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Archive for 2019
09.18.2019
Should US stock returns be higher than foreign stock returns?
For US-based investors, being a globally diversified equity investor has been somewhat disappointing since 2010. While global equities have performed strongly on an absolute basis, the non-US component of our portfolios has generally been a drag on overall performance as US stocks have broadly outperformed a basket of international developed and emerging market stocks for […]
05.30.2019
Where Hath Inflation Gone?
The average annual rate of inflation in the United States has been slowly (if unevenly) declining for the past 40 years. Inflation rates averaged about 4% per year in the 1980’s, declined to around 3% in the early1990’s, fell below 1% by 2010 and today hover just under 2%. If we study market-based indicators of […]
04.30.2019
How Much is Social Security Worth to You?
If you’re like most working Americans, you will be entitled to a Social Security benefit when you reach age 62. The formula for calculating an individual’s benefits is fairly complicated, involving “average indexed monthly earnings” and “bend points”, but the inputs are rather simple — it is based on the number of [high earning] years […]
02.25.2019
Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early?
Sooner or later, nearly all homeowners ask themselves “Should we pay off our mortgage early”? The question is almost deceptively simple to state, but can be surprisingly complicated to answer. The reason for the complexity is that merits of “pre-paying” a mortgage balance involve multiple considerations, including- The current interest rate on the mortgage, whether […]
01.24.2019
Did “nothing work” in 2018?
Last year ended a nine year run of positive returns for the US stock market. As evidence-based investors, we know that investing involves risk, and that negative returns are always a possibility. A year like 2018 should not be unexpected, even if the timing of negative years is unpredictable. And while the magnitude of negative […]
