Commodities: Boom or Bust?: The Future for Investors - Yahoo! Finance
Another great article about a topic that has been in the news a lot. Suddenly everybody is a gold bug or an oil bug, or whatever commodity is going up. Commodities will add to diversification, but they have had quite a run up and their expected return is not as high as stocks. I believe commodities can be held in small portions and will benefit the portfolio, but you should not be speculating.
Scott Dauenhauer, CFP, MSFP
Monday, May 22, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Jim Cramer is an Idiot
I've always said that I thought Jim Cramer was an idiot and full of hot air. This website is interesting because it tracks Jim's picks against the picks of a monkey......guess who is currently winning.
I haven't spent enought time on the site yet to vouch for its accuracy, but from what I have seen it looks fine and is pretty funny as well.
Scott Dauenhauer, CFP, MSFP
P.S. If you don't know who Jim Cramer is, count yourself as one of the lucky ones.
I haven't spent enought time on the site yet to vouch for its accuracy, but from what I have seen it looks fine and is pretty funny as well.
Scott Dauenhauer, CFP, MSFP
P.S. If you don't know who Jim Cramer is, count yourself as one of the lucky ones.
Monday, May 15, 2006
A Mean-Variance Society?
William Bernstein is one of my favorite authors. I think I have learned more from his books than I did throughout all my years of college. Having said that, this article is a bit of a departure from his normal fare.
It's a rather entertaining piece that attempts to plot today's politicos on risk/return, mean-variance scale.
I know what you're thinking - if I think this is entertaining I must have a warped sense of humor......once again, you'd be correct!
Scott Dauenhauer, CFP, MSFP
It's a rather entertaining piece that attempts to plot today's politicos on risk/return, mean-variance scale.
I know what you're thinking - if I think this is entertaining I must have a warped sense of humor......once again, you'd be correct!
Scott Dauenhauer, CFP, MSFP
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Real Estate Bubble: Opposing Views
It seems like we've been debating whether there is a bubble in real estate prices for over five years now and as of yet, nothing has popped. Does this mean there isn't a bubble?
I don't know, but I do know that there are areas that seem way to high priced to be sustainable.
I have found two different articles (in addition to the article I posted yesterday about Buffet) that argue for and against a real estate bubble. I'll report, you decide....
TIAA-CREF: Will the Housing Boom Become a Bust, Pushing the US Into Recession?
BusinessWeek: Why The Housing Bubble Won't Burst
Both articles are short and interesting.
Scott Dauenhauer, CFP, MSFP
I don't know, but I do know that there are areas that seem way to high priced to be sustainable.
I have found two different articles (in addition to the article I posted yesterday about Buffet) that argue for and against a real estate bubble. I'll report, you decide....
TIAA-CREF: Will the Housing Boom Become a Bust, Pushing the US Into Recession?
BusinessWeek: Why The Housing Bubble Won't Burst
Both articles are short and interesting.
Scott Dauenhauer, CFP, MSFP
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
I'm Healing Fine - What about You?
Tonsils & Collar Bone are both Healing Fine – What about You?
It’s been awhile since the Meridian Monthly has been published (early March) and that is because I’ve been busy with work…..and surgeries.
I had my tonsils out at the end of March, this went well but it was very painful and I didn’t eat for eight days. As I got better from the tonsil surgery I felt well enough to rejoin my soccer team and promptly broke my collar bone. I won’t bore you with the details, but I was sidelined for another week. Just when I thought my collar bone was feeling better I found out I had to have surgery on it. I was shocked because 97% of collar bone breaks don’t result in a surgery……I always did strive to be in the top percentile!!!
Anyway, my surgery was last Friday (May 5th, yes Cince De Mayo) and I am starting to feel much better. It will take some physical therapy and about 6 – 8 weeks to fully heal, but I am pretty much back at my desk working and being productive.
All in all it’s been a tough few months, but in the scheme of things it hasn’t been that bad. After all, I still have my health, my family, and wonderful clients. I’m upbeat and optimistic about the future and aching to get back to working out and playing soccer and softball (though my wife is rather apprehensive!).
I do want to share a few things that have come to mind over the past few months that I believe will benefit you.
With both surgeries my doctors asked is I had a living will, power of attorney for health care, or an Advanced Medical Directive – I did and I provided them (though after re-reading them I think I may make a few changes). The reason I bring this up is that I am willing to bet that with all the planning we’ve done – most of you still don’t have these essential documents. I also have a living trust and a will and life insurance. In addition, I have left instructions for my wife on who to call to help notify and work with my clients should anything happen to me. My question to you is……what have you done to prepare your family for the unexpected?
While death was a possibility it was pretty small, the real danger was disability and luckily I have a disability policy on me and my wife – do you? You have a greater chance of becoming disabled than you do of dying. Have you insured this risk?
Think about these things – are you really prepared if something bad where to happen to you or your spouse? Perhaps we should sit down and talk more in depth.
The year is still young and I have big plans for it, I’m not one to let a couple surgeries get in my way. When you are ready let’s make sure we really have all you’re planning needs taken care of.
Scott Dauenhauer, CFP, MSFP
It’s been awhile since the Meridian Monthly has been published (early March) and that is because I’ve been busy with work…..and surgeries.
I had my tonsils out at the end of March, this went well but it was very painful and I didn’t eat for eight days. As I got better from the tonsil surgery I felt well enough to rejoin my soccer team and promptly broke my collar bone. I won’t bore you with the details, but I was sidelined for another week. Just when I thought my collar bone was feeling better I found out I had to have surgery on it. I was shocked because 97% of collar bone breaks don’t result in a surgery……I always did strive to be in the top percentile!!!
Anyway, my surgery was last Friday (May 5th, yes Cince De Mayo) and I am starting to feel much better. It will take some physical therapy and about 6 – 8 weeks to fully heal, but I am pretty much back at my desk working and being productive.
All in all it’s been a tough few months, but in the scheme of things it hasn’t been that bad. After all, I still have my health, my family, and wonderful clients. I’m upbeat and optimistic about the future and aching to get back to working out and playing soccer and softball (though my wife is rather apprehensive!).
I do want to share a few things that have come to mind over the past few months that I believe will benefit you.
With both surgeries my doctors asked is I had a living will, power of attorney for health care, or an Advanced Medical Directive – I did and I provided them (though after re-reading them I think I may make a few changes). The reason I bring this up is that I am willing to bet that with all the planning we’ve done – most of you still don’t have these essential documents. I also have a living trust and a will and life insurance. In addition, I have left instructions for my wife on who to call to help notify and work with my clients should anything happen to me. My question to you is……what have you done to prepare your family for the unexpected?
While death was a possibility it was pretty small, the real danger was disability and luckily I have a disability policy on me and my wife – do you? You have a greater chance of becoming disabled than you do of dying. Have you insured this risk?
Think about these things – are you really prepared if something bad where to happen to you or your spouse? Perhaps we should sit down and talk more in depth.
The year is still young and I have big plans for it, I’m not one to let a couple surgeries get in my way. When you are ready let’s make sure we really have all you’re planning needs taken care of.
Scott Dauenhauer, CFP, MSFP
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