You Might be a Mountain Man if… If you live on a mountain and regularly send pictures of nosy black bears sniffing around your front door and casually note in your email: “Had some visitors last night,” then, you might be a mountain man. Meet Tim Jones. He is: “The Stissing Mountain Man.” Tim Jones lives on Stissing Mountain, located in the Hudson Valley in Pine Plains, New York. I met Tim when his son, also Tim, began working with us 11 years ago. I’ll refer to them as Tim Sr. and Tim Jr. for this piece. You know when you meet someone and there’s a genuineness where you know they … [Read more...]
Survive and Thrive April: Vanguard GNMA and Your Retirement Years
When the financial crisis destroyed the stock market in 2008, guess which fund weathered the storm? You guessed it Vanguard GNMA. When the tech bust destroyed the stock market at the beginning of this century, guess which fund weathered the storm? Right again, Vanguard GNMA. That’s two huge busts in the stock market so far this century. Many mutual funds focus on 10-year performance. As 2018 moves forward into 2019, the brutal losses of 2008 will be rolled off, and investors may not see the risk inherent in stock funds as they make their allocation decisions. But a retirement lasts … [Read more...]
Join Me and Escape to Margaritaville🌴
Escape to New York City It sure is nice to change your latitude every now and then—New York City in this case—where, if you live in New England, you don’t have to go too far to change your attitude, or have it changed for you. Such was the case this weekend which included an exciting industry conference, a somber visit to the 9/11 Memorial, and as the name to Jimmy Buffett’s musical implies, an Escape to Margaritaville. Let’s Talk about that Attitude When I was a kid my dad was a real estate broker. I remember him saying how important a positive attitude was for his business. “You … [Read more...]
“E.J., Has Your Phone Been Ringing off the Hook?”
Well this was a fun month for the stock market with wild swings from high to low of around 2,000 points in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. One question I’m asked on a consistent basis is “E.J., is your phone ringing off the hook?” and my answer is “no,” and I know why. Most of you have been educated by Dick Young that investment success is achieved over a lifetime, not a month or two. Investment success is about hitting singles and doubles, taking some walks here and there and sometimes getting hit by a pitch. Staying in the game is key. It’s a winning strategy because it puts compound … [Read more...]