Blog

As we prepare for basketball’s march madness tournament, it is a good time to reflect on how maddening the stock market can be. What causes the madness of the markets? Many things, but one of the greatest frustrations to investors is the significant fluctuations in asset prices. These fluctuations, also known as volatility, are driven primarily by dire and urgent headlines, spurious market and economic forecasts, and our own emotions. But such volatility is normal!

Nick Saban, recently retired football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide said, “If you want to be good you don’t really have a lot of choices.” He was referring to the choice to either be disciplined or not to a specific process that would lead to success. No one is born an athlete. We are all human with similar preferences: sleep/rest over working out, eating the donut rather than broccoli, and having fun instead of working.

Have you ever wondered how to apply March Madness to your financial well-being? There may be parallels between your bracket selection and investing.

This blog will explain why some people choose to retire early and the pros and cons of that decision.

This blog will share insights into how inflation is calculated to help readers understand this sometimes vague metric.

Self-control is an important characteristic to develop that can help us in all aspects of our lives from biting our tongue, to passing on the sweet treat, to accomplishing our New Year’s resolutions, to avoiding alarming financial market news alerts. But it isn’t easy! In fact, it can be downright painful, especially when trying to control some urge.

The brain may be filled with gray matter, but it hates gray areas. And there are few other places we find gray areas (uncertainty) than in the economies and markets of the world. One word of caution: our innate desire for certainty leaves us prone to fall for the illusion of certainty. Market and economic forecasts often provide an illusion of certainty.

Start the year off right by getting started on these five top financial goals.

This blog will give a wrap-up of financial goals over the year and prompt the reader to look back on how they did on their goals and reflect for the upcoming year.

Tis the season when financial institutions provide their forecasts for the coming year. Several firms have already published their forecast. RBC and several other firms believe the S&P 500 will make new records in 2024. Whereas Wells Fargo and others have differing opinions. Wells Fargo’s forecast for 2024 said, “It’s really hard to get excited?” So, who is right? And should you even listen to the forecasts?