While the human lifespan is ever-increasing, the average lifespan for a publicly traded company in the US is going in the opposite direction. According to the Boston Consulting Group, 30 years can be expected (on average) for a publicly traded firm to stick around. This is a significant decrease from the 45-year average lifespan of publicly traded companies back in 1985. Today, nearly 10% of public companies fail annually, and...
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A recent survey by Bankrate.com asked investors what they felt would be the best investment for money they would not need for at least another ten years. Here are the results:
27% Real Estate
23% Cash
17% Stocks
14% Precious Metals
5% Bonds
24% Other/Unsure
Some wildly different opinions, especially at the top, with first and second prize representing opposite ends of the liquidity... Read More
Recently my family spent a week in Haiti together, helping brighten the day for 63 orphans. We shared Bible stories, went to the beach, and even made it snow on the Caribbean island! A trip like this helps put a lot of the things we worry about in perspective. 1) Maintain proper perspective: What I saw was consistent with what I heard recently from Dan Ariely, a Behaviorial Economist, who found...
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If you were asked back in 2010 which sector of our economy would perform the best over the next five years, what would your guess have been? Multiple choice: Consumer Discretionary (businesses that sell non-essential goods and services), Consumer Staples (businesses that sell essentials), Energy, Financials, Health Care, Industrials, Information Technology, Materials (companies involved with discovery, development and processing of raw materials), Telecom Services, and Utilities. If asked to guess...
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Anyone been paying attention to what’s been going on with China’s stock market? It’s been hard to miss lately, with all the headlines. Here’s just a few from the last week (all the same day): • How China’s stock market bubbled…then burst • Bets Rise That China’s Yuan Will Fall • Chinese stocks end lower after wild swings • Why we should...
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One of the common questions we hear from clients is about whether they should keep an existing life insurance policy. This is often both a financial and emotional decision because it can be hard to determine if the need still exists, and because it can be hard to let go of something that has given you a sense of security for a long time. Here are some steps to take...
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