Are you an active or passive investor? This question gained prevalence in the last decade among investors and frequently invokes furious debate among financial professionals. The S&P Indices Versus Active (SPIVA) Scorecard serves as a de facto measure of who’s...
My exploration of complex adaptive systems started with Per Bak’s infamous sandpile experiment, which captures all the essential characteristics of a complex adaptive system. With the sandpile example, we saw that you couldn’t only consider the individual grains of...
The idea of complex adaptive systems might sound overwhelming, but an experiment conducted by physicist Per Bak makes the concept easier to understand. If you drop one grain of sand at a time onto an empty table, a small, cone-shaped pile begins to form. As the pile...
At some point, most investors face the same dilemma: should you manage your money yourself or hire a professional to help you? As a financial planner, I am biased towards suggesting that investors seek out help. That being said, let me share a quick story to give more...
As the stock market continues to reach new highs, it’s tempting to think about the possibility of buying and selling at just the right moment. Here’s a dirty little secret that most of the investment industry doesn’t want you to know: Time is more important than...
Financial advisors are quick to encourage individuals transitioning into new jobs or who are near retirement to roll their 401(k) account into an IRA. But is a rollover always your best option? While it’s a popular move, that doesn’t mean it automatically makes sense...
