If company earnings were the most important factor associated with company stock returns, shouldn’t the S&P 500 average annual index performance have reflected the average annual earnings growth of the companies that it comprises? According to Ben Carlson of Ritholtz Wealth Management, over the past 80 years corporate earnings have increased by about 6% annually…
Read more
The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase went public earlier this month. But rather than following the standard initial public offering (IPO) process, the company chose to do a direct public offering (DPO), also known as a direct listing. What’s the benefit to the company, and, more importantly, what’s the benefit (if any) to investors? In a standard…
Read more
Inflation is in the news again after a long hiatus. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in May that the broad inflation rate rose 4.2% over the past 12 months, the largest increase since 2008. Exactly what is inflation, and how does it impact investments? Simply put, inflation (and its negative twin deflation) is…
Read more
A thoughtless investor is someone who invests in something without performing any kind of due diligence first. I prefer the adjective “thoughtless” rather than “dumb” because the latter implies a lack of intelligence. Thoughtless investors can be highly intelligent but simply may not have the time or skills to do the work necessary to determine…
Read more
I have written many times about the value of keeping one’s investment portfolio well-diversified across numerous investment asset classes. But diversifying your portfolio with respect to income taxes can also be a valuable way of maximizing the wealth you get to keep and pass on to your heirs. Here’s a high-level explanation of how it…
Read more
Stock prices continue to set records. Bond returns are the lowest they’ve been in decades. Real estate has been upended by the pandemic. Where can an investor find decent returns anymore? You could branch out into established alternatives such as commodities, gold, or collectibles if you believe they’ll provide better returns than stocks & bonds.…
Read more
Recent Comments