All you need to know about hedge funds can be found in this brief linked article. If you are really squeezed for time, here’s the executive summary: Don’t invest in them. Stay diversified. The Hedge Fund Conundrum ...
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The financial media has been sending up warning signs for a while now about market valuations, saying the bull market is six years in and can’t run forever. While I agree with the notion that bull markets don’t last forever, I also caution anyone from trying to predict when the bull becomes a bear. In this recent article posted by the Wall Street Journal, our own Mark Stadtlander contributes his perspective...
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Estate planning isn’t just about how you leave your estate when you die – there are many techniques available to distribute assets during your lifetime, allowing you to see the use and enjoyment of your resources. Click here to read a great article on this topic.
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Our graphs reviewing the monthly performance of various asset classes expands greatly this month to include not only benchmark indices but also representative mutual funds used by Foster Group in the execution of our portfolio allocation strategy. Each asset class graph will show data for the previous month, calendar year to previous month end, three-, five- and ten-year rates of return for a representative benchmark index as well as funds...
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The landscape of the bond market has undergone massive changes over the years. What was once a plain-vanilla way to create steady income is now replete with variety as well as risk. First, the basics. Bonds are a form of debt, a loan to a borrower with the promise of future payback of the loan amount, plus interest. The credit-worthiness of the borrower and the amount of time until the loan...
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Many investors are concerned and perhaps a bit anxious because their portfolio returns weren’t as high as the return of “the market” last year. Don’t panic, otherwise trouble stands ready to pounce. Remember that what we hear from the media most often is the performance of the Dow Jones 30 Industrials and the S&P 500, both narrow slices of the global market. Still, the familiarity of both indices makes it easy...
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Sometimes the needs around us are such that it seems impossible to make a difference. There are spiritual needs, emotional needs, mental health, refugees, homelessness, educational disparity, natural disasters, economic crises, … the list seems endless. How can an individual or family make a difference? One way is to focus. When the Foster Group Charitable Giving Team began six years ago, the first item of business was to identify a target....
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Dollars and cents is what the investment industry often uses to make a case of getting good advice. This usually influences the investor, whether institutional or individual, because he or she thinks it’s all about the numbers. The numbers are critically important. Investment performance, risk and fees are represented using numbers which are the basis for decisions. But what about professionalism? The term ‘advisor’ is used by many different types of individuals, however...
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One of the roles I cherish in my work at Foster Group is being part of our Charitable Giving Team. Each year, our group meets regularly to give away money and promote generosity. What fun! Last fall, the team challenged each Foster Group employee to give away a $50 bill … then share their story. And the stories came in – a $50 tip to an unsuspecting waitress at Red Lobster,...
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When it comes to investing, we all wish we had a crystal ball or could find some pattern in returns that would help us be in the right investment at the right time. You would think the collective knowledge of Wall Street would be able to make some pretty accurate forecasts, but that’s just not the case. The December 2013 Business Insider article linked below compiled the forecasts for the...
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