Osbon on the Money

True story. “My advisor at (important name firm) told me my account was ‘not meaningful.” I heard this twice in one week from two different potential clients so I decided to write about it. We all want to feel important, as a friend, colleague or client. We all want to matter, to be “meaningful.” Are you meaningful to your investment advisor?…

In this seventh year of zero interest rates, many investors complain that “there’s just no yield out there.” They must be looking in the wrong place. True, bond yields are dismal, but in the equity world there is a strong and growing dividend flow providing nice annual yields. With $1.2 trillion of dividends paid out worldwide in 2014, where is it coming from…

With so much financial news readily available and so many enticing or obvious investment choices it’s tempting to just “do it yourself.” As a DIY investor you can make investments with a few mouse clicks for just a few dollars per trade. It’s an appealingly simple idea, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Take a look at our day and see…

Thirty-two Massachusetts companies went public or filed to go public in 2014 according to IPOMonitor. 2015 could be a rich year as well for those who convert to public from private ownership. If you will be among them, what are the three most important steps to take related to your investments? Public means public! When you are the founder or…

Did your investment advisor predict the 50% drop in oil prices in 2014, the surging US economy, the strong dollar and the worldwide decline in interest rates? No? No one else did either. Which begs the question: how is your advisor – and his/her forecasting – working for you? Are you paying a fee for your advisor to guess what…

“Timing the market is basically playing poker with the best players in the world who play around the clock with nearly unlimited resources,” says Ray Dalio. He should know. He’s the billionaire founder of the largest hedge fund company in the world, the $160 billion Bridgewater Associates. If you’re trading your own investment account, you may be the weak hand in…

If you sent a letter to Warren Buffett asking for some investment advice, what do you think you’d get in the return mail? A board member of the San Francisco employee pension fund found out. What exactly did Mr. Buffett’s handwritten note say? The $20 billion pension fund had been considering an investment in hedge funds. The board member described…

Last week, State Street’s Center for Applied Research released a fascinating thought piece on the common human traits that lead investors to sabotage their success. Falling prey to one or more of these naturally occurring cognitive biases can drastically change your investment outcome. Fortunately, simple awareness can be enough to help save us from ourselves.

Happy Thanksgiving!  There’s much to be thankful about on this most American holiday. Since we always write about money as investment advisors, on this day of thanks we came up with questions that can help you understand why YOU are thankful about your money.