To the surprise of nobody, billionaire investor Warren Buffett isn’t interested in Bitcoin, the electronic currency that has zoomed higher in value over the past few weeks. Bitcoin is a complex idea. Simply put, it’s a virtual currency that is created, owned and traded entirely online in anonymous and unregulated settings. In theory, there is… Continue reading →

Throughout my professional life I’ve always been a connector, the person who helps people move from feeling uncomfortable and alone to a more stable footing. It started with military families early in my career and continued later, when I directed children’s ministries at the national level. Today, through my work in the financial services field,… Continue reading →

Mark Hulbert, a fellow MarketWatch columnist and respected observer of the financial advising business, recently wrote a thoughtful critique of the massive rush to index-style investing. I just wish the headline had been different. The opinion article he wrote was titled “Index funds now are part of an investor’s biggest problem.” Widespread index investing is… Continue reading →

Hedge funds get a lot of grief over punitively high fees and low returns, with good reason. Among the most hated are so-called “gated” funds, those with rules that lock up investor money for specific periods of time. The gate is there to protect other investors, and often that includes the manager. If one large investor decides… Continue reading →

Each quarter, our firm holds a Market Review Conference Call wherein we invite clients and listeners to ask our Chief Financial Officer, Mitch Tuchman, their pressing investment questions. Recently, we received an interesting query from Dana, a client based in San Jose, CA. Dana’s main concern is that her high school age daughter is learning… Continue reading →

Every year, companies come out with their “ultimate gift guide” for the husband / wife / daughter / tech geek, etc. Seemingly missing from this never-ending list of must-haves is one that caters specifically to the motivated retirement investor. Sure, finances and investing may not be go-to topics for holiday dinner fare, but they’re important… Continue reading →

Suze Orman is one of those singular personalities in the financial business who seems to be right on the pulse of everyone she meets. She’s written books, starred in her own television show and made innumerable appearances in person. Like Oprah and Bono, she’s nearly a one-name-only celebrity. Say “Suze” and you know who I… Continue reading →

“Disruption” is a term you hear bandied about in Silicon Valley, usually associated with young CEOs in t-shirts. The idea isn’t new. The 19th-century industrialist Andrew Carnegie would recognize it as competition. Joseph Schumpeter, an Austrian economist from the 1930s, would call it “creative destruction.” In finance world terms, my favorite version of disruption is… Continue reading →

Gasoline right at the highway exit is usually cheapest. Drive a few miles toward town and you might see a 10 cent per gallon jump. Ever wonder why? If you said “competition,” go to the head of the class. Gas stations tend to cluster around knots of highway traffic. The driver near empty on a country… Continue reading →