Market Commentary: Winter 2022 – Fear of Missing Out

Sometimes it can be difficult to remain a disciplined investor. Over periods of time, a diversified buy-hold-rebalance strategy can seem like it is not performing as well as it should, especially when we see some other “hot investment” making headlines. It can lead us to wonder if we may be missing out on some new […]

Read More… from Market Commentary: Winter 2022 – Fear of Missing Out

Market Commentary: Fall 2022 – Bad Year for Bonds

Originally published in North Bay Business Journal For investors, it has been a trying year: Both stocks and bonds have been down at the same time, which is not common. It is quite rare for bonds to be down in any material way during periods of stock market decline. To put this into perspective, the […]

Read More… from Market Commentary: Fall 2022 – Bad Year for Bonds

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 […]

Read More… from What’s the Big Deal about Diversification?

Market Commentary: Summer 2022 – Thoughts on Diversification

Diversification. We use this word a lot when we describe how the best portfolios are constructed, and it’s one of the keys to a successful investment strategy. The main idea is that a properly diversified portfolio will mitigate losses because different investments react to the same event in different ways. Our portfolios are comprised of […]

Read More… from Market Commentary: Summer 2022 – Thoughts on Diversification

The Do’s and Don’ts of Handling Market Volatility

Originally published in North Bay Business Journal My Willow Creek colleagues and I recently received some client feedback that every Wealth Advisor dreams of hearing: our client shared that rather than panic during this period of market volatility, she leaned into what she had learned from her advisor over the years, which is to imagine […]

Read More… from The Do’s and Don’ts of Handling Market Volatility

Improve Your Financial Health

Blood bath. Frenzy. Sell off. Spooked investors. Wild session. Stocks plunge. Crazy market swings. These are just a few of the sensational phrases the financial media use to describe stock market activity. These phrases are designed to evoke emotions like excitement, anxiety, and even downright panic, and the intention in using phrases like this is to compel the audience to take an action. Whatever action you are urged to take […]

Read More… from Improve Your Financial Health

Market Commentary: Winter 2018 – Control What You Can

THE WILLOW CREEK PORTFOLIO: The US Market and Beyond As US-based investors, it is hard not to focus on the US stock market and think that it should be the sum of your returns: your portfolio should be up when the S&P 500 index is up and down when it is down. Sometimes that is […]

Read More… from Market Commentary: Winter 2018 – Control What You Can

Market Commentary: Fall 2018 – Perception v. Reality

DIVERSIFICATION – WHERE’S THE BENEFIT As the financial media shouts, “Stocks soar to new highs,” and promotes the strong performance of the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Index, investors may be asking “Where are my investment returns?” So far, 2018 has proven to be a year when all asset classes other than US Large […]

Read More… from Market Commentary: Fall 2018 – Perception v. Reality

Market Commentary: Winter 2016 – Prediction Season

PREDICTION SEASON In the coming weeks, investors are likely to be bombarded with predictions about what the future, and specifically the upcoming year, may hold for their portfolios. These outlooks are typically accompanied by recommended investment strategies and actions that are aimed at trying to capture the next “great” opportunity. When faced with recommendations of […]

Read More… from Market Commentary: Winter 2016 – Prediction Season

What Kind of Investor are You: Confident or Scared?

Are you a confident investor, or is the process fraught with fear and uncertainty? A 2015 study by the American Psychological Association found almost three-quarters of Americans are experiencing financial stress — at least some of the time. One of the top sources of money-related stress was saving for retirement. On the surface, retirement planning […]

Read More… from What Kind of Investor are You: Confident or Scared?