I just returned from Colorado where I spent a week riding horses and hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park. One of my hikes was to the summit of Estes Cone. It’s considered a strenuous hike with an elevation gain of 1,800 feet or 551 feet per mile.[1]
Most trails are well marked from the...
Advisors, brokers, planners, bloggers, vloggers, Fin Twit experts, and other pontificators are praising the benefits of their own fee models while bashing all others. Strong opinions about whose fee schedule is best is a common thread. At the end of the day, however, a fee is a fee regardless of how...
Active stock traders need to keep some dry powder so they can buy stocks when the stock market falls. Dry powder usually means cash. Allocating a portion of your portfolio to cash will be a drag on your returns, especially in a low interest rate environment with a rising stock market.
Traders need...
Summer has arrived and its vacation time! Travelers will be crisscrossing the globe in search of the perfect family vacation. Individuals will spend between 10 to 20 hours researching their vacation.[1] Proper planning will make your vacation more enjoyable.
Deciding where to go is only half the...
Murder mystery dinners are popular. At these dinners’ guests try to guess who committed the crime based on a series of clues. Guests are also part of the show and may be prime suspects. You might have attended one of these events in the past, but have you ever been to a financial mystery dinner?
Le...
A client called recently to let me know he was going to make a major purchase. He wanted to know if his purchase was going to affect his investments. After a few clicks through his financial plan, we determined he could make the purchase and it would not have an impact on his long-term goals. He...
Growing up in Southern California I went to Disneyland often. In the ‘70s they issued tickets rather than an all-inclusive pass. Their ticket system used letters – A through E, with an E Ticket being the most coveted. They were the most popular and exciting rides like the Matterhorn or Space...
Fake News is everywhere, I think. Who knows?
Fake news is on the rise, undermining credible news stories and causing angst. It attacks people, places and things by reporting stories that aren’t true. People shoot first and ask questions later by reacting to false headlines. Online posts, media...
The graduating class of Morehouse College received an unexpected gift from their commencement speaker. Mr. Robert F. Smith offered to forgive all the student loans for the class of 2019. Mr. Smith is a billionaire, philanthropist, investor, and fellow Austinite who announced his generous offer to...
Do you give the horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane? Do you make it leap like a locust, striking terror with its proud snorting? It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength, and charges into the fray. It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; it does not shy away from the sword. ~...
I love DIY projects.
This past weekend I was going to fix my garage door. I researched the issue, watched a few YouTube videos and talked to some professionals. I felt confident I could fix it, so I ordered the supplies.
The project was going well until I started to add the new part. It wasn’t...
The S&P 500 rose 13% in the first quarter. Are you satisfied or frustrated if your investment portfolio “only” made 12%?
During the quarterly review season investors want to know how well their accounts performed. Did they make money? Did they outperform the market? Will the trend continue? These...