Investments

ESG investing is gaining traction, and it’s no wonder. Research increasingly shows that this investing method can reduce portfolio risk, generate competitive investment returns, and help investors feel good about the stocks that they own. But first, what is it? In short, ESG investing is the consideration of Environmental, Social and Governance factors alongside financial factors…

With US stocks outperforming non-US stocks in recent years, some investors have again turned their attention towards the role that global diversification plays in their portfolios. While non-US equities have recently delivered disappointing results, it is important to remember that investing globally provides valuable diversification benefits. Have a look at the chart below. We see…

I’ll be the first to tell you that cryptocurrencies are exciting. While it is exciting to see its sharp rise in popularity, it is important to understand whether it has a role in a diversified portfolio. Putting aside squabbles over the future value of bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, here are a few issues you should…

Investors often think of gold as a hedge against inflation. As Exhibit 1 shows, however, gold has been about 15 times more volatile than inflation. Over the period from January 1970 – December 2019, the annualized compound return for gold was 7.81% with a volatility of 19.24%. For comparison, the annual inflation rate has been 3.91% with…

In any given year, it’s nearly impossible to predict what the market will do (case in point: 2020). Furthermore, it’s incredibly difficult for an individual to put together a portfolio that generates market-beating returns for a given year, much less consistently over time. According to new data from S&P Dow Jones Indices, 60.3% of large-cap equity fund…