09 Aug 2013

Posted at 14:03h in The Friday Brief by
You've no doubt heard the quote attributed to Albert Einstein: "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it." You understand that time can be your greatest ally or your greatest enemy depending on how much or how little you have to save. Finally, you've heard that younger people can be more aggressive than older ones when investing in stocks because they have more time to recover from setbacks incurred during significant market downturns. Today we'll share some fascinating aspects of compounding that will surprise and perhaps frighten you.

02 Aug 2013

Posted at 15:26h in The Friday Brief by
Our economy is not ready to stand on its own according to the Federal Reserve as of its latest meeting ended Wednesday of this week. In fact, they believe it is not expanding as fast as earlier hoped, as they downgraded their characterization of growth from "a modest pace" to "a moderate pace." Their focus remains on the labor market which we learned today failed to meet expectations.

26 Jul 2013

Posted at 16:39h in The Friday Brief by
One of the great secrets of success in investing is that of persistence; defined as "firm or obstinate continuance on a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition." In this age of information overload, particularly in the area of investing, persistence has become considerably more difficult than it was 10 or 20 years ago. Throw into the mix an ever-expanding supply of 'financial advisors' backed by sophisticated marketing machines designing products to address today's 'opportunities' and its easy to see why staying the course is more difficult than ever.

19 Jul 2013

Posted at 09:48h in The Friday Brief by
As you consider the question, do you compare yourself to others specifically, like say to the Joneses, or do you take a more general approach? Do you address wealth on a scale of ability to buy and do the things you want or do you dwell on security? Perhaps you consider friendships, connections, health, talents, shelter and provision as great wealth. Or maybe you don't ever think about it. Imagine that.