Most people have heard the saying “buy low and sell high.” Simply put; buy things when they are on sale, and sell them when they are at higher prices. While this sounds like great advice, many investors find it difficult to follow, because emotion gets in the way. In the world of investment management, rebalancing is the process of maintaining targeted asset class weights through time. Because asset classes (stocks, bonds,...
Read More
With five-year CD rates averaging 1.56% annually and money market annual yields remaining below 0.29% (Wall Street Journal Market Data – Feb. 22, 2018), investors continue to ask if there is anything they should do to increase the cash flows coming from their portfolios. A popular answer coming from some corners of the financial press is to seek out high dividend paying stocks. Unfortunately, this strategy for increasing cash flow may...
Read More
Investing is risky. Not investing is also risky. Right or wrong, as people contemplate their need for retirement income, many venture into the world of annuities. The promise of a stream of income when your working years are complete can be appealing and comforting. These products are often sold under the premise that they can take the risk out of investing. In reality, annuities are complex insurance vehicles that frequently come with significant fees, restrictions, and...
Read More
By Mark K. Phillips, Bank Iowa
A stolen credit card number sells for about $5 on the dark web. A medical record, on the other hand, can go for as much as $50. Why is the latter so much more valuable? There are several reasons. First, one patient record is a treasure trove of personally identifiable information or PII. This is data such as social security numbers, birth... Read More