By Kyle Tetting
Tail winds for stock prices resulted in exceptional returns for 2019. Notably, though, the strong stock performance was not accompanied by strong earnings growth. Over time, stock prices are driven by earnings and interest rates but, as we saw in 2019, prices can deviate from earnings, at least temporarily. […]

By Joel Dresang
Even though a slower global economy should not alarm most U.S. investors, it’s worth monitoring. At the same time, it’s not worth trying to avoid overseas investments. Being part of the global market is essential to a balanced portfolio. […]

The common name for the day after Thanksgiving has more than one story behind it. One story dates back almost to the first national Thanksgiving holiday and has nothing to do with the occasion. Another uses “Black Friday” as a term of disparagement. A third story appears to be just made up. […]

Ron Hansen has been helping investors since 1975, when information was remote, transactions cost $40 apiece minimum and few Americans saved for retirement. At the end of 2019, Ron is himself retiring. He’s ending a career transformed beyond recognition by computer technology, government policies and industry evolution. […]

By Joel Dresang
Sometimes my understanding of how the world works is corrupted by my past experience. By several measures, the U.S. is now in a manufacturing recession, but apparently, it’s not as bad as I would have thought. […]

Especially amid market volatility, investors need to weigh the potential risks they take on as they consider reaching for higher returns. Paige Radke explains in a MONEY TALK VIDEO from the 2019 Investment Outlook Seminar. […]

By Joel Dresang
The point of talking about the long term is to prompt us to plan, allocate and adjust so that we don’t outlive our resources. Whether we want to consume as much as we can while we’re able or to leave a legacy to our heirs, we don’t want to run out of money before we run out of time. Of course, how much time we have is both unknown and peculiar. […]

As growth stocks have outperformed value stocks in recent years Kyle Tetting looks ahead—and farther back—to explain the role of value in investment portfolios. Kyle’s presentation at the 2019 Investment Outlook Seminar was produced as a MONEY TALK VIDEO. […]

By Joel Dresang
Although the Business Roundtable’s about-face seems remarkable, it is part of a trend suggesting that businesses—and their shareholders—can benefit from being more mindful of a broader array of stakeholders. In turn, it’s possible for investors to uphold their values without abandoning the value of their portfolios. […]

Active management offers flexibility not allowed in less-expensive index-tracking passive funds. The latitude that active managers have for managing risk as well as for adjusting to market fluctuations and changes in the business cycle make such funds a valuable component in a balanced investment portfolio. […]

The U.S. economy is in uncharted waters. It has been expanding for more than 10 years—an unprecedented streak, based on National Bureau of Economic Research calculations dating back to 1854. As with bull markets for stocks, economic expansions don’t die of old age, but some people just get anxious when they think there’s been too much of a good thing. […]

By Joel Dresang
On the day devoted to celebrating America, I noticed how small the world is. My discovery was meaningful in light of ongoing financial developments. The week we returned from vacation, Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell—head of the monetary system for the United States—told Congress that he is concerned about the global economy and trade uncertainty and their impact on the U.S. economy. […]