Behavioral Finance defines several investor biases that tend to inhibit financial success. The recent news of JP Morgan’s $2 billion loss demonstrates the danger that an overconfidence bias can be to your portfolio. Overconfidence bias is fairly self explanatory, but usually occurs when people believe they are smarter than others. Through the financial crisis, JP [...]
Two wildcards continue to cause us to be somewhat cautious- Europe and US politics. In Europe, it appears more and more likely that the European Union’s austerity drive is continuing to depress the weaker nations and thus actually make their debt problems worse, while Germany continues to be barely affected- in fact they may even [...]
There has been a lot of talk in the news lately about the troubles the United States Postal Service (USPS) is facing. While our postal system has followed a national standard for more than 100 years, delivering our mail “whether rain or shine,” and “through sleet or snow,” their current financial state most certainly calls [...]
A few years ago I wrote about the rise of target date funds in retirement plans. At the time, the Senate Special Committee on Aging was proposing legislation that would require target date fund managers to take on fiduciary responsibility. The evaluation of target date funds continues and a recent SEC investor survey found that [...]
Whether you’ve watched him on Headline News, listened to his radio program or read one of his books, Clark Howard has established a loyal following. He is a national financial voice who’s known for helping consumers “save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off.” Clark has long been a supporter of independent advisors for [...]
Have you ever wondered what it means to be able to call oneself a CFP®? Or, what does it mean to be a member of NAPFA or FPA? At Financial Symmetry, we understand that it can become easy to get lost in the long list of acronyms that financial planners use. Some planners use letters [...]
Everyone wants to feel special, and unfortunately there are those who take advantage of that desire in order to sell questionable products and services. The psychology is based on what is called the Scarcity Principle, and we are subject to its lures through a myriad of advertisements, from late night TV infomercials to more subtle [...]
With the campaign season in full swing there has been a lot to catch our attention lately. Mitt Romney has been under particular scrutiny as he is one of the front runners for the Republican Party’s nomination to face President Obama in the general election. Relenting to the calls from his opponents for transparency, he [...]
A central discussion in 2012 will be the possibility of inflationary and deflationary economic outcomes around the world. Several of the deflationary threats that made news in 2011 continue to raise significant questions as we move in to 2012. Potential European Breakup Uncertainty surrounding debt situations in Europe will continue to drive market movements as [...]
As we look towards the New Year, we pause to reflect on all the events of the past 12 months. Financial Symmetry has covered several current events on our blog throughout 2011, and here are what we think the Top 10 Stories of the Year have been: (Click the plus (+) symbol to expand the [...]
We’ve created a few documents that may assist you in sorting and gathering your financial data.
We’ve created a few documents that may assist you in sorting and gathering your financial data.
