Americans take less vacation than foreign counterparts

Benefitnews.com - A SourceMedia and Investcorp publication

I guess we aren't as lazy as we are told....did you know that the average number of vacation days in France is 39....versus just 14 in the U.S.

Scott Dauenhauer, CFP, MSFP

86-ing the '87 Theory (Stock market, 1987, bonds, inflation, interest rates, yields, recession, economic growth)

86-ing the '87 Theory (Stock market, 1987, bonds, inflation, interest rates, yields, recession, economic growth) SmartMoney.com

For those of you freaked by the recent losses in the stock market (never mind the tremendous gains) this might be a good article to read. It gives a good historical perspective. The only thing I didn't like is that the author stated "Barring some unforeseen catastrophe like a massive terrorist attack, a stock-market crash from these levels is simply not possible."

As much as I believe in the long term growth of the stock market, it is always, I repeat always possible to have a stock-market crash. Is it likely? No, possible, sure. The stock market is risky and that is why a globally diversified portfolio that includes stocks, bonds, cash, and real estate is essential.

Scott Dauenhauer, CFP, MSFP

Commodities: Boom or Bust?: The Future for Investors - Yahoo! Finance

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

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.

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