A chief investment strategist asks: Exactly how efficient is holiday gift shopping?
More efficient than buying lunch on the company account by Milton Friedman’s reckoning — but it’s better not to think about it Tiffany’s counter. Read more…
A brief history of interest rates, from the first Thanksgiving to the bond boom
The Pilgrims probably paid 12-18% to finance their new lives (lucky for us they took the risk). Read More…
Should RIAs buy gold now as a hedge?
The gold bugs have been having an absolute field days – for months. But just because gold is going up doesn’t mean they’re necessarily right, or wrong. Here are some thoughts served cold about the precious metal that can help an advisor to think about it constructively as a potential investment. Read More…
Executive leaves Bloomberg with ambitious plan to unify the retail bond market
Brent Burns, principal of Asset Dedication LLC, says that BondDesk has made good strides but has the potential to make the bond markets even more efficient.
“ They’ve helped the consumer to not absolutely get killed.” Consumers can buy 10 bonds for not so much higher a spread than what institutions pay for 10,000 bonds, he says. Read More…
What plunging equity prices say about bonds as a hedge for stocks
When we feel sick, we seek modern medicine’s most sophisticated drugs. When we feel financially ill, we want sophisticated hedging techniques. But a balanced diet solves most physical ills and a balanced portfolio does the same for long-term financial well-being. Here’s an article that reminds intelligently of exactly what that means in light of the recent days of investing trauma. Read More…