CategoriesFinancial QB TV Videos, Investor Behavior, Retirement, The Stock Market, Using A 401(k) by

Stop ESG Investing

If you are saving for retirement (or retired) it is in your best interest to get as much out of your investments in the stock market as possible. You should always eliminate political virtue signalling from your investment decision-making.

ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. The strategy means investing in companies that score high on these factors as determined by a (usually biased) third-party company or group. The assumption is that the better a company’s ESG score is, the better their overall performance.

ESG investing sounds great. It also makes you feel good about the investments you make and should help you sleep better at night. But it may not be all that it seems, especially for investors who don’t fully understand what it is and how it works. Read More

Bad Investments (That Look Like Moneymakers)
CategoriesInvestor Behavior, Investor Education by

Bad Investments (That Look Like Moneymakers)

When people first start to look closely at their finances, there’s a certain point at which they often ask themselves, “How can I use the money I have to make even more?” And while this is a great question—one that you should never stop asking!—it can unfortunately blind people to the very real risks involved.

As a result, what started off looking like a sure thing turns out to be a bad investment.

Bad investments can take many different forms, but there are a few that are more common than others. Learn what they are so you can avoid making a financial mistake that derails your retirement plan. Read More

CategoriesFinancial Planning, Investor Behavior, Investor Education by

Everyone Has Their Own Investment Playbook

Unless you’re living under a rock, you know that Tom Brady has made it to the Super Bowl a few times. Ten, to be exact.

You may also know that he didn’t win all of those. In fact, he lost three of them. Even the GOAT of football had a strategy that didn’t work every single time. So what does that mean for your investment strategy? Read More

Investing vs. Speculating
CategoriesInvestor Behavior, The Stock Market by

Investing vs Speculating

By now, you’ve probably heard about the Gamestop/Reddit saga on Wall Street. Since there’s a Netflix movie coming about the topic, I won’t go deep into detail, but the short version is this:

A group of retail investors (individuals who manage their own investments), noticed and attacked a trend in the stock market. Some people felt that an opportunity arose to play against the large hedge funds and the war was on. It made national news and a ton of money changed hands over the course of a few crazy weeks.

In the end, there were still more losers than winners and life goes on, but what is the real takeaway here? Were all of those people investing or speculating? What is speculating, exactly, anyway? Read More

Investing For Beginners
CategoriesFinancial Planning, Investor Behavior, Investor Education by

Investing For Beginners

Investing can seem a challenging world to break into, or even understand sometimes. There are ETFs, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs…and who could forget the good ole annuity? However, investing for beginners doesn’t need to be so complicated.

Becoming an investor is simply preparing your money for the future. Whether that’s investing in stocks or moving your money into other investments, your money should be working towards your future. Read More

CategoriesFinancial Planning, Financial QB TV Videos, Investor Behavior by

Looking For the Perfect Investment? Here’s the Secret….

We are in some weird times right now. A few weeks ago, I would have never imagined that I would have to plan for our federal, state and local governments to shut down an entire economy due to a pandemic like the coronavirus (COVID-19).

I have been through several economic downturns in the past and, unfortunately, it’s times like this that many investors will panic and make some big money mistakes.

And one of the biggest mistakes is trying to search for the “perfect investment.”  Read More

CategoriesFinancial QB TV Videos, Investor Behavior by

Surfing Normal Uncertainty

On the way to my sons’ school I have to cross over a very long bridge over a pretty large lake. One really can’t ignore the lake because its pretty large and it is also a very shallow lake and full of alligators. Its always cool to go over the bridge and count how many gators are on top of the water.

Some days the water is perfectly flat all the way across. Not even a ripple. The next day the water is really rough. Without even having to give it a second thought, our mind is aware that both, either flat or rough, is totally normal. Read More