One of the more popular items being sold on the free lunch/dinner seminar circuit is the equity indexed annuity. It is our opinion that EIA’s are a seriously deficient financial product. I do not even like calling it a product; it is more of a high fee/commission gimmick. According to an April 2 report in […]
So you bought into the hype. The slick talking hedge fund manager nailed you hook, line and sinker. You put up your money and hoped that the hedge fund manager was just a tenth as good at making money as he said he was. A year down the road, you get that gut feeling that […]
I am so popular. I get invited out to dinner to swanky French restaurants, the Ritz Carlton, and golf clubs by people I don’t even know two to three times a week It seems like every investment guru in the state of Florida wants to wine and dine me. The unfortunate reality is that I […]
There are very few financial commentators that have the ability to entertain as well as inform. One of my favorites is Mark Gilbert from Bloomberg News. Several months ago he used the innocuous world of bovines to eloquently describe several areas of the financial world that have become conspicuously popular. Here is our off-beat take… […]
I have noticed an increase in the volume of programs on sports networks that deal with the issue of who or what is number one, and why. “Who was a better quarterback? Montana or Elway or who was a better pitcher Clemens or Gibson?” This is a harmless and sometimes interesting endeavor that often makes […]
Do you want to know some interesting facts about market corrections and storms…? Especially this most recent one! 1. There has never been a correction in the overall market that has not proven to be an investment opportunity. 2. When positions are down in price, it can be difficult or painful to watch. However, if […]
AUGUST 2007 I don’t like being redundant: but I think it is a good time for a little reminder regarding some actions that need to be taking place in one’s portfolio in order to be successful. ASSET ALLOCATION Based on the ground-breaking 1986 study by Brinson, Hood and Beebower, more than 93% of long-term institutional […]
In another, “See I told you so moment”, Sara Hoffman, of Investment News, is reporting thatmajor losses at many prominent hedge funds are finally causing pension fund managers to second guess hedge fund investments. The Wall Street Journal reported that hedge funds managed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and AQR Capital Management, among others, have […]
The pundits argue that we are a nation divided. Presidential candidate John “never met a doctor I didn’t want to sue” Edwards preaches the gospel of two Americas. I am going to surprise everyone reading this and agree. We are a nation divided into two distinct camps… People who loved the ending of the Sopranos, […]