Golf is a stupid game. Yet I love it. The late Robin Williams sums it up here in this expletive ridden comedy sketch. My scorecard typically consists of the occasional birdie, a handful of pars, mostly bogeys and a hole or two that never make the scorecard. Needless to say, I'm pretty average. Never one to lose sight of my day... Read More
A couple weeks ago, I vacationed with my wife and two kids in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was truly a great vacation, and one where upon returning I felt like I had been gone much longer than a week. But one experience in particular stuck with me as it so poignantly differentiated preparation for an experience from the actual... Read More
“The drama's done. Why then here does any one step forth? — Because one did survive the wreck.” –The narrator, Ishmael, in Herman Mellville’s Moby Dick. If you weren’t concerned about cyber security at the beginning of 2017, my guess is that changed in the time before the New Year. Tracking events like the Equifax hack, understanding their effect, and... Read More
One of our firm's core values is continuous improvement—i.e., getting better every day. This post highlights the massive change that can result from a daily focus on improving and celebrates two members of the Cordant team living out this value and who have accomplished significant things this year. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 2010, David Brailsford was hired to do something never before... Read More
One of the great advantages of being a long-term investor is the luxury of checking out of the daily financial news cycle. Diversification and a long time horizon silences much of the noise. But, whether or not an individual can actually ignore the news cycle and short-term market changes and not react to them is another story. When the news... Read More
“Change is the only constant in life.” There can be many different applications of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus’ words of wisdom, but one that is especially relevant to this blog post is planning for retirement. For soon-to-be retirees, understanding how to adjust to life after work can be stressful and overwhelming. And as the Baby Boomer generation continues their mass... Read More
Though I’m not qualified to give life advice, one thing I’ve learned through the years is that life is all about tradeoffs. For many decisions, the tradeoffs are obvious. Do I join friends for a beer or go for a run along the river? Admittedly, I don’t always make the most prudent decision on this one, but I do understand... Read More
On numerous occasions, the need to put pre-Medicare healthcare costs in context arises with this conversation: Me: “When would you like to retire?” Client: “Well, I’d like to retire soon but know that I can’t. I have to work until at least age 65 so that I have health insurance…” The client in the above dialogue might be right; he... Read More
by Scott Gerlach, CFP I’m clueless when it comes to cars. I take the bus to work, MAX to the airport and pretty much avoid driving at all costs (thanks Uber!). And despite my best efforts, my life is still dependent on them. You can imagine my anxiety when it comes to dealing with mechanics. They might as well be... Read More
"Money is like soap, the more you handle it, the less you will have." – Gene Fama The typical owner of an individual bond couldn’t care less about the current price of that bond. When asked “why not?” they’ll say it’s because they plan on holding it to maturity. This is a technically wrong but a behaviorally useful way of... Read More
