Happy New Year Posted on January 2, 2019January 18, 2019 By Matthew Garrott To kick off the new year, I’m sharing my investing philosophy. Some concepts are simple while others more complex. They are not immutable rules or laws or instructions, just context I use for investing. Whether I’m doing due diligence on a money manager or listening to a pundit talk his… Read more
Uncategorized Scoring Points Posted on November 14, 2018 By Matthew Garrott 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
Uncategorized Investing in Relationships Posted on November 6, 2018 By Matthew Garrott 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 Matthew Garrott 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
Uncategorized I Blame SportsCenter Posted on October 11, 2018October 10, 2018 By Matthew Garrott 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 Matthew Garrott 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
Uncategorized The Thing to Keep in Mind About Knife Fights Posted on June 23, 2018June 22, 2018 By Matthew Garrott Years ago, I had the opportunity to attend some self-defense workshops put on by military and law enforcement. One class that changed my outlook on life was a knife course. We were going to learn how law enforcement treats knives and how to work with a knife ourselves. “The thing… Read more
Uncategorized Left of the Decimal Posted on June 21, 2018 By Matthew Garrott 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
My “Bad” Personal Finance Posted on March 12, 2018 By Matthew Garrott “Dad, can we go speed?” I always wondered if my kids would be like me. So when William asked that question on the way to swimming lessons, I knew I could check that box. Yep, this kid inherited the car gene. My dad is a car guy. By today’s standards… Read more
Uncategorized I’m Back, Baby! Posted on March 8, 2018 By Matthew Garrott It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but that’s because I’ve been busy with a new baby! Baby and Mom are happy and healthy. This is a pretty big difference from our first child who spent a ton of time in the hospital during his first two years. There’s a… Read more