investing Archives

15 Nov

Needle in the Haystack

By Craig Smith, CFP®, CFA®, CKA®
In Blog

Needle in the Haystack Pop quiz! Question 1: Do stocks outperform one-month US Treasury Bills? Question 2: Are individual stocks likely to outperform one-month US Treasury Bills? You might say, Craig, those two questions are asking the same thing! And

16 Sep

Elegant Simplicity

By Craig Smith, CFP®, CFA®, CKA®
In Blog

Simplistic, Complex or Elegant Simplicity The world is a highly complex place. The interconnected, multifaceted world that we inhabit is both dumbfounding and inspiring at the same time. If you have a moment to read Leonard E. Read’s short essay

15 Jul

A Lesson of History

By Craig Smith, CFP®, CFA®, CKA®
In Blog

A Lesson of History – Don’t Fall Victim to A Classic Blunder! As the year marches on, I’m up to Book Number 24. It happens to be Will Durant’s The Reformation: The Story of Civilization Part VI. The book, originally

15 Jun

Obituary

Obituary This last week, I’ve sat through several funerals or celebrations of life. It is interesting what people get up and say about their parents, friends, or acquaintances. I was thinking, sitting through yesterday’s event, what will they say about

16 Apr

The Plane

The “Plane” Do you remember the first time you were on a plane? Maybe you never have been, but that would be rare. When I grew up, there weren’t many people who had been on a plane. Today, it is

15 May

6 Ways to Increase Your Probability of Success

I recently talked with a man that was almost irrational with anger. Something else had performed better than his portfolio. In his career he had been a perfectionist and only the best was ever acceptable. If you only accept being

06 Feb

Be Unemotional!

We are smart people. We are experienced, educated, well read and have more information available to us than ever before in previous decades. If this is the case, why do so many continue to want to make financial decisions based

16 Dec

Investing and Politics

Who will have the greatest impact on your financial future? You or President-elect Trump? Now I know there are two groups in this country: one hates what they see going forward based on our election; and one loves it. What

18 Oct

The Good, The Bad and The Bored

We all have good days…we all have bad days…and we all have times when we feel bored. I’m going to tell you to beware all three! Why? Because when it comes to investing, any day you are feeling a strong

23 Feb

Do Financial Contradictions Affect Your Life?

We know what contradictions are, but what are financial contradictions? They are thoughts, feelings and actions regarding your investments and financial plans in the short-term that oppose what you set out to achieve with the same investments and strategies over