By now, most of us have heard plenty about the frenzy going on around GameStop (ticker GME), a brick-and-mortar video game retailer. For quick background, GameStop is not in a good financial position and hasn’t been for some time. Their business model is based around retail malls selling a product that is rapidly becoming completely […]
Should I Manage My Own Investment Portfolio? | The Abysmal Record of DIY Investor Cash Flows
If 2020 taught personal investors anything, it’s that managing your own investment portfolio is a dangerous game. The typical DIY-investor relies upon news cycles, hunches, and emotion when deciding whether to be in or out of the market. The only thing predictable about this strategy is disappointment. 2020 was a volatile year, making it very […]
It’s a new year: What we know and what is to come
2020 was a roller coaster of a year with markets starting strong only to be disrupted by COVID-19, resulting in the fastest drop to a bear market in history. Even amidst widespread shutdowns, protests, and a presidential election, the market rebounded and once again reached all-time highs. With many fast-paced changes still underway, let’s take […]
What is the new ETF rule?
Every so often, something occurs that changes the way we invest, and we think it best to keep our clients informed regarding these changes. This year, one such change occurred: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has adopted the ETF Rule, which allows Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) to exchange securities within their portfolios for different securities […]
The ETF Rule and Custom Baskets
At Financial Plan, we are analytical to a fault when evaluating investments. We continually ask the question: “Are we populating our accounts with optimal securities, or are there other selections that are clearly better?” We might define “better” as wholly subscribing to our investment philosophy while demonstrating improvement to the items we can control; including […]
Negativity Bias and the Financial Markets
Heard any bad financial news lately? Of course you have! But what if I told you the U.S. stock market recently enjoyed its best 50-day rally on record, ever? If you missed the positive financial news, it might be because your brain is tricking you into being pessimistic. Over the past decade, a wealth of […]
Understanding the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act
Late last week, the federal government passed an 883-page, $2.2T bill dubbed the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security). Included in this big money is a $500 billion lending program for businesses, states, and municipalities. It also includes $377 billion to support small businesses, $32 billion in grants for the airline industry and […]
The Impact of the Coronavirus on the Stock Market and Your Financial Portfolio
As the coronavirus continues its trek around the world, speculation about the virus’s impact on the global stock market has been equally rampant. Those asking whether they should get more conservative with their financial investments or pull out of the market altogether are not wrong to assume that the coronavirus will impact the stock market. […]
The Recession is Coming! The Recession is Coming!
How to Recession-Proof Your Stocks (and Financial Plan) No doubt you’ve been hearing it a lot lately: “A recession is coming!” How do we know? Online search volume for the word “recession” is exploding, increasing by over 5x between July and August this year. Searches for “recession-proof stocks” quadrupled during this same time period. Clearly, […]
Stock Market Performance: A Case for Diversified Portfolios
If you have been paying attention, you know how much we believe in equity markets. Our clients who have a long enough time horizon and the risk tolerance to endure bear markets are invested, at least to some degree, in massively diversified portfolios of stocks. A reason we recommend portfolio diversification is because most individual […]