“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” Josh Billings Occasionally clients or prospects will ask: “What changes have you recently made? What action have you taken on my behalf?” The implication is: what are you doing to add value? Sometimes it’s not doing that adds value. Often, a good... Read More
6 Steps to Help Your Children Avoid Feeling Entitled
*This is a guest post written by Cordant Ambassador, Dave Unzicker. Are Your Children Exposed to Affluenza? Don’t let them get infected! Recent news stories based on the capture of the fugitive “victim of affluenza,” Ethan Couch, have really brought to the forefront an issue that I have been struggling with for years—in this world of plenty that glorifies... Read More
Why Own Bonds?
The Foolish Fish In a huge pond lived many fish. They were arrogant and never listened to anyone. In this pond, there also lived a kind-hearted crocodile. He advised the fish, “It does not pay to be arrogant and overconfident. It could be your downfall.” But the fish never listened to him. “There is that crocodile, advising us again,” they... Read More
This Is The Hard Part
In 2014 Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and described as one of Silicon Valley's most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, wrote a book titled “The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers.” Many people talk about the benefits, rewards and good things that come with starting a business. Few talk about the risks,... Read More
2015 Market Recap: Good Riddance
During a holiday gathering, a family member made the following toast: "May 2016 be as good as 2015 was bad." To start the year, investors may have felt the same way. Bloomberg called 2015 “The Year Nothing Worked” as stocks, bonds and cash all went “nowhere.” US stocks (S&P 500) were up 1.4%, International stocks (MSCI World ex/US) down 3.0%,... Read More
The Goal of Wall Street: ‘To Wring More Profit From Its Clients’
“It doesn't matter what people say. Watch what they do.” In an unsurprising, but refreshingly straightforward article Reuters wrote recently about Morgan Stanley’s latest product push to boost its profit. The article titled “Morgan Stanley Turns To Stodgy Bank Accounts To Boost Profit” is a glimpse inside how the traditional Wall Street sales culture works and how these firms view... Read More
8 Investing Lessons from an Engineer
Engineer. Pilot. Astronaut. Col. Chris Hadfield is all three. And during his time commanding the International Space Station, he likely also had the status of the “most popular man (not) on Earth.” While in orbit he became somewhat of a social media sensation—posting breathtaking pictures of Earth from orbit, educational videos about life in zero gravity and the first-ever music... Read More
5 Ways the Investment Industry “Optimizes on the Wrong Parameters”
“You’re optimizing on all the wrong parameters.” ~A father to his son Note: I look forward to Thanksgiving each year—good food is part of that for sure, but also as a time to focus on the things that really matter in life, and to spend time with family and friends. With that in mind, I present the following post inspired by... Read More
Quarterly Investment Review: Q3 2015
We are more often frightened than hurt: and we suffer more from imagination than from reality. ~Seneca I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened. ~Mark Twain The third quarter was not a good quarter for world stock markets—It’s nice to have it in the rearview mirror. Emerging market... Read More
Financial Blueprint Creates A Strategic Plan For Your Wealth
I sometimes wonder if our clients and prospective clients tire of us talking about the concepts of transparency, alignment and mutual understanding. However, past experience has given me a lens through which I view those concepts, and I want to share why they’re important to me, and how a document that we created, the “Financial Blueprint,” gives them material meaning.... Read More