What are your investments really costing you? If you’re not sure, you’re not alone. It’s not like you’re handed a menu of charges to choose from when it’s time to place your order. Even when you know where to look for investment costs, the information can be difficult to digest. Let’s fill in some of [...]
Not unlike that fine painting, your best tax-planning efforts include meticulous attention to the details, as well as to how each action contributes to your big picture. We view effective tax planning as a way to reduce your lifetime tax bill—or beyond, if you’re preparing for a tax-efficient wealth transfer to your heirs. Leading with [...]
Have you been reading the daily headlines—watching markets stall, recover, and dip once again? If so, you may be wondering whether there’s anything you can do to avoid the motion sickness. If you already have a well-structured, globally diversified portfolio tailored for your goals and risk tolerances, our answer remains the same as ever: Your [...]
In selecting or retaining a financial advisor, how do you know if you’re making a wise choice? This is a challenging subject, indeed. First, the stakes are high. The quality of your selection, or lack thereof, can literally make or break your family’s fortune. Also, the choices can be bewildering. It can be difficult to [...]
As we touched on in our last piece, “Setting the Sustainable Stage,” degrees and kinds of “doing good” are often in the eye of the beholder. How do we measure something that is sometimes so subjective? As described in “Why and How Investors Use ESG Information” (a University of Oxford/Harvard University paper to be published [...]
If there’s one trait most of us share, it’s a desire to make the world a better place. No wonder there’s so much interest in sustainable investing. Who wouldn’t want to try to earn decent if not stellar returns, while contributing – or at least causing less harm – to the greater good? But what [...]
On January 16th, Vanguard founder John “Jack” Bogle, passed away at age 89 in his Bryn Mawr home. Search the Internet for “Bogle” or browse any news source, and you’ll soon be immersed in a universal outpouring of respect for the man. Rightfully so. His lifetime of unblinking commitment to busting open the doors of [...]
Asset allocation. It’s so ingrained in how we manage our clients’ investment portfolios, we talk about it all the time. But what is it? What are assets, and what happens when you allocate them? Asset Allocation: A Classy Subject Big picture, an asset is anything beneficial you have or have coming to you. For our [...]
Doctors write prescriptions. Auto mechanics perform tune-ups. Lawyers prepare briefs. Financial advisors help you manage your money. Ultimately, it’s that simple. But like any other profession, we sometimes have a funny way of saying it. Just as it’s good to know that Enter your PIN doesn’t mean you should jab a sharp object into your [...]
The yield curve is flattening (or growing steeper)! … Yield curve spreads are widening (or narrowing)! … The yield curve has inverted (or normalized)! Headline-grabbing yield curve commentary somehow sounds important, doesn’t it? But what is a yield curve to begin with, and what does it have to do with you and your investments? A [...]