Category: Investing
390 posts categorized as "Investing"
DOL Prepares to Finalize Fiduciary Rule
January 29, 2016
Content provided by Mike Forker, CLS Chief Compliance Officer The Department of Labor (DOL) has finalized their proposed fiduciary rule, which would impose a fiduciary standard on all advice given to retirement plans and IRAs. This morning, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced that they had received a final rule from the DOL titled…
2015: A Look Back At Income-Producing Strategies
January 29, 2016
Content provided by Case Eichenberger, CLS Client Portfolio Manager 2015 was no doubt a tough year for the stock market. In fact, the average investor lost about 3% for the year. While not even close to bear market territory, these are disappointing gains nonetheless. Of the major asset classes, only the S&P 500 had a…
January’s Market Volatility
January 25, 2016
Content provided by Case Eichenberger, CIMA, Client Portfolio Manager What’s scaring market participants today? Will this be known as the China scare of 2016? The oil crash of 2016? It’s always hard to blame market turmoil on one event, but slowing global growth is usually a culprit. When combined with slumping demand for oil/an overabundance of…
Large Caps vs. Small Caps Debate
January 20, 2016
Content provided by Paula Wieck, CLS Portfolio Manager At the start of 2015, some market pundits doubted the ability of large-cap stocks to outperform small caps due to the strengthening dollar. Typically, dollar strength bodes well for small-cap companies because they do much of their business locally. Larger companies tend to do more business across…
Party Like It’s 1999!
December 29, 2015
Content provided by Rusty Vanneman, CFA, CLS Chief Investment Officer The current stock market environment feels a heckuva lot like the late 1990s. Large-cap growth stocks, particularly some high-profile Internet companies, are leading the way now, just as they did then. Value-oriented investors, including some of the most well-known portfolio managers, are getting shellacked. The…
5 Factors for 2016 and Beyond
December 21, 2015
Content provided by Kostya Etus, CLS Associate Portfolio Manager 2015 is coming to a close which means it’s time to reflect on the year that was. But, more importantly, it’s time to plan for the year that will be. Planning for the future (for anyone and anything) has to start with the three basic questions:…
Likelihood of Interest Rate Hikes and Their Effect on Your Portfolio
December 15, 2015
Content provided by Josh Jenkins, CFA, CLS Portfolio Manager Recent guidance from the Federal Reserve (Fed) suggests it may finally be ready to lift interest rates at its next meeting on December 16, and the market has taken note. According to Bloomberg, as of December 10 the probability of a hike was 80%. Bloomberg has…
Managing the Aspirational Portfolio
December 9, 2015
Content provided by Scott Kubie, CFA, CLS Chief Strategist In Omaha, some of the people whose names appear on buildings or near the top of philanthropic donor lists have two sources of wealth: their businesses and their early investments in Berkshire Hathaway. The story goes that in 1960 Warren Buffett invited 10 doctors to dinner…
What Do ETF Strategists Stand For?
December 3, 2015
Content provided by Joe Smith, CFA, CLS Senior Market Strategist Over the last 20+ years, exchange traded funds (ETFs) have captured the hearts and minds of investors. These investment vehicles have empowered everyday investors to build portfolios that help them reach their financial goals – with greater transparency, lower costs, and more precision. ETFs have…
Recency Bias, Emerging Markets, and the Lost Decade
November 24, 2015
Content provided by Case Eichenberger, CLS Client Portfolio Manager I recently had the opportunity to study at the world’s first recognized collegiate business school – the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. I was there for a week-long program as part of my CIMA certification, where I was able to learn from some of…