Pretty much everyone has experienced the agony of having their TV watching interrupted by the ubiquitous pharmaceutical advertisement. In fact, they have become so commonplace that an assortment of entertaining spoofs have been created, like this one. As the video above highlights, one of the memorable aspects for many of these medications is the absurdly…

Imagine your client losing 20% of the value of their investment, yet receiving a capital gain distribution that’s also a double-digit percentage. Impossible you say? Well, for some mutual fund investors that is exactly the scenario they face as we approach the U.S. tax filing deadline. What lessons can we glean from 2022 and the…

“When I see memos from Howard Marks in my mail, they’re the first thing I open and read.” Warren Buffett Few (if any) money managers are better than Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital, in our opinion. I mean, can you get a bigger endorsement than Warren Buffett’s quote above? If you are not familiar with…

In a blog last week, I discussed how the virtually uninterrupted bull market in equities during the last 10+ years has watered down the idea of “downside protection.” This is a problem, especially since not all declines are created equal. It has become apparent to the team at Blueprint Investment Partners that a more nuanced…

Vanilla is a fascinating ingredient. It is one of the most popular flavors worldwide and is incredibly common in baked goods. The process of creating vanilla flavoring is time-consuming and labor-intensive, which is why in its purest form it is also one of the most expensive spices in the world. Vanilla’s widespread use and high…

While a series of profitable years is wonderful, we all know the ride comes to an end at some point. When that happens, financial advisors seeking to manage or reduce clients’ risk level can be held hostage to the gains that have built up in taxable accounts. As advisors add new clients/accounts and plan for…

As parents (myself included) apprehensively sent their kids back into the classroom for another pandemic-influenced school year, it put me in the mood to chip away at my own reading list, a collection of research papers that had accumulated in the “to read” folder on my desktop. Now, before you condemn me to the nerd-set,…

I love the beach, but I am not a huge fan of the ocean. Maybe I’m alone here, but after watching “Jaws,” National Geographic programming, Shark Week on Discovery, and “Sharknado” 1-6, I just cannot shake that uneasy feeling when I’m venturing into the surf. Even when I’ve had the privilege of swimming or snorkeling…