Over the last few decades, hurricanes have wreaked havoc on this country. Hurricanes have caused the most deaths, the greatest damage, and cost the most money of any weather or climate-related disasters in U.S. history. Some say we’re just getting started when it comes to the intensity and frequency of these super storms. The frequency of hurricanes (like just about any other subject you can think of in this country these days) can be a political football depending on who you talk to. Environmentalists blame a warmer climate and rising sea levels, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, for the…
Insights & Advice
Investment Portfolios
Will we race to the bottom?
Financial markets are in turmoil. President Trump’s trade war is escalating, and with it, fears that both China and the U.S. will employ a new weapon, currency devaluation, to win the war. Is that a wise move?
What does your 401(k) investments look like?
By Nate Tomkiewicz and Bill Schmick It might surprise you to know that many retirement savers religiously contribute to their tax-deferred savings plans but have no idea what investments they own. Many plan representatives simply suggest that if you don’t know, just invest in a target date retirement fund. Is this a good idea?
Coffee prices at 13-year lows
A few days ago, Arabica coffee futures prices fell to a price they haven’t seen since December of 2005. But don’t expect your morning cup of coffee to reflect those cheaper prices. The coffee business doesn’t work like that.
Will pot stocks go up in smoke?
Today, medical marijuana is legal in 33 states, while recreational marijuana is legal in ten states, plus the District of Columbia. Although there has been progress, little of the recent enthusiasm and hype over pot stocks will come to naught unless the Federal government does a major about face and legalizes the substance. What are the chances of that?
Turmoil in Turkey
Turkey, a country that represents about 1% of the world’s gross domestic product, has suddenly become a cause of concern for investors worldwide. Both developed and emerging financial markets have plunged over the last week as that country’s currency plummeted. Fear that this tiny country’s problems could somehow spark a global financial contagion has everyone on edge.
The incredible shrinking stock market
There was a time, back in the late Nineties, that publicly-traded stocks were the envy of all companies, great and small. But times have changed, and since then the number of public companies have fallen by 50%.
Is it time to hedge your bets?
Over the last few weeks, the threat of rising inflation has triggered a great deal of concern among investors. Given that inflation has been at a low level for a number of years, their concern may be justified.
How to handle a pullback
The stock market is in turmoil. Several hundred point swings in the Dow and other averages has investors on edge. The indexes are suffering 1-2% point swings per day. How are you dealing with it?
There’s nothing sheepish about the price of wool
We humans have been using wool for thousands of years. It was the primary clothing material of the middle ages. But even today, new uses for wool are cropping up, driving prices to record highs.
The market’s half-time report
Financial markets worldwide ended the first six months of the year much better off than they started. Here in the U.S., the Dow and the S&P 500 Indexes both gained 8%, while NASDAQ delivered 15%.
Are you ready for a 20% correction?
As the stock market makes new highs, investors tend to get greedy. They also begin to believe that what has happened in the recent past will continue to happen in the future. Actually, history shows the exact opposite. It is time to give the potential downside some thought. Hope burns brightly in the equity markets right now. Many on Wall Street believe that the Republican-dominated Congress, led by Donald Trump, “The working man’s president,” will usher in a golden era of strong economic growth and robust financial markets. The problem is that politics and investments make for strange bedfellows. At…
Are you ready for a 20% correction?
As the stock market makes new highs, investors tend to get greedy. They also begin to believe that what has happened in the recent past will continue to happen in the future. Actually, history shows the exact opposite. It is time to give the potential downside some thought.
Cosmetics survive and prosper despite competition
As the clash between brick and mortar retail enterprises and the mighty Amazon escalates, the internet shopping colossus is laying waste to one store or mall after another. One of the few areas that have not only staved off the internet shopping giant, but has actually turned the internet and social media to its advantage is the cosmetics industry. There is a combination of fortuitous developments, some peculiar to the makeup industry, and others the result of adept marketing that has allowed the beauty trade to grow unencumbered. Social media, as you might imagine, has played a big part in…
Cosmetics survive and prosper despite competition
As the clash between brick and mortar retail enterprises and the mighty Amazon escalates, the internet shopping colossus is laying waste to one store or mall after another. One of the few areas that have not only staved off the internet shopping giant, but has actually turned the internet and social media to its advantage is the cosmetics industry. There is a combination of fortuitous developments, some peculiar to the makeup industry, and others the result of adept marketing that has allowed the beauty trade to grow unencumbered. Social media, as you might imagine, has played a big part in…
Fear and Greed and your portfolios
Over the years, just two emotions account for most of the mistakes investors will make in the financial markets. Succumbing to either one of them will have a deep and long-lasting impact on your ability to retire comfortably.