News

  • Jul 9 2015
    Is Angela Merkel Europe’s Economic Bully?

    As all eyes are focused on Greece and how they will resolve their debt crisis, attention is rightly turning to Germany, Europe’s economic heart and the driving force behind a push for greater Greek austerity, even in the face of 25% unemployment and clear stagflation.  This July 9th article from Bloomberg Businessweek points out that  Read more ➝

  • Jun 15 2015
    How the Feds Influence Interest Rates; Explained

    Anyone watching the evening news has likely heard about the pending increase in interest rates by the Federal Reserve bank.  But what exactly are they doing.  This article from the Los Angeles Times does a great job explaining the tools at the Federal Reserve’s disposal and how they influences broader interest rate environment.  To view  Read more ➝

  • Jun 15 2015
    Mortgage Rates Top 4% in Test for Housing

    Mortgage rates extended above the 4% threshold last week in concert with an increase in the yield on on the 10 year treasury.  Investors are demanding high yields on the 10 year treasury as they anticipate an increase in the Federal Funds rate.  Time will tell what impact these higher mortgage rates will have on  Read more ➝

  • Jun 3 2015
    College Graduation. A Time For Optimism.

    I recently attended my daughter’s college graduation ceremony and can say, if you are ever feeling down and blue about the future, swing by a college commencement ceremony.  The graduates’ accomplishments and speeches are so uplifting, they will surely recalibrate your optimism. And why shouldn’t they be optimistic.  For them, the consequences of failure are  Read more ➝

  • May 4 2015
    May Newsletter-Has the low-hanging fruit been picked?

    Each year I attend the annual conference of the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA), a group made up of some the brightest Investment professionals in the country.  Collectively, IMCA members advise a broad cross section of investors, from the largest pension plans and ultra-high net worth individuals to Millennials and Gen X’rs who are just  Read more ➝

  • Apr 30 2015
    Case-Shiller: Home prices continue steady march upward

    This week the Los Angeles Times reported that home prices continue to rise here in Southern California and elsewhere in the Nation. Denver and San Francisco lead the pack with 10% and 9.8% year-over-year growth rates. The LA metro area came in at 5.8%. This bodes well for the overall US Economy since housing prices  Read more ➝

  • Apr 1 2015
    April Newsletter: Do you really need a Financial Advisor?

    In February of 1993, I started as a green horn financial advisor with Shearson Lehman Brother’s (later to become Smith Barney, the firm that “made money the old fashioned way, they earned it.”)  It was a great time to get started because Wall Street had figured out that people were sick of dealing with “Stock  Read more ➝

  • Mar 22 2015
    Home Sales On The Rise

    Share prices of Home Builder KB Homes soared 8% after a better than expected earnings report.  Chief Executive Jeffrey Mezger said there was more demand from would-be home buyers in the first quarter than a year earlier. The company sold nearly 20% more homes in California last quarter, at an average price of $550,600 —  Read more ➝

  • Mar 19 2015
    Now may be the time to rethink international allocations

      Deutsche Bank’s Foreign Exchange (FX) team forecasts that the U.S. dollar will continue to appreciate against other major currencies through 2017. As this occurs, U.S. investors with international allocations may continue to see their returns eroded by the currency effect. In their white paper on the subject, they make a strong case for a long term cyclical  Read more ➝

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