Your Survival Guy

Preparing your investments and family for when disaster strikes.

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The Wisdom of Jack Bogle

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Your Survival Guy has been a big fan of the late Vanguard founder, Jack Bogle. Here are some of his wisest words as cataloged by Wes Moss in Forbes: Bogle Quote #1 “Ask yourself: Am I an investor, or am I a speculator? An investor is a person who owns business and holds it forever and enjoys the returns that U.S. businesses, and to some extent global businesses, have earned since the beginning of time. Speculation is betting on price. Speculation has no place in the portfolio or the kit of the typical investor.” Bogle Quote #2 “The greatest enemies of the equity investor are expenses and … [Read more...]

Wait a Minute, My CD Was Called. What?

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Understand when you buy a CD, it may have a call provision, meaning the bank can pay it back early. Imani Moise explains in The Wall Street Journal: The era of 5% cash returns is ending early for some investors. Before the Federal Reserve began cutting rates in September, banks offered certificates of deposit promising high yields for locking up cash years into the future. The highest-yielding ones, with returns in excess of 5%, had features allowing the bank to “call” them before they mature, handing back the cash and accrued interest. Those features got little attention when rates … [Read more...]

Is Your Lazy Cash Working for You?

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Is your lazy cash working for you, or is it sitting on your couch? Because taking action and beating inertia is no easy task. In a recent report, we learned that many investors rolling over their 401(k)s to IRAs didn’t realize the initial balance was held in cash. That’s not a terrible place to be with money markets at 5%, but it's getting more costly as rates come down. And they think they’re still invested in the markets. Does someone you know not realize they’re in cash and not invested as they thought they were? Where will cash returns go now? How far will rates fall? Clearly, the … [Read more...]

Year-to-Date Performance of Fidelity Balanced Fund

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In my conversations with you, you want to know what I do when the market goes down. “Do you sell stocks?” you ask. My answer is always no because, with a balanced portfolio, you already have a good chunk in other areas that can act as a counterweight when stocks decline. Action Line: The key is to determine what your risk tolerance is and invest accordingly. Like a food allergy, investors oftentimes don’t realize they are intolerant until after the fact. Try not to let that be you or a loved one. When you’re ready to talk, email me here at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com. But only … [Read more...]

What the Fed Rate Cut Means to You Part: VI

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Now that the Fed has begun its rate cut crusade, you don’t want to wake up sometime down the road and realize you have no return on your cash. You and I have been talking about getting your lazy cash off the couch and working. Money market assets have gathered trillions of dollars and continue to do so even with rates just under five percent. What happens if the Fed cuts rates like it has in the past, enticing investors out of cash and into the only game in town—stocks? Have we not learned some lessons from the three market cracks so far this century? The Fed has a track record for cutting … [Read more...]

Kitten Update: Fred and Phantom Up Close

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In this week’s kitten update, you can see Phantom on top of the scratch post and Fred not quite there. One of the reasons is that Fred is getting big and packing on the ounces while Phantom’s still light as a feather. In the videos below, you can get a good look at Fred. It’s not easy because Phantom steals the show, and so far, she has been more comfortable being held, but Fred’s getting there.  … [Read more...]

My Favorite Arrondissements in Paris

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If you’re going to Paris expect to see the city like it’s never been seen before still aglow from the Olympics. Originally posted July 23, 2024. With the Olympics about to kick off in Paris, there's been a lot of news coverage of the city where Your Survival Guy has spent more time than most tourists at this point. In The Wall Street Journal, J.S. Marcus has prepared a review of Paris's neighborhoods. Your Survival Guy's favorite arrondissements in the city are the 6th and the 7th. Here's what Marcus has to say about the 6th, which he lists as Paris's "Most Expensive:" Known for … [Read more...]

How You Livin’? My Golf Injury and Fishing

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OK, YSG is on the shelf. No more golf for me. In August, I pulled some muscles between my ribs that I didn’t know I had. Note to self: maybe don’t swing so hard. One of the reasons for the injury is playing too much golf. Here’s the backstory. This year, one of my best friend’s father passed away. He was known as “Wild Bill.” There was a celebration of his life where we were reminded about how much he loved life. A typical day, not just a good day, began with striped bass or blue fishing before dawn, playing a round of golf, playing ice hockey, painting, and woodworking. He was in his … [Read more...]

What the Fed Rate Cut Means to You: Part V

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When you look at the abysmal track record of the Fed when it begins rate cuts of 50 basis points, it’s like boating in the fog. It doesn’t matter if you have the best navigational equipment. It’s not fun. Having been stuck in thick fog myself, I can tell you that minutes feel like hours, and hours feel like days. Sometimes, when it lifts, you’re good to go like we were this summer off Castle Hill. Other times, like when I was a kid, we dropped anchor to wait it out, and when the fog lifted, we found out that we were in a harbor that wasn’t even ours. Look at the record of the Fed when … [Read more...]