What’s the Big Deal about Diversification?

Originally published in North Bay Business Journal Diversification. Financial Advisors use this word a lot when describing how the best portfolios are constructed, and it’s one of the keys to a successful investment strategy. The big idea here is that a properly diversified portfolio will mitigate losses because investments react to the same event in […]

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Market Commentary: Spring 2022 – Cash, Stocks, and Bonds

Originally published in North Bay Business Journal The onset of inflation has been one of the dominant stories in the press and financial markets over the past few months. You can see it everywhere, from the increase in the price of gas at the pump to the cost of food at the grocery store. After […]

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Aging Parents: How to Support Independence as a Family

In many ways, I was blessed with parents who aged well. My father passed away recently, but they both celebrated their 90th birthdays last year and lived active and independent lives. But the time of real cognitive and physical decline did finally befall them. My father had been in a bad accident and spent over […]

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Have a Plan for Aging Family Members’ Finances

We all know that aging can bring its challenges — and one of the more difficult aspects is that it can eventually reduce our ability to manage money and make sound financial decisions. Experiments show that our reasoning skills drop steadily after peaking at age 53. Add to that dementia, which affects about 1 percent […]

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Dollars as Ballots and the Growth of Sustainable Investing

As we celebrate Earth Day 2021, the world of sustainable investing is undeniably expanding –more investors are becoming aware of its promise, and more money is flowing in. Still, investors have questions: do my investment dollars make a difference? Does Sustainable Investing help bring about change and lead (or force, in some cases) companies to behave […]

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Teach Your Young Adult Children to Handle Their Finances

California gets an “’F’ when it comes to preparing our children for the real world of money,” says the most recent report by the Champlain College Center for Financial Literacy. The Center graded every state on their efforts to produce financially literate high school graduates, and California scored close to the bottom. There’s just no […]

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Is Now a Good Time to Get into the Stock Market?

That is a question we often hear from prospective clients. The answer is, yes — and no. There is always uncertainty, and the markets could plummet tomorrow. Even though we follow markets closely and read endlessly, we can’t predict the future. So, let’s look at the market right now. There are lots of reasons we […]

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Your Own Worst Enemy?

“The investor’s chief problem – and even his worst enemy – is likely to be himself.”  — Benjamin Graham (1894–1976)  Legendary economist and investor Benjamin Graham made his timeless observation decades ago, and yet still today it reflects our enduring belief: Your own behavioral biases are often the greatest threat to your financial well-being. As investors, we leap before we look. […]

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