Weekly Articles by Osbon Capital Management:
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“Average” – More Motto Than Maxim
Average is above average The evidence is overwhelming. Index funds, designed to deliver the market return of an asset class, have consistently outperformed the majority of actively managed mutual funds. Period. Still, many investors and advisors are unwilling to accept this idea. Indexes seem “average.” Average seems lame. And who wants to be lame? It’s a costly attitude. A word…
How Big Is The ETF World?
More than $2.3 trillion is invested in index exchange traded funds. Where is it? How is it allocated worldwide? Our own local State Street Global Advisors publishes a fascinating monthly report that tells all. Global ETF Allocation: By Asset Class: Largest Providers: The Big Three It’s early days Yes, $2.3 trillion is a lot of money. But it’s only a…
Are The Rich Smarter?
If you had more money to invest, would you get better investment results? It’s tempting to think so, and you might be intrigued about the research on exactly that question. 3 top professors did the study, and here’s what they found. Steady there, Eddie… Let’s jump to the study’s conclusion. No, the rich are not smarter investors. They make the…
The Art of Battling Giants
What’s it like starting from zero and operating a small investment boutique, competing against the giants of Wall Street? Challenging yes, but far from impossible. As Malcom Gladwell describes in David and Goliath, a guidebook for newcomers, underdogs and entrepreneurs, there are real advantages in being small. Gladwell’s David and Goliath “uncovers the hidden rules that shape the balance between the…
The long, high road for US stocks
How far for how long? It’s been a great year for US stocks, with indexes broadly up 25 percent or more. As the Dow hovers around 16,000, some pundits proclaim “it can’t go up any farther” or “sell everything now!” Are they right? Let’s take a fact-based look. The long, high road We all know that US stocks have gone…
Inflation. Is it CPI or MyPI?
It’s easy to think of inflation as financial weather – something we must endure and can’t control. While it’s true we can’t control the prices that grocers, automakers and landlords charge, we can, and should, control what we spend. We’re all familiar with the Consumer Price Index, or CPI. It tracks the cost of groceries, rent, utilities and other goods…
The People of Plenty
The People of Plenty Is there anything more delicious than snooping on the financial lives of the super-rich? You can do it by looking here at the aggregate tax returns of the 400 top earners in the United States, sometimes called the Fortunate 400. It’s an interesting glimpse into a world few can ever experience firsthand. Average annual income of…
Tortoise 2, Hare 0
Tortoise 2, Hare O Many investors feel like you can’t beat Vanguard. Bond King Bill Gross of Pimco may agree. Especially after losing his second big title to the index juggernaut. What happened? Ouch, again As the recent Bloomberg title read, Gross Loses World’s Largest Mutual Fund Title to Vanguard. Vanguard’s Total Stock Market Fund is now larger than Pimco’s Total…
Liquidity reality check
How much liquidity do you need in your investment portfolio? If something changes unexpectedly and you need cash right away, can your portfolio provide it, and with what consequences? Here’s a quick look at sensible liquidity planning. Two definitions first Liquidity is defined as the ability to withdraw money quickly (one day to one week) with no severe adverse investment…
