Insights on markets, emergent trends, history, innovation, risk management, global economics, strategy, policy, and other topics that catch our attention. Inspired by ongoing research, conversations and events. Written and edited by Osbon Capital Management and published every Thursday morning.
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2024 will bring more positive novel surprises. New years always do. In 2023, it was the dramatic acceleration in AI, which touches nearly every industry, and the early stages of an answer to the obesity epidemic with GLP-1s. Here is a list of what’s on our minds going into 2024.
Are Your Millennials Missing Out?
It’s not surprising that financial literacy is a top concern parents have for their kids. Whether it’s watching children struggle with money decisions, or worrying about them responsibly handling their eventual inheritance, parents have good reason for concern. Kids don’t learn much about personal finances in school, and in many families it’s not a typical dinnertime topic. Here are some steps you can take to build strong family habits around shared financial literacy:
The First 100 Days. Now What?
In one way, the United States has been a very stable place for decades. We’ve only had four Presidents in 24 years. They each got their First 100 Days. Now it’s time to focus the lens on our newest POTUS. What has he actually done, and can investors learn anything from it?
Fear as an Enemy of Success
Fear is healthy. It’s an essential instinct that has kept our species alive. We all know that gut-level feeling of fear, followed by a reaction of fight or flight. When fear strikes in the investment world, we often see investors trip and stumble as the urge to flee takes over. A race for the exits can be costly, and with the benefit of hindsight, is often the wrong reaction to the many varieties of panic, doubt, what-ifs, truly bad news, and sudden change that investors face.
Who Are You Investing For?
When you compare who benefits from your portfolio, how does your view of investing change? Investing for your own retirement is not the same as building a surplus that will eventually go to your kids or future grandkids. With different people in mind, you and your advisor may make different decisions about risk, reward and time horizon. Let’s look at a few different perspectives of people living in the future.
How Big Is Your Financial Cushion?
At some point in your financial life you have more money than you need to live on, so you invest it. But even after you have built a big nest for the money eggs, you still need a cushion, an emergency fund, or some readily available cash that’s always there when you need it. But how much do you need? Here are four ways to help you find the answer.
Buffett’s Bet on the Index: Year 9
It’s that time of year again – time to update the scoreboard on the million dollar wager Warren Buffett made with Protégé Partners in 2008. It was a ten-year bet, pitting a basket of five hedge funds chosen by Protégé against Buffett’s no-frills pick, Vanguard’s S&P 500 Index fund. There’s just one year left to go. Which side is on top?
The Cost Of Safety
If you are uncertain, optimistic or nervous about investments right now, it may be a good time to do a little reading. Knowledge is really the best way to counterbalance emotions, which we know may be running high for some right now. Our advice: Check out what the masters have said. They’ve devoted their lives to understanding investing and captured it all in print. It turns out there is truly nothing new under the sun; their insights apply year in and year out.
How To Prepare For The Crash
Wait a minute. What crash?! No need for panic. I am absolutely NOT saying a crash is right around the corner. But big, scary declines are standard market events that happen, on average, about once a decade. This week is almost exactly the eighth anniversary of the end of the stock market crash of 2008-09. It’s just common sense to ask yourself from time to time how well prepared you are for the next one. Let’s take that opportunity right now and look at the bright side for some benefits.
The Beauty of Budgets
Meet Emily Scott, guest writer this week. Emily is a humanist, writer, philanthropist and all-around person to know. Emily and Steve Gang of Resonance are engaged in our latest Osbon Capital project. Find out more about Emily here.
