On May 6, the stock market suffered a massive drop in stock prices that took the Dow Jones Industrial Average down by 1,000 points in a matter of minutes before recovering much of the loss. Although market participants and federal regulators still cannot explain what happened, some popular new investment vehicles’ exchange traded funds, or ETFs—have lost a bit of […]
REITS provide portfolio diversification
Investors who own a typical stock and bond portfolio don’t have to go too far to find a handy diversifier. Shares of real estate investment trusts are traded on the major exchanges just like any other stock. However, unlike other stocks that represent ownership of companies, REITS offer ownership in commercial real estate. They give shareholders access to a steady […]
How to succeed in retirement: Stocks and 4 percent withdrawals
How to invest a nest egg and what is a safe withdrawal rate are the two biggest questions for anyone in or near retirement. Although the answers are far from simple, a lot of recent academic research continues to shed light and offer guidance to the perplexed. The uncertainties of future inflation, investment market returns, and individual life expectancy can […]
Client Letter – Q1 2010
During the past quarter, we are happy to report that the market recovery that started in March 2009 has continued. U.S. small stocks and real estate investment trusts had the best performance for the quarter, earning about 10% during the last 3 months. Large U.S. stocks and international small stocks earned about 5% during this time. Take some time to […]
Worried about the future of the United States? Invest overseas
Many investors are worried about the declining position of the United States in the global economy. The dollar has been on a long-term downtrend, federal budget deficits and international trade deficits keep going up, and the country has lost many of its basic industries to overseas competitors. While disconcerting, these trends offer plenty of opportunity to an investor because their […]
Don’t believe the myth of the stock market’s “lost decade”
We have been hearing the hype for over a year: the 10-year period from 2000 through 2009 was a “lost decade” for stock market investors, featuring two large bear markets and a cumulative loss on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index of 9 percent. It is true that some investors did not have a good experience over the last 10 […]
Client Letter – Q4 2009
During the past year, we have seen an amazing recovery from the financial crash of 2008, especially when you look at your investment returns since the low point in March 2009. The following chart shows the 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year performance of many DFA funds (representing different asset classes) compared to the S&P 500 Index: Market Returns for the period […]
Client Letter – Q3 2009
During the past quarter, we have witnessed another amazing 3-month rebound, in addition to last quarter. The following chart shows the 3-month, 5-year, and 10-year performance of many DFA funds (representing different asset classes) compared to the S&P 500 Index: Market Returns for the period ending September 30, 2009 DFA Fund / Index 3 Month Return 5 Year Return* 10 […]
What can investors expect after the market beating of 2008?
U.S.stocks rallied nearly 50 percent from March 9 through the end of July, but investors who had suffered through a historic 16-month bear market remained defensive. What did it mean and what are the chances for recovery? Current economic conditions make the picture even more cloudy. Homes continue to go into foreclosure, jobs continue to be lost, and unemployment hovers […]
Jim Cramer’s record
Mad Money’s Jim Cramer issues buy and sell recommendations to his audience on each show. Just how good are those recommendations? Two professors at Northeastern University performed several statistical tests to see if Cramer beat an appropriate benchmark and whether he generated additional return for the risks he takes. The result? He adds no value, nor does he hurt those […]
