As we reported last July, there had been plenty of news that could have dampened year-to-date returns at the time. And yet, most disciplined investors have been rewarded for sticking with their appropriate investment allocations while most markets fueled “surprisingly strong growth.” In many respects, market conditions haven’t changed all that much since then. We’re still grappling with economic concerns over interest rates, inflation, and recessionary conditions. U.S. government showdowns continue...

Recent numbers are now in, with good news to share -- most disciplined investors have been richly rewarded for sticking with their appropriate investment allocations. Even had quarterly and year-to-date numbers not been so sweet, we would have advised you to remain invested as planned. The same can be said for whatever the rest of the year has in store. We know markets have delivered positive returns over time, but we...

The “I’s” had it across the first quarter, as inflation and interest rates continued to dominate financial headlines. That is, at least, until the Silicon Valley Bank meltdown took over, followed by the government’s swift reaction to the same. What should you make of the quarterly news? If you’d missed these events in real time, you may not even have known they’d happened. At quarter-end, inflation continued to simmer on the...

If you wish to examine world capital market performance for the past quarter, you can check out Dimensional’s Quarterly Market Review for Second Quarter 2022. Personally, I’d recommend enjoying other types of summer reading for now, as we will continue to monitor this data on your behalf. But if you are truly interested, don’t miss Marlena Lee’s article on pages 16 to 18 entitled “Three Crucial Lessons for Weathering the Stock Market’s Storm”. Her...

Capital markets are often confounding, especially if we examine just a brief three-month period. It is tricky for investors and markets alike to sort out what qualifies as “good” or “bad” news from one moment to the next. Should we worry about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Supply-chain effects from the Covid lockdown? Tightening by the Federal Reserve? Rising inflation? Headlines like these translate into the volatile markets we’ve seen so...

DIMENSIONAL’S MARKET REVIEW (Q4 2021 & TY 2021) It’s a wrap! 2021 market performance numbers are now available for the fourth quarter and the total year. Today, we share Dimensional Fund Advisor’s latest Quarterly Market Review, along with their 2021 Annual Market Review. “KEY TAKEAWAYS   Stock markets continued to climb higher in 2021, with the S&P 500 hitting a series of all-time closing highs and ending the year near a record. While COVID-19 continued to dominate...

As usual, there was plenty to be concerned about in years past if you paid close attention to the never-ending news cycle. But throughout, markets delivered strong returns as you can see in the excerpt below from page 4: It’s typical to think of capital markets as nothing more than constructions for conducting commerce and making money. That they tend to do over time. But markets are made of people, in all...

“Whether you’ve been investing for decades or are just getting started, at some point on your investment journey you’ll likely ask yourself some of the questions below. Trying to answer these questions may be intimidating, but know that you’re not alone. Your financial advisor is here to help. While this is not intended to be an exhaustive list, it will hopefully shed light on a few key principles, using data and...

DIMENSIONAL’S QUARTERLY MARKET REVIEW (Q2 2021) + HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO INDEX FUNDS!   Quarterly Market Review (QMR) – Q2 2021 This report features world capital market performance and a timeline of events for the past quarter. It begins with a global overview, then features the returns of stock and bond asset classes in the US and international markets (all arrows are green this past quarter!). The report also illustrates the impact of globally diversified portfolios...

Think back to April 2020. A year ago, many investors were scared, some wanting to move to cash, even as most stock markets staged remarkably strong and surprising recoveries. This year, we’re seeing many of those same investors tempted to chase all kinds of hot holdings, as now they seem to have no fear. We hope favorable markets continue. But investing is no game of chance. If you were a client of...