Last month I wrote a blog post entitled “The best plan you can stick with.” The purpose was to highlight the fact that, an investment strategy that makes all the sense in the world on paper may not be a good strategy if you can’t stick to it when faced with the emotion that comes with the experience of real... Read More
The market downturn this past month reminded me of this podcast that I recently listened to while driving home and the question that followed. During the podcast, Cliff Asness, a well-known hedge fund manager and founder of AQR Capital Management, discussed investment strategies that are based on the historical data and in theory, are very appealing. He joked however, that... Read More
In Portland, the seasons have changed. Local breweries boasting seasonal beers are now offering dark porters in place of pumpkin ales. Ugly Halloween costumes have been replaced by ugly sweaters. And while the season typically associated with Harvest is behind us, there is another type of harvesting season that should be in full swing - Tax Loss Harvesting (TLH). What... 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
Do you have enough to retire? Answering this question confidently is one of the biggest decisions of your life. And today’s retirement landscape is so complex that making this decision effectively requires individuals take a measured and planned approach to their retirement. But many at Intel (and elsewhere) do not feel prepared – and that’s not surprising considering the number... Read More
Almost every client has asked some version of this question and addressing it is an important part of what we do as financial advisors. To do that, we need a model, which we call your Baseline Financial Plan. Like any model, it’s only as reliable as the inputs. “Garbage in, garbage out” as the saying goes. Our model (your baseline... Read More
Last weekend the Wall Street Journal had a short article titled Beware of Winging Your Retirement that emphasized giving thought to the non-financial aspects of retirement before reaching this major milestone. The upside to those who envisioned and planned for their future? Greater life satisfaction. From the article: But in talking with and hearing from hundreds of retirees through the... Read More
As any engineer can tell you, sensitivity and stress testing are important tools in determining how a system can fail and therefore, determining the safe usage for that system. When it comes to your financial life, it should be no different. Stress testing your financial plan is an important exercise in determining the health of your wealth. While this a... Read More
