By: Matt Garrott What is the most important action an investor can take? Sometimes it is taking no action at all.  We were recently pitched a hot new hedge fund.  It is run by an eclectic genius (aren’t they all?), has good performance, and the client base is of such a pedigree that [...]

By: Matt Garrott It’s been over a year since the S&P hit its all-time high. The market has been going sideways.  From February 16th, 2015 through May 31st, 2016, the S&P 500 has returned 0%.  Investors have earned nothing.  Or have they? While the market returned “0%” from point to point, savvy investors [...]

by: Dan Gaugler Here’s the background story leading up to our recent recapitalization. In 1992 I wrote a business plan (as an MBA class assignment) for a fictional Fairway Financial Group. Explaining the A- grade, the professor wrote: “a comprehensive, if not completely believable plan. The market(ing) assumptions stretch credibility.” In 1997 at [...]

  By: Matt Garrott Sometimes I wish we had a complex, proprietary, super-secret investment method. I would fit in much better with my peers at investment conferences.  I could give vague responses to questions, “Well I don’t want to give too much away, but…” as if our competitors have the room bugged just [...]

  By: Matt Garrott The first quarter of 2016 must have been inspired by March, roaring in like a lion and going out like a lamb. The year started off terribly with an immediate market correction of 10.3% for the S&P 500.  About halfway through the quarter, the market turned around and appropriately [...]

By: Matt Garrott Berkshire Hathaway recently released Warren Buffett’s annual letter to shareholders and it is required reading if you have any interest in investing, stocks, money, folksy wisdom, talking lizards, or deeply discounted furniture.  Really, just do yourself a favor and read the letter. This month’s Tip From the Pro on our [...]

By: Matt Garrott “With the market in turmoil, what should I do?” During any market correction, investors often ask: “with the market in turmoil, what should I do?” This question implies that you can actually control your returns independent of the markets and that you should be constantly buying and selling in reaction [...]

By: Matt Garrott What Happened in 2015 2015 was a year for the markets to catch their breath. While the US Dollar was strong for another year, stocks and bonds were largely flat. In fact, the S&P 500 ended the year with one foot in negative territory and one foot in positive. The [...]

By: Matt Garrott As the leaves fall from the trees and the temperature starts to drop here in Cleveland, I am reminded that forecasting season is right around the corner. The same people who predicted $200+ oil, hyper-inflation, and multiple Federal Reserve rate hikes for 2015 will be begging for you to believe [...]

By: Matt Garrott On October 21st, 1985, Marty McFly went back in time 30 years to escape Libyans, save Doc Brown’s life, and turn his dad from a weenie into a hero. He also wound up with a rad 4×4, but before he could take it for a spin, Doc Brown stopped by [...]