Political parties and stock returns: The United States political landscape is dominated by two parties. Is one party better than the other? Don’t answer that. It is a rhetorical question. Does one party create more wealth than the other? Again, a rhetorical question. If when you read the two previous rhetorical questions you mentally jumped to a conclusion you must… Read more →
A Few Thoughts on AI and Stocks vs. Bonds
About AI: If you have been reading this blog during the past few years, you know that I am persuaded that we are experiencing rapid, accelerating change. I have written about AGI (artificial general intelligence) and ASI (artificial superintelligence) several times before and have identified significant concerns. Recently, AI concerns have been front and center in news and opinion media.… Read more →
Annual Returns and Pullbacks, July 2026
That’s ridiculous…this is an economy that is driven by good economic policy, good monetary policy, and good trade policy, and it’s working beautifully! On any given day, investors can likely find highly regarded financial advisors, analysts, professors, politicians, and media influencers offering opinions about the current state of the economy, interest rates, stock values, the future of cryptocurrencies, etc. It… Read more →
Venezuela, Oil, and the Impact on Portfolios
I read various financial writers and subscribe to multiple sources of information, hoping to continually improve the services we offer our clients. One such writer is James Liu, CFA. James is the founder of Clearnomics, a company that provides economic insights to financial advisors. Today, James sent information for investors to consider regarding the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.… Read more →
Yearend Numbers, December 2025
As 2025 comes to a close, here are some key numbers for your consideration. Over the past 16 years, the investment asset category delivering the highest total return has been US large-cap common stocks, averaging 15% per year, which is a significantly higher rate than the long-term average of the S&P 500. The excess return is driven primarily by the… Read more →