Due Diligence? Really?

How does an all-expense-pay three-day trip to the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Marina del Rey, CA sound? Vacation conferences can cloud an advisor’s judgment and make her more inclined to recommend a client that may not be in that client’s best interest.

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How Poker Can Make Us Better Decision Makers

Poker is all about consistently making great decisions. Winning is a byproduct of that decision-making.  It doesn’t happen every time, but you can tilt the probabilities in your favor. 

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The Dirty Little Secret About Warren Buffet’s Bet With A Hedge Fund Manager

Warren Buffet made a bet with a hedge fund manager that just ended. The bet was pretty simple. Put up $1 million and pick the best investment for a 10 year period (bet started on 1/1/2008). The winner would give the $1 million to the charity of their choice. 

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Are You A 1%’er?

The IRS recently released a report with some interesting data on income trends in America. As you would expect, it takes a lot to get in the top 1% of all taxpayers. Here are some of the stats.

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Five Things Your Financial Advisor Should Be Doing

There are a good number of articles on the internet about how to choose a financial advisor. I thought I would write one on what you should expect from your advisor if you already have one. We believe there are some key areas that all comprehensive advisors should be monitoring for their clients.

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Is The Stock Market Game Causing Bad Behavior In Our Children?

Our first introduction to the stock market came from playing some version of the stock market game in high school for many of us. To be sure, there are some great things about this game, but it can start students on a path of bad behavior when it comes to investing.

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Amending Warren Buffet’s Golden Rule

One of the more damaging pieces of advice to the average investor is Warren Buffet’s famous investment rule: “Rule No. 1: Never lose Money. Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule No. 1.” While this folksy wisdom has a great ring to it, it can be easily taken out of context.

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The Wine Lovers’ Guide to Investing

Savoring a vintage wine is one of life's great pleasures. But often overlooked in the joy of consumption is the carefully calibrated journey from grape to glass. Similar levels of care are critical to good investment outcomes.

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Is Your Advisor a Part-Time Fiduciary?

When you visit a doctor, you probably assume that he/she must do what is in your best interests and not what maximizes that doctor’s income. And you would be correct. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said with financial advisors. Being a fiduciary means that an advisor must legally put the client’s interests first.

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