Max Osbon's Posts

Weekly Articles by Osbon Capital Management:

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Lose The Gloom with TEDxBoston

Whenever you see a quick market drop or a flood of bad news, like we did this week, it’s a good time to look around for the great things that are happening right now. The good news is, there ARE plenty of great things to be excited about. TED Talks are a prime example. Last week the TEDxBoston group gathered in Faneuil Hall’s “Great…

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Will The River Run Dry?

There are many ways to gauge financial well-being, but there’s one measure that is universally relevant, regardless of age or income: will my money last longer than I do? Or stated in more drastic fashion: will I run out of money? Will the River Run Dry? The Osbon Labs retirement calculator is a great tool to answer that question. We like…

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Boston goes to the Wall Street Decathlon

Once per year 150 amateur and former professional athletes from Wall Street ditch their suits and gather to raise money for Memorial Sloan Kettering Pediatric Cancer Center by competing for the title of Wall Street’s Best Athlete. The event, the RBC Wall Street Decathlon, is comprised of 10 events designed as an all around test of speed, strength, and stamina….

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Investors gain in any fee battle

Blackrock’s iShares unit announced this week a new lineup of low-fee European ETFs. With the average expense ratio among these new ETFs at 17 basis points (.17 percent), it’s ETF investors who stand to gain the most. Compare that to separately managed account and mutual fund expense ratios that average around 100bps. Not even close.  Fund expense ratios are by…

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The Really Big Picture

Headlines are scary. Markets shoot up on Monday then tumble on Tuesday. Weekly economic reports are all over the map. Pundits tell us the sky is falling, or is sure to fall sometime soon. Awash in a daily tsunami of confusing, confounding and contradictory news and sentiment, it can be hard for investors to keep their bearings. That’s when I…

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The Simple Power of a Favor

From time to time, we write about things that have nothing to do with investing… The Simple Power of a Favor Favors are magic. They solve problems and open doors. They demonstrate loyalty and concern. They strengthen relationships. Simple favors can mean so much for the receiver, but they can also pay huge dividends for the sender. Last week a…

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Are High Frequency Traders Ripping You Off?

High Frequency Traders: Fight Back As author Michael Lewis reminded us this week with the release of his book, Flash Boys, high frequency traders (HFTs) are systematically sucking value out of the markets. Are you a victim, and what can you do about it? First, how does this work? Think about it like this: You call ahead to the supermarket…

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Drones, bitcoins on wheels, and the rebirth of privacy

What happens when 75,000 professionals at SXSW (South by Southwest) from 74 countries with backgrounds in music, technology, and film get together for 10 days in Austin, TX? Quite a lot! Normally we write about investing but this week we’ve got a very different topic. I spent a week at SXSW 2014 and here are some of my favorite highlights. Intellectual…

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Cost Control Calculator

Small expenses can seem inconsequential in the short run, however inefficient investments with higher fees and poor tax management can take a big bite out of your portfolio in the long run. Focus on the things you can control – fees and taxes. And use our Osbon Cost Control Calculator (below) to see just how much these small improvements add…

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