Earlier this week the Department of Labor (“DOL”) released new rules aimed at ensuring providers of retirement investment advice adhere to a fiduciary standard – that is, to put the best interests of clients first and above all. This may seem like an obvious point but as we wrote here many investors have no idea [...]
Years ago I was in the office of a friend and colleague who was purchasing tickets from Ticketmaster. He wished to take his young child to the circus. A fairly straightforward and common transaction. At the end of the call the Ticketmaster rep summarized the transaction. "The cost per ticket is $x including a convenience [...]
If you're a frequent reader of our blog (or, better yet, a client who's drank enough of the Apollo Kool-Aid!) then you know the importance we place on a long-term focus - on filtering out the noise. Why is it important? Because anything's possible in the short-term. Daily blips are a distortion. They blur the [...]
One of the most challenging things for many of us to grasp is that prices do NOT indicate value. Why do we use prices as the standard of value? Because prices are easy to understand. It’s the reason a 5-star fund is “better” than a 4-star fund, why a 5-star Uber driver is “better” than [...]
As Donald Trump's campaign gains steam Google searches for "move to Canada" are at their highest level since 2004 when "W" was seeking a second term. We could provide you with some financial things to consider but that's about as exciting as watching paint dry. So what do we have for you instead? How about [...]
The folks behind Spotlight and The Big Short are teaming up to bring us the next Oscar-worthy film about investing: “Hiding Misconduct.” (OK, it’s a snarky joke but it makes the point. Isn’t that the goal of communication?) On a serious note the latest information on misconduct in the financial services industry offers a scathing [...]
We’ve all heard stories so bizarre they must be true. Planning to send your daughter to Penn State? Make sure she doesn’t rent an apartment with more than one friend because in State College, PA any residential housing unit occupied by three or more unrelated females is considered a brothel. Live in NJ and plan [...]
Many ‘experts’ advise waiting until age 70 to claim Social Security benefits. The reasoning is sound on its face – the longer you wait the larger your monthly check. According to the SS Administration the following is how much of your full benefit you will receive depending upon the age you file: age 62 - [...]
As one of America’s forefathers I thank you for celebrating me today – Presidents’ Day. I accomplished a great deal in my time. Some of my major contributions: I wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. Four others (John Adams, Ben Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston) joined me in reviewing and revising [...]
Does size matter? Well, the size of one’s wallet maybe. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner a new survey reveals just what role finances play in the relationships of Americans. For example about 40% of the 2,000 people polled said a person's financial situation is more important than looks. Almost 50% said they wouldn't [...]