Post Election: Very Interesting Times We Live In

Darby Simmons, CFP® Very interesting times we live in! The historic election results we are witnessing are truly eye opening.  How much actual impact they have on investments, if any, only time will tell. As the historic investor Benjamin Graham said, “In the...

Why Does Pessimism Sound So Smart?

Why Does Pessimism Sound So Smart? Especially when things are so good. This is a great article on a phenomenon which I’ve been subconsciously aware of for a long time, but never put much thought into. I think we are all susceptible to this as there is no...

Qualified 529 Plan Distributions

Darby Simmons, CFP® Finding a comprehensive list of college expenses that qualify for tax-free distribution treatment from a 529 Plan has always been frustrating to me. All I could ever find was general IRS language that offered very little confidence. Although, I...

Market Resiliency based on Fear?

Darby Simmons, CFP® What’s been, “working” this year in the markets appears to be one large Fear trade.   The search for yield with a leveraged bet that rates aren’t going up anytime soon.  Based on this graph put together by JPMorgan, anything with yield that could...

Brexit

Darby Simmons, CFP® As you will see, the UK voted to leave the European Union and markets are down around the world.  Europe was down 6-10% at 3:30a but has recovered a bit to down 5-8% currently.  The US markets look to open down about 3-4%.  US bonds, the dollar,...

BEHAVIORAL FINANCE

Darby Simmons, CFP® As human beings, we are naturally, “wired” to seek pleasure and avoid pain.  It’s very painful to watch investments decrease in value and therefore very understandable when people react emotionally. However, this can lead individual investors to...