The Shopping Bag Blues

April 28, 2011

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Question: Do you know what the most traded commodity in the world is?  Answer: Oil.As of April 1, 2011, oil prices had reached their highest level in two and half years. Why are today’s oil prices so high? News headlines [...]

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Cleaning (Financial) House

April 21, 2011

“With all this financial uncertainty out there, should I just liquidate my investments and pay off my mortgage?” I like to begin newsletters with a frequently asked question, because if people are asking, there are probably many more who are wondering the same.30-year mortgage interest rates are at their lowest level in history, so it [...]

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Margin of Safety

April 15, 2011

Comparative analysis, realistic analysis and accurate thinking are attributes of investing that are not often discussed. We are wired to oversimplify and be “lazy-brained,” and nowhere is the concept of the lazy way to riches more prevalent than on Wall Street -Japan collapses – sell!Japan recovers – buy!Interest rates are going up – sell!Bonds are [...]

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Is Now a Good Time to Sell Your Business?

March 29, 2011

A recent CNNMoney.com news story noted that mergers and acquisitions through February 7, 2011, were up 78% compared to the same time period last year. In Wisconsin, there have been a number of recent business sales, and given the aging of the “Baby Boomer” generation, it seems likely there will be increased business sales in [...]

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‘Truthiness’ Is Out – ‘Truth’ Is In

March 22, 2011

Democracy is good for global investors! Open societies are great for investors! Capitalism is even better for investors. Trust is the speed at which the world will grow, and peace and non-forced stability accelerate capitalism. Libya, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia and the challenges they face are good for the world as they work through their birth pangs [...]

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Who Writes This Stuff?

March 14, 2011

An Associated Press story in the local paper recently spoke about the relative level of federal taxes saying, “The poor economy is largely to blame, with corporate profits down ….” Not sure what data the author was referring to, but corporate profits in the U.S. reached all-time highs in the fourth quarter of 2009, and through June [...]

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The Impact of the 2010 Tax Act on Estate Planning

February 28, 2011

In late December, President Obama signed into law the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (the “Act”). The enactment of this legislation provides Financial & Investment Management Group clients several estate planning opportunities that have never before been available. Unfortunately, the Act is set to expire on January 1, 2013, so its [...]

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2011 is The Year of the Wise

February 23, 2011

I think 2011 will be considered “the year of the wise.” You see, humans are smart. We have sent men to the moon, we have built bridges that span miles, we have overcome infections and plagues, we have endured floods, depressions, communism, bigots, genocides and countless other calamities. Friedrich Nietzsche characterized us perfectly when he said, “That [...]

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Today’s Headlines and Long-Term Wealth Management Results

February 14, 2011

Are today’s headlines distracting to investment decisions and insignificant to long-term investment results? Looking back on headlines of old, it seems to be true. For example, remember Y2K? How about the hyperinflation of the late 1970s/early 1980s? The crash of October 1987? The “Nifty Fifty” of the 1960s and the subsequent 50% crash of 1973-1974? [...]

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Global Investing for Diversified Portfolio Managers and Christopher Columbus

January 26, 2011

The FIM Group diversified portfolio manager team is constantly discussing the concept of “global investing.” In addition to our continued emphasis on this important topic, the financial news also reports on many aspects of global investing, in particular, the “new” emerging markets of the world. This is a good thing, but I have concerns about [...]

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