Fixed Income Options

Content provided by Marc Pfeffer, CLS Senior Portfolio Manager One of the biggest surprises of the past year has to be the DECLINE of long-term interest rates around the world.  While economic growth has been subpar in most countries, after a mostly weather-induced slowdown to start the year, growth in the U.S. has been solid.… Continue reading Fixed Income Options

Mid Caps vs. Large and Small Caps

Content provided by Scott Kubie, CLS Chief Strategist Small cap U.S. stocks have failed to keep pace with their large cap counterparts this year, by a wide margin. Through November 21, the Russell 2000 was up only 1.9%, while Russell’s large cap index, the Russell 200, was up 13.3%. The surprise this year has been… Continue reading Mid Caps vs. Large and Small Caps

Value Investing Works – But It’s Hard For a Variety of Reasons

Content provided by Rusty Vanneman, CLS Chief Investment Officer Why does value investing work? Simply put, the expected return for any investment is determined by the price you pay. For example, a great company could still be a bad investment if the price paid is too high. Conversely, a sub-par company could be a good investment… Continue reading Value Investing Works – But It’s Hard For a Variety of Reasons

Why is there a short position in my portfolio?

Content provided by J.J. Schenkelberg  ProShares Short S&P 500 ETF (SH) is a position we use in portfolios in order to obtain a targeted risk score with a diversified approach to the overall allocation. The year-to-date position has negative performance, but SH should not be looked at individually, it should be reviewed in the context of… Continue reading Why is there a short position in my portfolio?

Returns by Time Horizon

Content provided by Sierra Morris – Jr. Investment Research Analyst The recent sell-off has been alarming for investors. However, is this move over a short period of time warranted in causing so much concern? We consistently tell investors to focus on the long term when looking at their investment portfolios, so let’s take a look… Continue reading Returns by Time Horizon

CLS’s Top 10 ETF Holdings

Content provided by Sierra Morris, Jr. Investment Research Analyst Below are our top 10 holdings as of September 30, 2014   1. VIG: Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (5.8%) This fund identifies domestic firms that have increased their dividends for at least 10 years and uses screens to avoid companies that are likely to cut dividends in… Continue reading CLS’s Top 10 ETF Holdings