Beacon Wealthcare |

23 Mar 2012 Confessions of an Active Money Manager

Posted at 14:13h in Briefs about our Process, The Friday Brief by Sam Bass Jr.

As I look back to the early years of my career as a financial advisor, I recall being driven by three powerful and distinct forces. The first was necessity. With a wife and three children completely dependent on my commissions, success was not a dream or a goal, it was a necessity.

15 May 2009 Traps

Posted at 15:57h in The Friday Brief by Sam Bass Jr.

How investor outlook has improved since those dark days of early March. The S&P 500 remains 32% above its March 9^th low despite recent announcements that Chrysler and GM are closing 789 and 1,000 of their dealerships, respectively. All signs suggest this is a confidence rally. The huge liquidity pumped into the global economies is driving short-term interest rates to levels that no longer hold any appeal for investors. They are fleeing the relative safety of short government bonds in pursuit of higher returns of higher risk instruments. With real estate down for the count, stocks and commodities represent the only game in town at the moment. Still some argue that the current rally is a trap, a bear market rally that will eventually falter. Our opinion is that the rally is a bit overdone, but it is for real.

01 Mar 2002 Economy Up, Stocks Down?

Posted at 16:02h in The Friday Brief by Sam Bass Jr.

Once again the week’s economic numbers outperformed the stock market as accounting worries, doubts about earnings, and the speed of the economic recovery kept investors on the sidelines.