“Almost every financial blow-up is because of leverage.” ~ Seth Klarman Nobody wants a margin call! Though investors invariably increase margin debt during times of expansion, they also inevitably encounter liquidation events. This chart shows the amplification of leverage on stock markets:   Those gray shaded areas above indicate years of recessions, during which investors...Read More

“Everybody has a plan until they get hit.” ~ Mike Tyson In the face of potential market volatility, we need confidence. Successful investors compound their financial assets by following a professional process over the long run.   To stay the course, you will need:  Clarity on your risk tolerance Clarity on potential market volatility -see below...Read More

“Cessation of work is not accompanied by cessation of expenses.” We don’t know what stock markets will do when we plan to retire. In his article, The 4 Year Rule for Retirement Spending, Ben Carlson explains an interesting strategy for investors approaching retirement: The Retirement Buffer Strategy: Setting aside funds to pay the bills for a...Read More

Nothing goes up forever.  Likewise, the stock market rhythm of boom and bust creates a tendency for long-term breaks after many years of gains. When we step back and examine a stock market chart, we may observe multi-year periods of both strong gains and stagnation:  ​​As you know, we have recently experienced many years of...Read More

We could soon experience the longest bull market in history. The current uptrend in the S&P500 is close to surpassing the previous record for length of time without a prolonged downturn.  These two bull markets periods do not include the technology crash of 2000-2002, or the financial crisis of 2007-2008:  Avoiding those two crashes would...Read More

A recent study found that financial literacy has a “transformative impact” on a person’s well-being.  Positive outcomes included making better financial decisions, more confidence and less stress, and many other significant lifetime benefits such as increased retirement wealth. This study by Tryton Partners actually indicated a potential $100,000 lifetime benefit for high school students who merely took...Read More

People who have financial advisors gain many advantages.   One of the greatest benefits is that we make complex concepts simple.   Here are three simple steps that can help you to increase your wealth: Find Strategies to Save Money – Whether you are retired or planning for retirement, we can provide proven ways to help you...Read More

“Most of the time the world doesn’t come to an end.”  ~ Ben Carlson In 2025, we helped clients to endure another scary stock market correction and to benefit from its subsequent strong recovery.  We are delighted to share with you this brief article which wisely summarizes this current year in financial markets:   Staying the...Read More

“There is a symmetry to bear markets in the short-term. In the long-term there is an asymmetric relationship between bull and bear markets. You just have to survive the short run to get to the long run.”  ~ Ben Carlson Bulls and bears represent stock markets because of the way they attack. Bulls fight by...Read More

You become a business owner when you invest in stocks, so naturally you are interested in the profitability of your businesses. This chart demonstrates how S&P500 corporations have overcome tremendous economic challenges. They grew by creating new products, inventing more efficient technologies, and developing new markets.   Although profits cycle up and down, over the long...Read More