It is wedding season and couples are in the mindset of new possibilities and building on what they already know about each other’s hopes and dreams. As they progress toward common goals, every couple has a unique way of working together. They develop a language and a rhythm unique to them. Through dating, we develop […]
There are two ways to measure investment performance:In percentages or in dollars. Which of the following feels worse? “I am down 5% OR “I am down $50,000” For a $1,000,000 portfolio those are one and the same. However, much more frequently I hear down investment moves described in dollar terms. Why? Because it feels like […]
In the last month, stock markets around the world have been adjusting expectations. Managing market expectations about the future is important because often it is not a matter of economies being good or bad that drives shares higher. Of greater concern is whether the economy is getting better or worse. The U.S. economy growing at 2% instead […]
It is a fair question to ask your financial advisor if he or she “eats their own cooking.” In other words, do they invest in the same way that they advise their clients to invest? If so, it shows that they have strong enough beliefs about investing to follow their own advice. That would be […]
The Wall Street Journal ran a feature recently on the popular target date funds that are often found as an investment option inside of retirement plans. These funds are designed to manage risk based on the age that investor plans to retire, typically in five year increments (2020, 2025, etc.). The use of these funds has […]
Morton Brown Family Wealth has crossed the milestone of one year since our founding. Katie and I continue to be overwhelmed with gratitude. We are thankful for the trust of the families whom we serve, the team who has embraced our vision, and all of the family and friends who give loving support for the […]
In March, the actor Luke Perry passed away at the young age of 52 from a stroke. Shortly after his death, I read an article in Forbes describing how Perry was prompted to draft a Will just a few years ago after a cancer scare. With a full slate of recent celebrity deaths that highlight poor […]
I had the opportunity to write for the most recent edition of Family Business Magazine on how financial planning for each member of a family business can help bring clarity to strategic decisions. Clarity on the personal impact of decisions is critical for closely held businesses. Developing Confidence and Clarity in Family Business Decision Making […]
The first decade of the 21st century has been called a “Lost Decade” for investors. During that time, the U.S. stock market went through two bear markets before ending up flat for a ten-year period. This month marks the anniversary of a robust rebound. A regression to the mean known as a “Found Decade.” In […]
If we were to take a year-end snapshot of the performance of all types of investments (stocks, bonds, real estate, cash), there would always be an array of winners and losers. Sometimes stocks will outperform bonds by a wide margin, but the opposite has also been true. The dangerous part about looking at such a […]