My overall trend reading was down from July. Investors are feeling a little too comfortable in this stock market. Yes, the economy looks good, but this bull market is long in the tooth. Now would be an excellent time to look for defensive stocks for your portfolio. “Valuation concerns have already crept into the market, some investors said, as defensive stocks that tend to post lower growth than companies like Amazon and Facebook have outperformed,” reports the WSJ. “The top five performing S&P 500 sectors the past three months are all defensive, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a … [Read more...]
Why Are Investors Buying a Hedge Fund Strategy that Isn’t Working?
Despite evidence that the strategy isn't working today, investors have plowed $300 billion into hedge funds using "trend-following." Laurence Fletcher writes about the phenomenon at The Wall Street Journal: Performance among the roughly $300 billion in hedge funds that largely use so-called trend-following strategies has been abysmal. An investor buying into these funds at the start of 2011, for instance, and holding through July this year would have lost 3.4% on average, according to HFR. Over the same period the S&P 500 is up 124%. “It’s like a lot of industries,” said Matthew … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Fishing Block Island
It’s hard to beat the striped bass fishing off Block Island. In this video you see the voyage from Newport, RI to the Block for some late Summer striped bass fishing. Don Smith explains more about fishing around Block Island at On The Water: Block Island earned its reputation as a legendary striper-fishing destination many years ago. These days, her waters draw numerous charter boats and recreational fishermen, who troll, jig and drift for stripers. At the height of the season, it’s not unusual to see a hundred boats working the waters near Southwest Ledge at one time. Once the sun … [Read more...]
How Bad Bosses Get it Wrong, and How to Escape Them
Robert Cross, a professor of leadership at my alma mater, Babson College was recently quoted in The Wall Street Journal with some great advice on escaping "collaborative overload," in other words, too many shared projects at work. The projects demand meetings, conference calls and endless emails, but leave little time for actually getting work done. Lauren Weber and Lynn Cook report on Cross's view of the problem here: People with deeply rooted identities as high-performing workers are especially susceptible to collaborative overload, says Rob Cross, a professor of leadership at Babson … [Read more...]
Cato’s Freedom in the 50 States Ranking
The Cato Institute has released its much anticipated Freedom in the 50 States ranking. Scoring best of all fifty states was Florida. The researchers who put together the scores highlighted Florida's lack of an individual income tax and the Sunshine State's economic freedom as its top draws. Here's what they wrote about Florida: Lacking an individual income tax and featuring a hot climate, Florida has long enjoyed substantial migration of well-off retirees. But as we’ve noted in the past, the state attracts more than seniors, as others vote with their feet for good weather and the increased … [Read more...]
Has the Time Come for Defensive Stocks to Drive the Market?
"Valuation concerns have already crept into the market, some investors said, as defensive stocks that tend to post lower growth than companies like Amazon and Facebook have outperformed," reports the WSJ. "The top five performing S&P 500 sectors the past three months are all defensive, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a recent note, including consumer staples, utilities and health care." Defensive stocks tend to be the ones paying dividends, and dividends are the backbone supporting our Retirement Compounders®. … [Read more...]
Prophetic Statements to be Studied: Investors be Warned
“If ye are prepared ye shall not fear,” is from the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is quoted in Prophetic Statements on Food Storage for Latter-day Saints, by Neil H. Leash. In the forward to Leash’s book, Duane S. Crowther, author of Inspired Prophetic Warnings, advises to avoid fear and anxiety by making sound preparations, and to approach the subject with an “urgent calm” rather than anxiety and alarm. Leash and Crowther aren’t simply talking about food storage. They’re talking about preserving your well-being beyond food, including money … [Read more...]
The Good News Continues for Dividend-Centric Investors
There’s a certain discipline required of the stock investor whom adheres to a dividend-centric investment strategy. It’s not for the FOMO (fear of missing out) crowd that talks up their latest stock heroics at cocktail parties—a never in doubt but often wrong crowd if I’ve ever seen one. At the end of the day, it’s the dividend investor whom usually has the last laugh. Looks like a truckload of cash from the recent tax cut will be paid out in the form of dividends. Jon Sindreu writes in The Wall Street Journal: In a year of rising interest rates, resurgent stock volatility and creeping … [Read more...]
Can Crypto-Currencies Ever be Safe?
After hackers stole digital currency assets from South Korean currency exchange Coinrail recently, the question must be asked, can bitcoin and other crypto-currencies be safe? The problems don't seem to lie in the blockchain technology, but instead in the exchanges that provide servicing to crypto-currency users. This isn't the first time an exchange has been hacked, or even the second or third time. So users must take into account the idea that the place housing their crypto-currencies may not be altogether safe. Can you imagine a rash of bank robberies in your town, but without any FDIC … [Read more...]
You Need to Know that Changes are Coming to Your Savings Plan
Congress is actively seeking ways to encourage more small businesses to use retirement savings plans. That's a good thing for America's savers. But be wary that the bill may also encourage greater use of annuities, which I have warned readers about repeatedly (see here, here, and here for a sample). The bill will also encourage greater use of 401(k)s, which like annuities, can also come bearing hefty fees. For many savers too, borrowing against the money in their 401(k) account can be a tempting but risky option. Richard Rubin and Anne Tergesen report on the bill in The Wall Street … [Read more...]
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