This article outlines the concept of relating leaky pipes to chronic under-performing stocks. Continue reading Leaky Pipes & Under-Performing Stocks
Author: Investment Account Manager
Building a Better Balanced Portfolio
Craig L. Israelsen, Ph.D.
www.7TwelvePortfolio.com
April 2017
It’s time for a better “balanced” portfolio. Way back when, there were two dominant investment categories (or asset classes), namely US stock and US bonds.
Millennials and Financial Literacy
Based on the results of a quiz sent out by FINRA, Millennials are significantly less financially literate than preceding generations. When asked five questions about economics and finance, only 24% could answer four or five questions correctly, compared to 38% of Generation Xers (see graph). Continue reading Millennials and Financial Literacy
The Role of Fixed-Income Investments and Portfolio Allocation
With the prospects of rising interest rates, investors may be re-thinking the role and purpose of fixed-income (bonds) investments within their investment portfolio.
Continue reading The Role of Fixed-Income Investments and Portfolio Allocation
Taking Control of Your 401(K)
Written By: Jason T. Willms
There has been a long held stigma against making changes to a 401(k) plan, but in order to maximize returns, observation and stewardship are imperative. 401(k)’s are designed to ignore short term volatility, but the intelligent investor can capitalize on these fluctuations to strengthen their portfolio for retirement.
Three Important Year-End Tax Planning Tips for Investors
As the close of 2016 quickly approaches, investor’s should start thinking ahead, reviewing and taking advantage of tax saving strategies. Here are three important tips that will help investor’s manage tax consequences, while helping to better manage their investment portfolio(s).
Continue reading Three Important Year-End Tax Planning Tips for Investors
Portfolio Rebalancing Made Simple
As 2016 is nearing year end, now may be an ideal time for investors to review their portfolio investments, making necessary rebalancing changes.
Understanding Portfolio Allocation
Two of the most important decisions an investor must make when constructing portfolios are the 1) allocation of the portfolio assets between stocks, bonds, cash and other investments and 2) the diversification of securities within those asset classes.
Concentrated Portfolios – The Elephant in Your Portfolio
Managing a portfolio around a concentrated position(s) may be one of the most difficult concepts for investors. A “concentrated position” is an investment holding that represents a disproportionate percentage of a portfolio. Investors who choose to ignore concentrated positions within their portfolios are taking unnecessary risks. Rarely does a concentrated position resolve itself. Instead, investors need to adopt a strategy to systematically alleviate this concentrated risk. Continue reading Concentrated Portfolios – The Elephant in Your Portfolio
Mutual Fund Share Classes
Guest Blog: Sandy Gallemore, Director and Vice President for Education, InvestEd Inc.
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A mutual fund is a pool of money from many shareholders that is invested in stocks, bonds, or other investment assets. In general, mutual funds may be identified as those that charge a sales fee (load funds) and those that do not charge a sales fee (no-load funds). Many of the load funds offer several classes of shares.
While each share class of a given mutual fund has the same investment policies and objectives and includes money in the same investments, the fees associated with each class likely will cause some difference in the performance results. When a fund offers several share classes, the investor is able to select the class that best suits that investor’s goals and time horizon. The main share classes are identified as Class A shares, Class B shares, and Class C shares. Continue reading Mutual Fund Share Classes