A year ago I blogged about one of my sports passions, the Kansas City Royals (https://www.fostergrp.com/blog/blog/royal-perspective/). Hindsight being 20/20, I should have finished the blog with “to be continued…” As complimentary as I was toward the vision of the organization and the discipline to stick to their plan, I failed to voice my optimism for the yet-to-come 2015 season as I finished the article. Now World Series champions, my...
Read MoreYearly Archives: 2015
Most of you probably opened your 3rd quarter investment statements and were disappointed and, potentially, a bit worried. We saw a lot of volatility over the past few months, and it was hard to miss the headlines, especially the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) opened down 1,000 points on August 24th. I was at home the morning of August 24th waiting to take my kindergartener to her first day...
Read MoreThis article is very timely as we just found out that two more clients have had fraudulent tax returns filed. Looks like the IRS is aggressively looking for ways to prevent this from happening… https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/10/20/irs-identity-theft-protection-effort/74262804/...
Read MoreIf anyone tells you they know where the market is headed, you know to run the other way as fast as you can. If anyone would have told you they predicted that the Iowa Hawkeyes would be 7-0 to start the season, you also would have laughed and found a way to escape. Well, the Hawkeyes ARE running wild on their opponents right now and the markets are having another...
Read MoreWant to leave a legacy gift and get a pretty significant tax benefit? If so, you should check out the Endow Iowa program. This is how it works:
- The donor either makes a gift to an Endow Iowa Agency Fund or to their own Endow Iowa Donor Advised Fund. An agency fund is just a pre-existing fund specific to one Iowa-based charity. The donor advised fund is not tied to... Read More
Many Americans continue to worry about the health of our economy. Market volatility does nothing to soothe concerns. Jobs and GDP reports come with mixed messages. Things must be better elsewhere, right? Everything is relative. Foreign investors held $6.2 trillion of U.S. government debt at the close of June, an all-time high. That same group also holds 20% of U.S. stocks and 35% of outstanding U.S. corporate debt (up from...
Read MoreSome very simple, yet powerful truths and data on the fallacy of market timing from incredibly smart and successful people. This article is exceptionally well-written and worth five minutes of your time, especially if it ends up saving you from making costly mistakes. Stay diversified. https://mutualfunds.com/news/2015/09/29/market-timing-possible-to-win-but-it-s-a-loser-s-game/...
Read MoreHuman beings have an astounding facility for self-deception when it comes to our own money. We tend to rationalize our own fears. So, instead of just recognizing how we feel and reflecting on the thoughts that creates, we cut out the middle man and construct the façade of a logical-sounding argument over a vague feeling. These arguments are often elaborate, short-term excuses that we use to justify behavior that runs counter to our...
Read MoreBack in June, Seth wrote a blog noting Dimensional’s receipt of the top Stewardship Grade from Morningstar. I’m giving Seth’s piece a little spike here…and if you haven’t yet read the written rating on Dimensional, I would recommend it (you can do so by clicking here). It is a good overview into what makes DFA different. Their tie to the academic community and resulting intelligent design and execution of...
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