Retirement Watch Weekly
Markets Continue Negative Trend
The investment markets in March continued the negative trends of February. The biggest trend, of course, is negative returns for the major stock indexes. The S&P 500 slid 2.74% in March, fell 7.81% from its Jan. 26 peak to wipe out January’s strong gains and now has a year-to-date loss of 1.00%. The Dow Jones […]
Ups And Downs Of Trend Following and Momentum Investing
Trend following, sometimes known as momentum investing and other names, is an important tool for many investors. Few investors use only trend following to invest successfully, but it is a component of the toolbox used by many investors. This article goes into some detail about the history of trend following, the research supporting its use, […]
Making Sure You Properly Changed Your State Of Tax Residence
In the April issue of Retirement Watch, I explain the steps to take to ensure you’ve legally changed your state of residence. If you don’t take the right steps, a state you thought you moved from might try to assess income taxes on you or estate taxes on your estate. Here’s the most recent case […]
Teachers’ Retirement Plans
This article discusses a topic that needs more attention. It talks about the retirement plans offered to most teachers around the country. The plans often aren’t very good. There are a few companies that have established themselves in the industry and offer poor quality annuities with high costs. Along the way, he had set aside […]
Estate Planning Strategies for Changing Interest Rates
With interest rates rising (and expected to keep rising), it’s important to understand any effects on your retirement and estate. In our last issue, we reviewed three major estate planning strategies affected by rate changes. Here’s a look at some additional techniques worth checking out… Charitable lead annuity trust (CLAT) The CLAT is sort of the […]
10 Financial Crisis and Stock Market Crash Warning Signs
This article discusses warnings signs of financial crises. It says the conventional wisdom that high volatility is a warning sign is wrong. Instead, it says the period we just passed through might have given a warning sign of an upcoming crisis. One of the key tools is early warning indicators of crises, which gained some […]
Evaluating Underperforming Mutual Funds
A key question for investors is what to do with a mutual fund that has a great long-term record but is underperforming. How long should you be patient with the fund before concluding it isn’t going to turnaround? Every great manager, even Warren Buffett, has had periods when he or she underperformed. This article discusses […]
The Post-Crisis Inflation Mystery
Inflation probably is the most important, and puzzling, economic factor today. The Federal Reserve has a dual mandate of maintaining full employment while restraining inflation. With unemployment very low, the Fed’s primary focus is on inflation these days. The path of inflation, and the Fed’s expectations of that path, will determine how much the Fed […]
