Confession time: I am a survey junky. I love to read surveys, and consider political polls to be the best form of reality entertainment. I used to work part time for Gallup as a pollster and rarely turn down a call asking me who I will be voting for, what TV shows I watch, or… Continue reading And the Survey Says…
Category: Investing
Japan’s Central Bank Enters the Devaluing Fray
I read an interesting article this weekend by Ray Dalio, of Bridgewater Associates, about deleveraging. He contends that all countries pass through a similar cycle of leveraging up through the use of credit, followed by a phase of deleveraging to return debt-to-income ratios to manageable levels. Deleveraging can occur in four different ways: 1) debt… Continue reading Japan’s Central Bank Enters the Devaluing Fray
Environmentally Friendly?
When I would present to clients and advisors in the mid-2000s, I often spoke about some potential transformations that would have a large impact on the investing landscape. Energy independence was one of those items. I always imagined it coming from alternative energy and improved batteries. Based on information in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s… Continue reading Environmentally Friendly?
Bulls Are On The Move
How does this bull market in the S&P compare to past bull markets? In short, the economic recovery may be below average, but the stock market strength is clearly above-average. The bull market’s length is now over 1400 days. This is longer than 70 percent of all bull markets. The gain in the S&P is… Continue reading Bulls Are On The Move
A Quick Look at Fixed Income
For approximately the past four years both stocks and bonds have had positive returns for investors. The Federal Reserve has been printing money at a record pace and it continues to do so. However, that gravy train may finally be coming to an end and some investors are starting to become concerned about what to… Continue reading A Quick Look at Fixed Income
Bank of America’s Billion Dollar Settlements
On Monday, Bank of America announced two large settlements with different parts of the federal government. Settling items for Bank of America is nothing new. Counting the twin settlements, Bank of America has reached fourteen settlements with various entities since 2010. Over that time, Bank of America has paid to settle charges for loaning to… Continue reading Bank of America’s Billion Dollar Settlements
CLS Investment Themes For 2013
CLS has developed key investment themes for 2013, let’s identify them and take a look at some of the ways these can be implemented. Below I offer some ‘resolutions’ to get the ball rolling in the New Year. Theme: Creative Diversification Be More Active – One of the more popular trends in new ETF’s lately has… Continue reading CLS Investment Themes For 2013
Skill vs. Luck
My car broke down over the weekend. As I lost feeling in my toes and smoke billowed out from underneath my hood, I immediately assumed that the problem had something to do with the repairs performed nearly a month ago by individuals who will remain nameless. Not surprisingly I felt a bit of righteous indignation… Continue reading Skill vs. Luck
Harvesting Tax Losses
This year, more than ever, has brought the unrealized tax sheet under the microscope, and at CLS we have been actively harvesting tax losses in our portfolios. If Congress doesn’t pass new legislation, short and long term capital gains taxes are set to increase, therefore we are gleaning any capital losses and gains within our… Continue reading Harvesting Tax Losses
Retirement Planning Action Steps for Advisors
Retirement planning is a major focus for most financial advisors. Every generation needs to give it serious consideration, and develop a concrete plan that they can stay disciplined to. BlackRock offers five points of advice to financial professionals in order to help clients achieve their retirement goals. 1) Offer role models: Instead of just talking… Continue reading Retirement Planning Action Steps for Advisors