Are you concerned about the environment or human rights? Do you want companies to be good corporate citizens? Then ESG investing might be a good fit for you. ESG stands for Environmental Social Governance and it refers to investments that screen their stocks and bonds with ESG issues in mind. 86% of Millennials are interested in Sustainable Investing according to a recent poll by Morgan Stanley. However, it’s not just young people; 87% of women of all ages are interested in sustainable investing as well as 67% of men according to that same study. Yet, while there may be a lot of interest in sustainable investing, investor’s knowledge about the subject…

Have you purchased bitcoin on a credit card? No? (Well done!) That was a question a journalist recently emailed me. Fortunately, I don’t know anyone who has purchased bitcoin on credit (or at least anyone who felt compelled to tell me) but there appears to be a “bit” of a craze going on now around cryptocurrencies. To buy or not to buy? With Bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies) that is a popular question. As is typical of the internet-age, there is a cacophony of noise on bitcoin available. There are even new marketing schemes with self-styled bitcoin gurus offering their knowledge to a select group of individuals for $80/month. Please make…

No, I’m not talking about rebalancing your chakras, I’m talking about your investments. You know, your 401(k) and that IRA you have stashed in a filing cabinet. With the U.S. stock markets trending up over the last few years (as of July 2019), if rebalancing isn’t on your mind perhaps it ought to be. Rebalancing sounds simple in theory but in practice can actually be quite complicated. In this post we will look at the what, why and when of rebalancing your portfolio. What Is Rebalancing? Let’s start with the question you may be wondering but don’t want to ask – what is rebalancing? I’m so glad you asked! Words…

You’re trying to do everything right. You started saving in an investment account. You did some research and have a reasonable asset allocation. You stopped putting all of your 401(k) into your employer’s stock (...you did stop that, right?) and you’re starting to accumulate something significant. It feels good, until one day you hear the stock market is starting to sell off. The market keeps going down and your friends and co-workers are starting to talk about it. Perhaps the term "bear market" is being thrown around. You start checking out financial media sites...every day. People start talking about the “trades” they’re making. How they are putting all of their 401(k)…

“Alternative Investments” is a catch-all phrase used to describe investments that don’t fall neatly into the traditional cash, stock or bond categories. You may have some in your portfolio already. Or perhaps your financial sales rep called you with a suggestion to invest in a new hedge fund-like mutual fund. In this post I will provide you with a brief overview of some of the most common alternative investments. I also want to give you permission to pass on any investments that you don’t understand.It’s not you, it’s them.Not all that glitters is gold: CommoditiesCommodities were originally designed to help farmers reduce their risk by using contracts to buy and…

How the heck are you supposed to judge whether a specific asset allocation is right for you if you don’t fully understand the differences between the assets you are allocating? What does that even mean?! What is an asset and how can I get one may be your first question. Let’s start at the beginning so you can understand what your financial adviser, financial planner or salesperson (let’s be real - most people in “financial services” are actually in “financial sales”) is talking about. Today let’s focus on empowering you with knowledge you can use to better understand your financial picture. I’ll be frank, I don’t think the vast majority…