...is you. Thank you Josh Brown for this enlightening look at how people can't seem to get out of their own way. If you're an Apollo client (and, if not, why aren't you?!) or a reader of our blog/newsletters you would be correct in assuming the behavioral finance themes underlying the reactions to market stress [...]
The following is an excerpt from an article by Carl Richards originally appearing in the December/January 2015 issue of Morningstar magazine. We've bolded a few of the more interesting points. I suspect you’ve heard a version of this phrase at least once in your career. It usually makes an appearance after you offer a recommendation [...]
Bo Diddley asked us, “Who do you love?” In life it’s our friends, family and companion animals. How do we choose our friends or which family to marry into? It’s typically because of fit – liking the same food or music, sharing the same outlook on life, etc. We gravitate towards people most like us [...]
According to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance the average year-over-year price increase (using a healthy, 55 year old single male as the baseline) was 8.6%. The culprit is twofold: In the short-term insurers’ bond portfolios continue to earn paltry returns diminishing their ability to fund benefits. Over the long-term insurers’ poor product rollout [...]
Promotions abound for enrolling in Medicare but did you know you can opt out of Medicare? WHEN CAN I DO IT? The Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (“MADP”) runs from January 1st through February 14th. AM I ELIGIBLE? You must have a private Medicare plan (often referred to as Medicare Part C or a Medicare Advantage [...]
Back in 2002 The Wall Street Journal ran a provocative piece: “If TiVo Thinks You Are Gay, Here's How to Set It Straight.” The clever title aside it was an interesting look at the way advertisers use the information we voluntarily provide. Today TiVo may be as fashionable as carbon paper but the premise remains [...]
In many ways technology has lowered the cost of service delivery. For a nominal cost the friendly automated voice of the credit card company allows us to “press 1” to find out our balance. Similarly we can contact a customer service rep halfway around the world when we need to speak with someone. The question [...]
The annual arbitrary ritual of making resolutions is nearly upon us. Sometimes we succeed. Most times we fail. Want to make ‘em stick? Give these a try. Happy New Year!!
Most of us know charitable contributions are (usually) an itemized deduction for income tax purposes. Less commonly known is that out-of-pocket costs may be deductible. Unreimbursed expenses incurred that are incidental to volunteer work are deductible. Examples are transportation to the place where services are rendered, postage, stationary/supplies, phone calls, etc. Substantiating documentation is required [...]
Can someone selling a product be looking out for the best interests of his/her customer? One’s individual intentions are irrelevant. What’s inherent in the business model is what drives behavior. MorningstarAdvisor provides this article explaining rather clearly how consumers of financial advice must take caution in determining where they get their information and the motives/incentives [...]