Tag: Bonds
A Tale of Two Decisions
The stock market drop in February and March was the fastest drop of that magnitude on record. The recovery since late March has been equally breathtaking. In fact, many people we speak with are surprised that the broad stock market has completely recovered its losses for the year. During turbulent markets like these, investors face […]
Investing and Expectations
During the first quarter of 2016, large company stocks were up about 1.3 percent while the bond market gained about three percent. Over the past five years, the S&P 500 has gained about 12 percent per year while bonds have gained about four percent per year. International stocks have earned only about 2.3 percent over […]
Introduction to Municipal Bonds
During the past quarter, three municipalities in California filed for bankruptcy protection. The City of Stockton, followed shortly by Mammoth Lakes, and most recently the city of San Bernardino. Each municipality has been rocked by a combination of economic stagnation, declining revenues (property and sales taxes) and, in the case of San Bernardino, (possibly criminal) […]
Investing With Discipline
In my last article I discussed some of the behavioral aspects to investing that can create problems for long-term investors. These are deeply rooted, emotionally driven mental shortcuts that humans have learned to use over the millennia. They have helped us to survive as a species in the wild, but are less helpful in today’s […]
