Every semester, we host a speaker for my Texas Lutheran students. The goal is to find experts who speak from the world of “reality,” and they are always incredibly gifted and engaging. Academic theory is necessary from a foundational perspective, but engaging with people who have been “in the trenches” is a useful learning opportunity for my students.
Topics: Investing
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few weeks, you’ve probably heard that volatility has returned to the financial markets. This should come as no surprise after we saw positive returns every month in 2017.
But based on the way the news media talks about this volatility, we’d expect to see streets littered with corporate carnage and gutters overflowing with bankruptcies. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, the economy is doing quite well and corporations are benefitting.
Topics: Investing
Risk is an odd word. It is by far one of the most popular financial topics to discuss with clients. Society uses it as if we have a perfect understanding of its meaning and the news media repeats it with great power and authority.
The general public, and experts alike, refer to “risk” as a universal term. However, that is a gross oversimplification. There is no such thing as “universal risk.” When we discuss this with clients, they tend to give us a confused look. Depending upon how you think about the matter, there are at least ten commonly identified types of risk. As such, the word “risk” should always be preceded with an adjective describing the type of risk we are addressing.
Topics: Investing
Topics: Investing
Learn how others do it. Download our guide to growth.
Recently, Tesla, the electric car company, set another record. However, instead of a speed record it was a financial one as investors bid Tesla’s stock above $310 per share. In the process, this valued the entire company at $51 billion—more than either GM or Ford. At a minimum, the growth of its stock price has been impressive—especially for a company that did not exist 15 years ago.
Topics: Investing
Rarely a day goes by without someone endorsing the wisdom of investing in index funds. And the more this mantra is repeated, the more we see misapplication and frustration from investors attempting to follow this advice. Although index funds are easy to understand conceptually, successfully building portfolios with them can be complex. And while they can be an efficient tool, index funds are no cure for cancer.
Topics: Investing
The last 10 days have seen the stock market march consecutively higher. Since the presidential election, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up more than 13%. As investors analyze their statements, they often encounter a nervousness as they appreciate the increase in values, but recognize that stocks cannot go up, unimpeded, forever.
Topics: Investing
Every four years there is a common question facing us: which candidate is best for the financial markets or the economy? While the battle between Trump and Clinton is incredibly polarizing, this election cycle is no different. Despite strong beliefs from the American people, the results are anything but conclusive.
Topics: Investing
Topics: Investing
In another example of the “smart money” not knowing anything useful, the Brexit caught many off-guard.
Topics: Investing
1910 W Braker Ln, Austin, TX 78758
Austin Office: 512.835.6600
Fax Number: 512-835-6614
Our offices are open Monday-Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM