Insights

Stock markets in Asia were down sharply today after the Bank of Japan did not announce an expansion of its bond-buying program. Like the US program the BOJ program has put a lot of money out there that has gone into the markets, especially during the last six months....

I have written on my blog for some time now that I think the 31-year bull market in bonds is over and that fixed income will be an asset class with poor prospects and a good bit of risk over the next few years. Rates are now set to rise from the extraordinarily low...

I'm back from a couple weeks out west and a conference on 401(k)s, so if you haven't seen a post for a while, that's why. The stock market has dropped 8 of the last 12 sessions. The bond market has also dropped sharply in the same time, in many cases wiping out the...

Nothing other than homes and remodeling them puts people in more debt than buying a replacement vehicle the wrong way. I cringe when clients tell me they have two car payments. The idea is to be debt-free guys. That's where the freedom is. When you buy more vehicle...

There is a lot of news lately about rising home prices. Let's take a look at the long term. Below is a Pew Research Center chart of real median home prices since 1968. Real means adjusted for inflation. This is my preferred way of looking at things because it takes...

If you are a trustee of a 401(k) plan, you need to regularly check to see if your investment options are each in the lowest net cost share class for that fund. You would be very surprised at how many times I find in looking at plans that they are not. Sometimes they...

Fiduciary - In law, a person in a position of authority whom the law obligates to act solely on behalf of the person he or she represents and in good faith. - The Concise Dictionary Why is this important? Because, the legal obligation to act solely in the best...

Since the general market is falling, Apple will probably fall with it, faster because it is so out of favor right now. When the market is dropping out of favor stocks get sold harder. Always have. What a complete contrast to the perception of Apple last summer! The...

Yesterday, I wrote about the falling market and why it might be falling. I think it probably has further to go and will thus be yet another consecutive year when the high for the first 9 months was hit in mid-April.

Stocks gave back yesterday's bounce from the drop Monday. Gold, which had dropped hard Friday and Monday, stayed at the low level hit Monday morning. European stocks were up in the morning but a very poor report on German car sales and rumors of a credit rating...