How much Bitcoin should I have in my portfolio: IGGA Podcast

How much Bitcoin should I have in my portfolio: IGGA Podcast

Based on numerous client and associate discussions I have been having I know what is on many people’s minds: Bitcoin. Today we are going to take a look at Bitcoin and how the smart investor should be viewing this relatively new phenomenon of cryptocurrencies. I hope you enjoy our take on Bitcoin and what it can mean for the informed investor. What We’re Reading An Experts Guide to Calling a Market Top: This is by Barry Ritholtz and is a fantastic article. We found ourselves not only nodding our heads as we read it but laughing as well. This is a great piece that is a must read for anyone. The $12-million iPhone: In light of the new iPhone X launch, this article seems very appropriate. This is by Bret Swanson. After reading this article you will see just how blessed we all are to live in the times that
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September 14, 2017
Categories: Markets and Strategy.
Conventional Wisdom About Retirement Age Allocations Is Likely Costing You

Conventional Wisdom About Retirement Age Allocations Is Likely Costing You

I absolutely LOVE this week’s podcast topic. Why? Because it is one of those areas where I am highly confident that with just a few simple adjustments and without much heartache I can help many, perhaps even most, people save a lot of money. And that is my job. Today, we’re talking about age based allocation formulas that are preached by the financial masses. When you’re 60, it’s 60 percent bonds/cash and 40 percent equities, right? Today you’re going to hear me talk about just how wrong this can be. And it can be BIG wrong depending on the situation. Click below to listen and enjoy.
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September 7, 2017
Categories: Personal Finance and Strategy.
Portfolio’s That Maximize The Probability of High Performance

Portfolio’s That Maximize The Probability of High Performance

This week we’re preparing for our upcoming September Options Webcast. Here at Iron Gate we consistently preach the value of a thoughtfully devised and executed options strategy to accompany your core portfolio efforts. Options can be the key to the difference between mediocrity and over-performance for many portfolios primarily because of their ability to generate income when income is often scarce, and secondarily because they can provide a valuable hedge to your core portfolio holdings when managed properly. If you aren’t using options, you should be. If you are, this upcoming webcast will provide an excellent opportunity to refine your options process and improve your approach to options. Plus the question and answer portion of the webcast will valuable for anyone wanting to dive deeper. Register For the September 21st Iron Gate Options Webcast And here is a valuable refresher, or tip of the iceberg if you will, on what
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August 31, 2017
Categories: Income Genius and Strategy.
The Sleep Easy Plan: Podcast

The Sleep Easy Plan: Podcast

In my time as a financial advisor and portfolio manager I have seen many people come to the sudden realization that they haven’t prepared fully for their retirement. It’s not just that they didn’t invest properly, sometimes they did have a good investment strategy. It’s more than that. Often it has to do with having not mapped out their financial future. How much will they need? How much are they likely to have? What type of lifestyle are they expecting? What are the implications of their current financial status projected into the future? Suddenly they call me in a panic having not slept the past several days. They’ve felt “the jolt” from their lack of planning. Today we talk about that “jolt”, how to prevent it, and what to do if, or often when, you face it. I hope you enjoy and take the lesson to heart.
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August 24, 2017
Categories: Personal Finance.
Do You Have Home Country Bias and Other Behaviorally Driven Investor Topics

Do You Have Home Country Bias and Other Behaviorally Driven Investor Topics

In this week’s podcast I’m basing my thoughts on the string of client questions I have been receiving over the last couple of weeks. You may have heard me say before, as a financial advisor I consider myself a behavioral advisor as much as a markets advisor. Investors are antsy and they’re asking questions like: “The market is at an all-time high is it the time to sell?” “This political environment is making me antsy, how do I trade it?” I address these topics head on. What does history and what does probability tell us about them? The answers formulate our response. Finally, I also address a critical behavioral weakness of many investors: home country bias. You like many others may have this. It can hamper your portfolio’s performance. So click below to listen as we discuss these very important topics and see how you would grade yourself against our recommended
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August 18, 2017
Categories: Markets, Personal Finance, and Strategy.
This Client Asked Two Common Questions: Here’s Our Answer

