Not so exciting to day-traders is the rationale for why time invested surmounts all other trading strategies. Calendar year returns define the bonus size of portfolio managers and sends the wrong message to investors who have decade(s) of time on their side to implement an investing strategy. There are two ways to make money from investing, capital gains and dividend income. Stock and bond prices fluctuate daily but dividends are rather consistent. The combination of the two has the ability to compound growth over time, providing the investor an upside not found with any other strategy. A portfolio manager at Epoch put it this way, "Dividends are always positive contributors to equity market

Markets are unscathed by geopolitical volatility, more so than usual, as independence protests rock Hong Kong, Lebanon, Spain, and Britain. This illustrates the enormous discontinuity the market has against geopolitics and is a reminder that monetary policy and interest rates play a far more influential role. Central banks’ primary mission is to keep consumer prices stable. In the decade of lowering interest rates, their policies appear to play a bigger role in markets than on consumer prices. Unable to create inflation, exiting head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, was unable to reach his inflation target. “‘There is no other way to put it: under [Mr] Draghi, the ECB has failed t

It’s that time of the year that your company will likely offer new benefits for 2020; here are some key considerations as you elect for those new benefits. Health insurance costs are increasing for individuals and companies across the board. A way for companies to keep plans relatively inexpensive is to offer employees Health Savings account (HSA) eligible plans. These plans have high deductibles but allow for employees to make tax-deductible contributions of $3,550 (individual) or $7,100 (family plans) in 2020 less any employer-made contributions. This can be invested and distributed tax-free on eligible medical expenses. If you anticipate high medical expenses next year, this may not be th

Voting is arguably still the most powerful tool to effect political change in the United States. What's less commonly known and arguably equally powerful is money. Where you spend your money and how you invest can have a serious impact on which political party will hold the country’s reins. By being mindful of where you shop and how you invest, you can help end the political stalemate. Here are a few suggestions. To generalize, the political right is backed by conglomerates in oil & gas, mining, savings & loan, defense, big-pharma, construction, and insurance while the left’s supporters include finance, legal, and environmental organizations^1. Although it’s not always obvious which companie

If you're in search of art for your home or collection it may be helpful to take the viewpoint of the gallerist, who struggles to operate in a hugely competitive art market that's actively shifting online. The book, "Management of Art Galleries" by Magnus Resch provides such insight and inspiration to the gallerists willing to face such a challenge. Art has always been considered as a store of value and an investment. Notably, people buy art because they like it, however, the social construct around the piece may prove to be more valuable than the art itself. In the art market, Resch describes that the most valuable client to the gallerist is the art lover, a personal collector who amasses a