One in a Million

New York City Sunset

Over 100 million people have at least one. Most people know what they are called but cannot describe them. Many people don’t know what to do with them. You stare at them, they stare at you and your mind goes blank. What are they? Mutual Funds. Mutual Funds have become the primary investment choice for…

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The First Lady of Wall Street: Muriel Siebert

Muriel Siebert

1967 was called The Summer of Love. Over the summer months, 100,000 people descended on the Haight Ashbury district in San Francisco. Sounds of The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane dominated the music scene. Across the country at the corners of Wall Street and Broadway a very different “happening” was taking place. Muriel Siebert became…

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How to Buy a Stock

Girl swinging high in the air

The Big Swing In the stock market, when the price of a stock changes dramatically during the day it is called a big swing. Kids swinging on swings is iconic. I was the kid who was every parent’s (including my own) nightmare. I would swing as high as I could go and then…jump off! It…

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What Is a Brokerage Account?

woman raising both arms while using her laptop in nature

What Is a Brokerage Account? If you are working and have an employee pension plan, you have a brokerage account. Your investments are held at a brokerage firm. The brokerage firm is acting as the custodian for your investments, but you are responsible for making the investment choices. For anyone to buy and sell securities…

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Tariffs and Trade Offs

cranberries

Reprinted from the August Newsletter 2018 Update on Cranberries With Thanksgiving clearly in sight, I thought it time to revisit the cranberry industry and to give you an update on the trade deficit. I contacted the Cranberry Institute and received an immediate response from Mr. Terry Humfeld, Executive Director of the Cranberry Institute. Specifically, I…

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Asset Allocation

fortune teller

Let me be your Guide (cue spooky music) “Come on crystal ball, show me what my asset allocation should be. I have been staring at you for hours and this book is useless. Then show me my future” There is no magic when it comes to asset allocation. What? The mere suggestion that there is…

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Investing Cash

Dollar bill covered in fall leaves

How do I invest my cash? How much cash should I have? What should I invest in? These are questions I am frequently asked. Knowing how to invest cash poses a dilemma for most people. This week my trading partner Lisa and I got together to discuss a few investment ideas. We vowed to make…

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Bonds Part One

Dog on teeter totter

What does a dog on a teeter totter have to do with understanding bonds? Everything. Bonds can be a challenging concept. Interest rates go up, bond prices go down. Interest rates go down, bond prices go up. This is a concept I can assure you many financial writers do not understand. When I read this:…

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Interview with Rebecca M.

Old-timey radio and microphone

Our first interview is with Rebecca M. Rebecca is a seasoned investor. She has invested on her own for over 20 years. Her favorite subjects in school were English and Math although it was not the math that led to an interest in investing. I first met Rebecca about 10 years ago when she was…

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Carmen Reinhart

Carmen Reinhart

www.carmenreinhart.com My introduction to Carmen Reinhart began in 2009. Her recently published book with fellow economist Kenneth Rogoff “This Time It’s Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly” quickly became required reading at work and a best seller. Two years into the financial crises the timing of the book was prescient. The content is based on…

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