Bear market brief, uncertainty lingers
By Kyle Tetting
August ended the briefest bear market in history. An especially technical term with multiple methods of measurement, the end of a bear market is a sign that investors have begun to look ahead and move beyond the root causes of earlier market declines. Despite some optimism, though, there is plenty of uncertainty, which can both test investors’ resolve and offer opportunity.
Money Talk News
6 ways to get more from virtual appointments
With offices closed for visits, we offer tips for making the most of remote reviews with investment advisors. […]
On Balance: The noise of summer
By Kyle Tetting
A future of lower returns is not encouraging, but remember that the impact will not be evenly distributed. […]
Low expectations for Social Security raise
Fractional Social Security raises remind retirees of the importance of balanced investment portfolios. […]
Encouraging context for volatile quarters
By Kyle Tetting
At the halfway point, 2020 has been a disappointing year—with a little perspective. […]
First time since 2009: Recession
The National Bureau of Economic Research wasted no time declaring a downturn for the U.S. economy. […]
Featured Articles
Stocks offset fears of inflation over time For years, Americans have harbored outsized fears of inflation. Not that concerns are unfounded. Like most variables that investors weigh, inflation cannot reliably be forecast. But it can be accounted for. “The best inflation protector is going to be stocks,” Steve Giles said in a recent Money Talk Podcast discussion with Brian Kilb and Kyle Tetting. […]
Separating politics from portfolios By Joel Dresang
Economists from San Diego State University and the University of Kansas have studied the political partisan bias of mutual fund managers. What they found suggests investors are best served by separating their wallets from their ballots. […]
Pandemic spending: Can you spare a dime? By Joel Dresang
Spare change, it turns out, is another unintended casualty of the coronavirus. With businesses closed and spenders keeping their hands in their pockets, a coin shortage has emerged. It goes to show how profoundly COVID-19 has upended commerce—especially the 70% of the economy driven by consumer spending. […]
For What It’s Worth: Nickel and dime By Joel Dresang
Except for rare coins, lesser bits of money tend to get shortchanged not only in our finances but also in our language. Consider such expressions as penny ante, for instance, the lowest of stakes, and bad penny, something you can’t get rid of. Even nickels and dimes have become clumped together as derogatory references. […]
Mortgage debt in retirement: Worth a talk By Joel Dresang
In our 30 years as homeowners, my wife and I have had occasional conversations about the urgency of retiring our mortgage. Math always settles it: At a fixed rate below 4%, our home loan is costing us less than the average 6%-7% a year that balanced investments have returned historically. […]