Posts by Jacob Milder, CFP®, ChFC®
My Friend Gandalf
As a financial advisor, I’m often asked where the markets are headed. Unfortunately, my crystal ball, affectionately named “Gandalf,” has been cracked and in the shop for years; frankly, I’m beginning to think I’ll never see Gandalf again. So, I’m forced to seek guidance from my second favorite source – data. It turns out…
Read MoreMarket Update – August 5th, 2024
After fielding some questions from clients over the past few days, I wanted to provide a quick update on what’s going on in the markets. What’s Happening In The Markets and Why Are They So Volatile? Today the markets continued last week’s selloff, on the heels of weaker-than-expected employment numbers Friday, and an over 12% loss in the…
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In my 3rd quarter newsletter for 2022, I mentioned that models from Bloomberg Economics put the odds of a recession within one year at nearly 100%. I’m not much of a gambler, but I believe those are good odds. Oops. 2023 ended the year with a bang! No, that doesn’t mean the economy was exceptionally…
Read MoreChaos and Bloodshed
Staying disciplined and invested can be difficult in times of chaos and market turbulence. History tells us this is the right time not to act.
Read More1Q2023 – AIn’t (Quite) Ready for Prime Time
Please excuse the delay in this quarterly newsletter, I was watching Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon…get canned. Too soon? Don’t worry, this quarter’s post isn’t about the rise and fall of the prime time television elite: it’s about the rise of AI tools in our everyday life. In a flash of brilliance (or laziness), I…
Read More2022 Annual Review – Everything Will Be Okay
Ouch. Let me be the first to admit I thought we had another six months to a year before the markets woke up from their years-long drunken (on easy money) binge. After all, 2022 began the year with a strong labor market, easy money and record low interest rates, and Elon Musk still wealthy (I…
Read MoreGreen Shoots Amid the Economic Rubble
My apologies for the delay in getting this 3rd quarter review out. I was busy combing through the financial rubble that is the global economy for some glimmer of hope, and it turns out there are some sprouts beginning to grow. But first, the storm. For the 3rd quarter, US markets were off 4.46%, with…
Read MoreKevin Bacon and Sidelined Cash – 2Q2022
As 80s heartthrob, loose-footed, and distant-relative-to-all Kevin Bacon asked in the classic 1978 comedy Animal House (based on Harold Ramis’ experience at my alma mater WashU), “Thank you, sir, may I have another?” After a difficult 1st quarter, the US markets delivered another blow to investor portfolios, ending the first half of the year down…
Read MorePredictions, Money and Mattresses
I don’t usually make short-term market guesses – my crystal ball has been in the shop for almost 20 years; at this point I can’t remember if it was cracked or just fogged. I believe in the power of long-term markets, good diversification and poor performance as a result of short-term market prognosticating.
Read MoreRemembering the Good Times
It’s often said that the market takes the escalator up and the elevator down. For concrete evidence, simply look at the performance of the indexes the past few weeks. A close look at the headlines or nightly news (caution: this may be bad for your health and is proven to be bad for your portfolios) and you may think it’s only a matter of time before the indexes hit an all time low! And no, that’s not really a thing!
Read MoreDoes Bitcoin Have a Place in Your Investment Strategy?
In 2013 I bought my first Bitcoin. I was a financial advisor at a not-to-be named wirehouse in Clayton, Missouri and a friend tried to explain to me what blockchain was. At the time, Bitcoin was around $50 per coin. In 2013 I sold my first Bitcoin. After all, how high could this…
Read More2020…A Decade to Remember
Living through 2020 felt like living through an entire decade. I’ll leave it to you to decide which decade you’d like to relive, but I’m going for the 1960s – though maybe skimming a few years from the late 60s and adding them to the late 50s.
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