“Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants” – Kevin James Third Quarter Market Recap Many of the main themes that have affected global asset markets in 2019 – including U.S.-China trade tensions, political uncertainty due to the Brexit negotiations, and slowing economic activity – continued in the third quarter, resulting in somewhat… Read More
The Smof Investment Blog
“Unemployment is an integral part of the normal capitalist system” – Michael Kalecki U.S. Unemployment falls to 50-Year Low, Easing U.S. Recession Worries Market volatility on the heels of impeachment proceedings news pushed markets lower for the week. However, investors were buoyed by the U.S. unemployment report, which showed unemployment fell to a 50-Year low,… Read More
“The genius of impeachment lay in the fact that it could punish the (wo)man without punishing the office” – Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. How Have Markets Reacted to Previous Impeachment Processes? With news this week that the U.S. House of Representatives will open impeachment investigations on President Trump, you may be wondering how, if at… Read More
“All I ask is the chance to prove that money can’t make me happy” – Spike Milligan The Importance of Budgeting Regularly updating your budget is always advisable. Your budget is your financial checkup – helping you determine if your monthly cashflow is positive or negative – and accurately detailing your expenditures can help… Read More
One of the most frequent questions asked by clients is the difference between net invested, book value, and market value. A lot can be said of all three, but the simple explanation is as follows: Net invested: The amount you contributed (minus any money redeemed) Book Value: The amount you contributed plus distributions received Market… Read More
The past decade has seen a lot of positive evolution for Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). 10 years ago, only a few investment firms offered SRI options, and these funds were usually viewed as niche offerings with higher management fees and lower returns. This is certainly not the case today. In the past three years, Royal… Read More