Are Your Investments Too Concentrated?

There is a classic movie you may have seen called “Frequency.” In this movie the main player finds a way to communicate with his friend who is living 30 years earlier. Among the advice he gives his friend of the past is to remember one word, “Yahoo.” The friend is confused but as the movie…

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The Financial Spiders Among Us

I sat on my porch and looked over at the lights and noticed they were covered in spider webs. I grumbled to myself about those dumb spiders and how I would need to clean those webs off yet again. A few nights later I was sitting on my porch looking out at the beautiful city…

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Should you “Sell in May?” 

Summer must be near because I keep hearing that annual question? “Should I sell in May and go away?” This Wall Street adage actually comes from old England and referred to Londoners leaving town for the summer and coming back to work only after the last horse race of the season. With London’s financial markets…

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Think like a Rich Person

Let me share a very simplified description of the players in the US Stock Market. As I see it, there are basically two types; Investors and Traders. To keep it simple, an investor seeks to make money by owning a piece of a publicly traded company and profiting by its growth. An investor looks at…

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Beware the Salesman’s Secret Weapon

In the famous Christmas movie, “It’s a wonderful life,” the evil land baron Mr. Potter seeks to further enrich himself by monopolizing the real estate market in Bedford Falls. He does this by sowing seeds of fear about the stability of the local Savings and Loan, while planting ideas that home ownership is too risky…

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Do we still Need Humans?

I do not drink but I have probably watched every episode of Cheers. I did some research and found that the legendary “bartender therapist” is actually very common. Recently, I read a report on these newer “soda bars” that have become so popular in my state. These establishments, designed like a traditional bar, offer non-alcoholic,…

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Advice from an Unlikely Source

What should we do with this stock market that lately seems to be more down than up? The answer to that question I have found in the least likely of places, far from any talk of stocks and bonds. Our daughter owns a small family farm in Enterprise, Utah. For the purposes of this column,…

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Procrastination – A Great Thief

If you’ve ever driven a car in Italy you will know that the landscape can be breathtaking, but as the driver you need to be aware of the fairly common potholes along the way. When there is a pothole or some other road damage, the road crews will put up a pretty good-sized barricade that…

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Develop Wealthy Habits

During my time as a financial advisor and a father of a large family, I have learned a thing or two about managing money. I’m not talking about the technical things you learn in school. I’m talking about the real practical learning that comes from doing and observing. I have been blessed to learn from…

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Elder Abuse, Are you at Risk?

Ten years ago, a normally cheerful couple came to my office in an unusually solemn mood. After some prodding they confided that they feared their only son may one day try to take their assets while they were still living, and asked if there was anything I could do to help. The conversation was difficult…

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