Passive vs. active investment management? There's been a debate over which methodology is better for long term investment success and recently, passive has been winning. If you look at inflows/outflow to passive and active managers, you can see this trend clearly.
Here's another chart by Credit Suisse which shows the great divide between active and passive US stocks:
In last month's financial markets update, I included a video and slide deck to one of the most interesting presentations on the distortions the ETF industry is having on the markets. According to Steven Bregman, he believes this is the biggest bubble he's seen in his career and it's hard to argue with him. I see distortions all of the time in the ...
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My father used to tell me that in the past when someone passed away, all you had to do was wait for the mail to arrive. He is a CPA and has been the executor on many estates through the years. Times have changed and things don't always come in the mail anymore. Most people opt for e-delivery for credit cards, investment accounts and a variety of other financial related information. And getting access to someone's email after they die can be very difficult. So what is someone to do in the digital age to ensure a loved one or executor is able to sort through everything? Contingency planning can be the answer to the challenges in today's cyber ...
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Market Scorecard
Monthly Commentary
As in every other month this year, global stock markets continued their upward trajectory registering another 1-2% in additional gains. Whether you file taxes in April or file for extension, tax day came and went as it always does each year although there's hope that a revised tax plan from the new administration will jumpstart anemic economic growth in the US. Speaking of anemic growth, Q1 GDP was released and it was lackluster at best, registering just +.7% quarter over quarter (+1.9% year over year). There was a large divergence in Q1 GDP estimates due to the widely publicized divergence between hard and soft data (explained in March and February updates).
Other noteworthy news that occurred during the ...
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Why do you do what you do?
Simon Sinek's book, Start With Why, is in my opinion a must read for everyone. In this book, Simon points out that companies that start with why have much greater success than ones who lead with what or how. And how great leaders inspire action. Even though his Ted talk is a few years old, I think it's worth re-watching. In fact, I have a reminder that goes off every quarter to re-watch the video to ensure that we're always leading with our why.
Proper's Why:
We believe when people are confident in their investment strategies and financial plans, they feel more safe, secure and happy. When they feel more safe, secure and happy, all ...
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