This Client Asked Two Common Questions: Here’s Our Answer

A client recently asked me two questions: 1) What is the market going to do over the course of the next year? 2) What is the secret sauce that has led to our success in the markets? What I did was walk him through why those aren’t the right questions to ask an adviser. I walked him through what I believe any client or potential client should ask their investment adviser. The reasoning for my answer is deeply connected with why I believe a large number of investors, either on their own or with an adviser, don’t achieve the success they should be able to. Today’s podcast is a simple review of that conversation. I hope you enjoy. What We’re Reading The first rule of Investing is . . . This is a fantastic, quick read that we agree with wholeheartedly. The key to any “rules” is to implement them.
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August 9, 2017
Categories: Markets, Personal Finance, and Strategy.
How To Think About This Market And The Non-existent Volatility We Are Experiencing: Podcast

How To Think About This Market And The Non-existent Volatility We Are Experiencing: Podcast

For almost the entire year this has been a smooth sailing market. What does this mean for investors? This week in our podcast we take a dive into the data around this Bull market, how it compares to other low-volatility markets of the past, and what you should be thinking about when it comes to your portfolio. Click below to listen and enjoy.   What We’re Reading Malcom Gladwell: There are no shortcuts to success – here’s what will up your chances. We agree 100% with this! It’s what we do every day for our clients to help them build and manage their wealth. It’s what we’re trying to teach our children daily, and it’s the one thing that you can’t succeed in life without. Investors, Stop Worrying About Why ‘Nobody’ Is Worrying. Jason Zweig’s article falls right in line with our podcast for the week. We have no idea
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August 2, 2017
Categories: Markets and Strategy.
How Your Peers Are Managing Their Money – Survey Results

How Your Peers Are Managing Their Money – Survey Results

Four weeks ago we had our newsletter subscribers participate in a survey and promised to share the results along with our thoughts on what they mean. Well the results are in and there are some interesting insights into what it means for you and your peers as you manage your money. We recognize that the data is not a perfect representation of investors as a whole.  Our subscribers are definitely a wealthier, more educated and more sophisticated slice of the population. Those subscribers who chose to participate may slant one way or another compared to those who chose not to. And finally, to keep it short and anonymous we didn’t get much of the detail that would have given even more insight into investor behavior. That said, below are the survey results and some of our thoughts on what they may mean for you as you consider your investments and
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July 20, 2017
Categories: Markets and Personal Finance.
Volatility Is The Price You Pay For The Returns On An Investment: The IGGA Podcast

Volatility Is The Price You Pay For The Returns On An Investment: The IGGA Podcast

If you are one of the many investors, who, like one of my client’s, has a misplaced notion of risk, you’ll get a lot out of today’s podcast. Also, you will probably want to talk with us about assessing how risk and returns play into your portfolio decisions. I can’t tell you the number of truly bright, hard working individuals that have deeply limited their portfolio’s value because they misunderstood risk. I hope you enjoy the podcast, and encourage you to give me a call to discuss how you should be looking at risk and investments for your time frame. Listen below.
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July 14, 2017
Categories: Personal Finance and Strategy.
Investing to Beat a Benchmark: FREE Access to the Online Investors Conference Presentation

Investing to Beat a Benchmark: FREE Access to the Online Investors Conference Presentation

As you may have seen in the last few weeks in our newsletter, I was recently invited to be a presenter at the Online Investor Conference. My topic was “Investing to Beat a Benchmark.” But it really was a fairly good overview of our end-to-end value investing approach at Iron Gate. A look into what has made our past sixteen years of performance stand out. We are now making it available to IGGA newsletter subscribers to view at your leisure free. It will be beneficial for both the investor who has a financial advisor and the investor who manages their money for themselves. If you follow the video through, it will be a good way to assess whether you are investing with an eye towards value – i.e. the Buffett approach. So click below and enjoy a look at our perspective on Investing to Beat a Benchmark. Disclosures: All investments
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June 28, 2017
Categories: Events, Markets, and Strategy.