Elections are here. As the midterm elections approach, investors frequently ask about the linkage between electoral politics and the movement of stock prices. As Jeff Sommer points out in one his recent New York Times columns, history carries weight even if this time “feels different.”   Source: The Market Usually Rises After the Midterms.… Continue reading →

Retiring can be a very stressful stage for many people. Daily routines, life purpose, and long-term goals, all come to an inflection point at once. The recent downturn in the financial markets has added an extra layer of unknowns to an already difficult time for those going through retirement. Having a clear perspective about the… Continue reading →

Former Federal Reserve Chairman, Paul Volcker, will be remembered for many policy decisions that still outlive his tenure. More specifically, the lessons learned from his handling of the Great Inflation of 1973-81 will be amongst the most relevant. As we live through a similar economic challenge today, it is important to remember the role that… Continue reading →

Big investment funds have a public face, a famous money manager who is constantly “talking up his fund” on financial television shows. By contrast, index fund investing is hard to comprehend. The Financial Times journalist Robin Wigglesworth got curious about those “missing faces” and wrote a fascinating history of how indexing got started. The resulting… Continue reading →

Reflation Risk According to Goldman Sachs With fiscal stimulus and accommodative monetary policy buoying the U.S. economic recovery, prominent economists from former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers to former IMF Chief Economist Olivier Blanchard have raised concerns that the U.S. economy could be headed for overheating and inflation. In this recent Goldman Sachs podcast, host Allison… Continue reading →