Welcome to the FCU blog! What’s on our mind? You can read about it here.
Whether it’s ideas from the industry or emerging trends, with all the changes in tax codes, investing styles and techniques, as well as social trends, we have plenty of thoughts just bursting to come out.
And who knows, we may throw in a few thoughts on things not related to "the business", such as the arts, a movie review, or some spiffy quote we think is just too profound to keep to ourselves. So keep checking in. We’re glad to have you reading along.
Back in April I wrote not to get too giddy about the then current upward swing in the markets. I still feel that's the case, even though the markets have generally continued their upwards path. Our economy has gotten hammered, there...
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When the equity markets were going down like a boulder pushed off a cliff earlier this month, I suggested not to panic, and eventually, they’d be rising again. Actually, it was more like a Superball being pushed off a cliff, with...
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The late John C Bogle was the founder and chief executive of The Vanguard Group, and is credited with creating the first index fund. An avid investor and money manager himself, he preached investment over speculation, and long term...
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I received an email from a client today, needing some service. In his email, he said, in part, "Sorry to hit you up during this craziness when you’re probably super busy taking care of everyone’s portfolios' .....'Are you...
Read MoreWhen the federal government finally declares a National Emergency, which they are going to do (later today, if not already by the time you are reading this), it won't necessarily be any more of an emergency that it has already been all...
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I don't use charts and sales literature in my practice. Not anymore. After 30 years, I describe the knowledge in my mind in a way my clients understand, and I find that to be more genuine. But there are some charts that I used to see,...
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Forgetting the results of the day... Today's rate cut was not a good idea. 1 - The equity (stocks) markets usually get a boost when the interest rates are cut. We use rate cuts as a way to boost the stock markets during a recession or...
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I recently sent two emails out, one to clients and one to non-clients, in regards to the Coronavirus and its' relation to the stock markets. After some thought, I thought it would be beneficial to give others access to my thoughts also...
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Last week, the stock market plunged more than in any week since 2008 during the housing crisis. Days of plunges approximating 1,000 points happened more often than not last week. The Coronavirus, COVID-19 is playing havoc, but it's...
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This is the time of the year when investing lump sums into equity mutual funds may not be your best practice. First some basics… Fund managers, particularly stock (equity) fund managers, try to buy low and sell high. They buy a...
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I don't really want to get into the black hole of a technical article here (I won't), but I really want to say something about the differences between the "Value" and "Growth" styles of investing. It can make a huge difference in the...
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I never have anything rehearsed or scripted when talking with clients and potential clients, so it’s seldom that I end up repeating the same phrase over and over. Something I have said often though, is that while I do consider...
Read MoreIt's easy to be comfortable with risk when things are going great. It's when everything turns more volatile that you truly get a better feeling for where your "risk tolerance" level is. If you're starting to feel a little "antsi" about...
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