Insights & Perspectives

You know times are strange when you’re hearing from everyone – from the government to your local grocer – on what to do about the coronavirus. Unless we can source some toilet paper for you (here’s some fascinating commentary on what’s up with that!), what else is there to say? Believe it or not, we have a fresh perspective, which we think you’ll find helpful. What if the COVID-19 pandemic is more than just an unmitigated disaster? What if it’s also an important, if incredibly challenging opportunity?

Today – March 9 – is the eleventh anniversary of the crescendo of global panic that marked the bottom of the bear market of 2007-09. It is to us a thing of the most wonderful irony that the world has elected to celebrate this iconic anniversary with – you guessed it – another epic global panic attack.

Often, all you need to be an excellent investor is a healthy dose of common sense: A penny saved is a penny earned. Buy low, sell high. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. That said, the best way to achieve these simple goals isn’t always as obvious. In fact, many of our favorite investment insights may at first seem counterintuitive. Today, we cover a trio of weird, but wonderful “upside-down” investment ideas.

The term “novel coronavirus” is so new, some people have apparently wondered whether it is related to Corona beer. (It is not; it’s named after its crown-shaped particles.) And yet, how quickly it has grabbed global headlines. As the viral news has spread, so too has financial uncertainty. What’s going to happen next? Will it infect our economy? So far, U.S. markets have remained relatively immune. But should you try to dodge markets that have been exposed?

You’re probably already familiar with the three most important factors in real estate: location, location, and location. Asset location is a similarly important, if less familiar best practice for keeping as much of your wealth as possible – after taxes have taken their toll.

Rather than trying to react to market mood swings by switching up your investments, here are 16 actions you can take instead. Each is within your control, and any of them can add real value to your financial well-being.

New legislation has passed. Discover what has changed and how it could make a major impact on your retirement savings.

What a year it’s been. Remember December 2018? As The New York Times reported at the time, “Stocks plunged in December [2018], posting their worst monthly loss since the financial crisis and the worst December since 1931 and the Great Depression.”