Content provided by Matt Santini, CLS Portfolio Manager Blind yield buying has come back to haunt those who have never bothered to peek. And, since investors are rarely alone and adhere to crowdsourcing, the impact that has rippled through the markets has impacted our sacred defensive sectors. Utilities, REITS, telecom, high yielding credit, and preferred… Continue reading It’s All About the Quality, Baby
Category: Personal Finances
Two Over-Rated Performance Numbers
Content provided by Rusty Vanneman, CLS Chief Investment Officer There are a few performance numbers that investors like to examine, which quite frankly, are over-rated in my opinion. The first is the year-to-date (YTD) return. While admittedly a YTD return may provide some valuable context behind a portfolio’s behavior, it’s easy to overemphasize YTD returns… Continue reading Two Over-Rated Performance Numbers
ETF Duress
Content provided by Grant Engelbart, CLS Research/Portfolio Analyst With the recent volatility in fixed income and emerging markets, ETFs have come under the microscope for being less-than-perfect investment vehicles. The Financial Times (FT) published an article on June 20 that ruffled some feathers among those in the ETF industry, to say the least. Let’s briefly… Continue reading ETF Duress
Learning a new language: Investor-ese
Content provided by Sierra Morris, CLS Junior Investment Research Analyst Coming into the investment field as a fresh college graduate, I knew there would be many things that I would be expected to learn. Advanced reasoning, presentation, and excel skills were among my expectations; however a foreign language was not. After my first meeting at… Continue reading Learning a new language: Investor-ese
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats…Really?
Content by Matt Santini, CLS Portfolio Manager For the mariners amongst us, we know the above statement is a gross generalization. An anchor’s rode must have enough scope to allow for the biggest tides, especially those encountered during a storm surge. Two scenarios can happen: Either the mooring pulls from the bottom, or the… Continue reading A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats…Really?
Apple: Where Did the Innovation Go?
Content provided by Case Eichenberger, CLS Internal Wholesaler Apple Inc. has a long track record of being industry innovators. Steve Jobs started the tech giant, got fired by the board, and eventually hired back. He brought us (as if I need to tell you) the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Jobs and Apple basically redefined some… Continue reading Apple: Where Did the Innovation Go?
Is There Life After the CFA?
Content provided by J.J. Schenkelberg, CFA, CLS Senior Portfolio Manager Our family spent most of the past two weekends at soccer and baseball fields. Memorial Day weekend marked the end of spring soccer season, but we are still in the heart of baseball. I have to admit I love it. Tori consistently reminds us she… Continue reading Is There Life After the CFA?
Educated but Buried in Debt
Content provided by Sadie Brewer, CLS Marketing Communications Specialist Lately I’ve seen and heard a lot of talk about the increasing cost of college, high student loan interest rates, and the looming question: is the reward worth the cost? For example, some analysts are calling the $1 trillion in student loan debt the next bubble,… Continue reading Educated but Buried in Debt
Why I am a Portfolio Manager
Content Provided by Paula Wieck, CLS Investment Research Manager There is no shortage of reasons why I chose investment management for my profession. These motivating factors began during my childhood, when my desire to help people become financially secure began to take shape. Now, as a portfolio manager, every decision I make, I not only… Continue reading Why I am a Portfolio Manager
Trivia Tuesday!
Holiday shopping is now in full-swing in stores and online. Do you know the answers to these 2012 holiday shopping stats? 1. How much are holiday sales expected to increase by this year? a. 2 percent b. 3 percent c. 4 percent – holiday sales are expected to increase 4 percent this year, beating the… Continue reading Trivia Tuesday!