Posts by Scott Voigt, CFA, CFP®, CPA
20 Second Advisor: The cost of trying to time the market
On Thursday November 10, stocks mounted their biggest one-day rally since 2020. The S&P jumped 5.54% in a single day! The Nasdaq surged 7.35%! The impact of being out of the market for a short time can be profound, as shown by this hypothetical investment in the stocks that make up the Russell 3000 Index,…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Lessons learned from training for a race
Over the past few months, I have been training to run across the Grand Canyon and back. Many know this trail run as Rim to Rim to Rim. Over the summer, I mapped out a training plan consisting of maintenance runs, long runs, hill repeats, and everything in between. As some of you may know,…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Don’t forget about investing globally
The US stock market is the biggest in the world, but investors who ignore other globalmarkets may miss out on a wealth of opportunity. Roughly 18,500 companies trade outside the US; this represents nearly 40% ofthe world’s $88 trillion equity market. When determining where to invest, a country’s size, population, or gross domestic productmay not…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Do what is best for you and your family
I recently had lunch with a friend that I met in my running group. For our purposes, his name is John. He asked me to lunch because he had some questions about financial planning. To give a quick overview, his grandmother had a sizeable estate and her investments were with a large family office. She…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Rewind to 1997
This is an excerpt from an article written by David Booth, founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors. So well said! Imagine it’s 25 years ago, 1997: J.K. Rowling just published the first Harry Potter book. General Motors is releasing the EV1, an electric car with a range of 60 miles. The internet is in its infancy,…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Inflation could mean bigger SS benefits
If inflation remains hot, retirees may get a bigger bump to their Social Security benefits than previously estimated. Last week, the annual report from the trustees of the Social Security and Medicare programs projected a 3.8% increase in the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for beneficiaries’ monthly checks next year. But since the report data was gathered in mid-February,…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Get the most bang for your buck travelling overseas
The strong American dollar is the upside of a volatile economy. For U.S. travelers headed abroad, that may help make up for the rising cost of travel. For example, the exchange rate with the euro is about $1.04, meaning each 100 euros will cost about $104. One euro was worth about $1.22 this time last year. The…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Where there is a beginning, there is always an end
When it comes to bear markets, investors can take comfort from history, which suggests that where there’s a beginning, there’s always an end. We don’t know exactly when the bear market will end, but history says we have a few months left to endure after the S&P 500 tumbled into bear market territory last week. And…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Summer travel tips
Summer is in full swing. Are you thinking of taking a summer trip? Here are some travel tips to help you navigate the soaring gas prices, airfare, and hotel fares. Consider going to Europe; the dollar is strong relative to the Euro One place to search for the best room rates is Hotels.com’s new Hot Price…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Should I stay in bonds?
You may be asking: Why have my fixed income funds lost money? The short answer: The Effective Federal Funds rate has increased year to date; buyers and sellers have incorporated that information, as well as their expectations about future changes in interest rates, into prices. Just remember that when the yield of a bond increases,…
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