to have almost every asset class down in a calendar year. What’s not unusual is the… Read more
Investing Scoring Points Posted on November 14, 2018 By Matt In the short-term, the market is like Whose Line Is It Anyway, the show where everything’s made up and the points don’t matter. Yes, the points don’t matter just like the nutrition facts on a Happy Meal. If you’re looking for proof, check out October. More than 80% of S&P… Read more
Investing Investing in Relationships Posted on November 6, 2018 By Matt Investors must believe that investments will continue to rise in value. There is no guarantee this will be the case. It’s a leap of faith. There is a rational reason why stocks should go up in the future – the objective of a business is to make money and that… Read more
Stop, Drop, and Roll Posted on October 15, 2018 By Matt There are many milestones on the path to adulthood: turning 18, graduating from school, landing that first job, having a baby. There are also less tangible markers of adulthood such as a shift in our perception of threats. Saturday morning cartoons implied that quicksand would be a real and ever-present… Read more
Investing I Blame SportsCenter Posted on October 11, 2018October 10, 2018 By Matt The market was down 3% yesterday although you’re more likely to see this as DOW PLUMMETS OVER 800 POINTS. I don’t know why it’s down, but neither does anyone else. No one knows what it will do from here, either. However, I do know how things will play out on… Read more
Your Bad Taste in Music Isn’t Helping You Invest Posted on September 20, 2018September 19, 2018 By Matt Spotify’s algorithm recently uncovered a gem (to me, anyway) from my youth, adding Gilby Clarke’s “Cure Me Or Kill Me” to one of my playlists. I admit that this is not a great song, but seeing as how our musical tastes are developed in our teenage years, this track scratches… Read more
News Left of the Decimal Posted on June 21, 2018 By Matt Dow Jones has removed General Electric from the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and replaced it with Walgreens Boots Alliance. GE was an original Dow stock and was part of the index for over 100 years. The Dow is how your parents consume the stock market which is why newscasts… Read more
Investing Pros Versus Casuals Posted on May 10, 2018 By Matt One of my favorite events at the NFL Combine is when NFL Network’s Rich Eisen runs the 40 yard dash. He uses the Run Rich Run event to raise money for St. Jude’s. It also helps give perspective to just how talented the athletes at the combine are. Viewed on the… Read more
How Yale Beat the Market Posted on April 13, 2018 By Matt The Yale Endowment released their 2017 report, taking a victory lap over their 20-year returns. In their hubris, the endowment’s management team let slip the secret to beating the markets. “[A]ctive management can be a powerful tool for institutions that commit the resources to achieve superior, risk-adjusted investment results.” If… Read more