As we retire or get closer to retirement, the need to generate investment income takes on a much greater importance.  Historically, it was much easier, as one could divert a larger portion of their stock portfolio into bonds, while capturing yields that might vary from 5-10%.  Those yields, combined with the nearly 40-year bull market...Read More

The news about Coronavirus continues to get substantially better.  The CDC updated its infection fatality rate (IFR) estimate to 0.26%.  This means that, if one is infected, they have a 0.26% chance of dying.  Initial estimates hovered around 1.5-3%, which shows how drastically wrong they were.  Now clearly one has a higher chance of death...Read More

The image above was presented by famous value investor Richard Pzena.  As you can see, it shows that the best returns from value investing come after periods of stress.  We’ve seen this same phenomena in our portfolios after every major selloff we have experienced over the years.  While this crisis is extraordinary, so it is...Read More

Fears of the Coronavirus have caused bonds to rally, resulting in lower interest rates once again.  The Tech Bubble has continued to grow, while value stocks have been left in the dust the last few months.  While this can be frustrating over the short-term, over the long-term, it creates compelling opportunities to create substantial wealth....Read More

Well that was one heck of a week.  While I certainly was not smart enough to predict the results of the election, it has had a profound impact on my expectations for us as investors.  For the last 7 years, I’ve been one of the most vocal advocates of financial stocks that I am aware...Read More

I’ve been warning all year about a clear and obvious bubble in consumer staples stocks.  The same can be said for utilities and many areas on the fixed income market.  This bubble has been built on the pervasive market sentiment that as long as the dividend yield is reasonably greater than what can be obtained...Read More

The biggest U.S. banks have now reported 3rd quarter earnings and they have all exceeded expectations.  2016 started so horribly for the big banks.  Poor economic data globally diminished the prospects of rate hikes, oil’s plunge created worries about the need for increased reserve provisioning, and Brexit had investors worried of a systemic collapse.  I...Read More

As we sit in year-7 of a historic bull market, with earnings likely to decline for the 3rd consecutive quarter, the lack of a margin of safety in most stocks, bonds, and real estate is becoming painfully obvious. The Federal Reserve’s record-low interest rate policies have driven all asset classes higher, to levels where the...Read More

Over the last month, we have begun to see financial stocks outperform the overall market.  If one was to ask why, most market participants would say that the perception that interest rate hikes are more likely to be forthcoming in 2016 is driving the stocks.  In a market where short-termism is the status quo, these...Read More