The current controversy over the proposal by the U.S. Department of Labor to impose a fiduciary standard on those who advise retirement plans has little to do with the rule’s merit. Rather, I believe it’s at issue because stockbrokers are the beneficiaries of a cozy system that permits them to have conflicts of interest which…
A regular reader of my articles contacted me recently to discuss current valuations and a value-oriented strategy. He observed: “It doesn’t matter which approach you like: a value investor doesn’t prefer U.S. stocks now.” He also pointed out that, while the MSCI World Index currently contains 58.6 percent U. S. stocks, the iShares MSCI World…
While it’s a low bar, Bloomberg TV always seemed to me to be the best of the financial media. Its anchors are professional and knowledgeable. Its coverage is broad and responsible. It avoids the hype and sensationalism typical of many of its competitors. Bloomberg recently launched a new morning program, Bloomberg Go. It features some…
When we talk about the chances of something bad happening, people tend to fall into three general groups. ■The Numbers Don’t Matter No matter the odds, this group dismisses the statistics. People insist they can trust their gut. I suspect this group buys lottery tickets every week. Read the rest of the article on The…
Blerina Hysi, Fixed Income Portfolio Advisor, BAM Advisor Services Laddered bond portfolios can be customized to meet each investor’s unique needs. Plus, they help reduce the risk associated with investing in fixed income. Fixed Income Portfolio Advisor Blerina Hysi on the benefits of a well-structured bond ladder. Quick Take: What is a Bond Ladder from…
Behavioral economist Richard Thaler explains why financial professionals need to be familiar with psychology. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky legitimized behavioral economics—the study of how people really behave around money, as opposed to how economists say a rational person ought to behave. Then Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein applied the lessons of behavioral economics to…
While the debate over the merits of active versus passive investing is ongoing, there has been a very clear trend spanning several decades now showing that investors are slowly (but steadily) abandoning the hope of outperformance offered by active management in favor of the certainty of earning market returns (not average returns) offered by passive…
Quick Take on Fixed Income November 2015 Question: What are agency bonds? Answer: Agency bonds are securities issued by two types of entities: 1) government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), which usually are federally chartered but privately owned corporations; and 2) federal government agencies which issue bonds to finance activities related to public purposes, such as increasing home…
A large body of literature examines whether managers of actively managed funds add value to their investors by generating abnormal returns. Unfortunately, not only do the vast majority fail to do so, but the evidence, as presented in my book, “The Incredible Shrinking Alpha,” demonstrates that the already-small percentage of managers able to beat their…
It’s well-established in the literature that valuation metrics—such as the dividend yield (D/P) and the earnings yield (E/P), as well as its cousin, the Shiller CAPE 10—provide important information in terms of future expected returns. In fact, these metrics are the best that investors have for predicting long-term equity results. For instance, the Shiller CAPE…
Jane Bryant Quinn, a highly regarded and nationally syndicated columnist, once called much of the output of Wall Street and the trade publications that cover financial markets “investment porn.” She summed it up this way: “Americans are indulging themselves in investment porn. Shameless stories about performance tickle our prurient financial interest.” The roller-coaster swing of…
The academic research has provided investors with strong evidence there’s a small group of investment factors—or sources of returns—that have delivered higher returns over the long term. To be considered among this small group of factors, the evidence should have the following characteristics: Persistence: It holds across long periods of time and various economic regimes….
Steve Wiechel, Fixed Income Advisor, Buckingham Explaining duration. Fixed Income Advisor Steve Wiechel with the ins and outs of bond price sensitivity, using higher coupon bonds to lower duration and targeting the duration to best combine yield and volatility. Quick Take: What is Duration from The BAM ALLIANCE on Vimeo.
November 2015 How These Changes Could Affect Your Future Filing Strategy Establishing a well-crafted plan that addresses the role Social Security retirement benefits will play in your financial future has never been more important, especially in light of recent changes to how these benefits are administered. On Nov. 2, 2015, President Barack Obama signed into…
Quick Take on Fixed Income November 2015 Question: What are corporate bonds? Answer: Corporate bonds are debt securities issued by corporations. The bonds have a maturity greater than one year, and interest income is taxable at local, state and federal levels. These bonds are the obligation of the issuing company, which can issue many bonds…