From the Los Angeles Times: “Op-Ed: How could someone rich and famous like Prince die without a will? It’s not unusual. Just ask an estate lawyer” Jack B. Osborn, April 28, 2016

How could Prince die without a will?

He didn’t amass a $250-million estate just through exceptional musical talent. He was also a shrewd […]

Attention dog and cat owners: Petco is having a 30% off sale! If you happen to be in need of dog or cat food, or perhaps a new toy for your favorite pet friend, this might be a good time to consider checking out the Petco website. But before you do……

What does this notice have […]

Is it China? Is it Oil Prices? Or maybe the short list of U.S. Presidential candidates is scaring the markets?

Listening to financial and economic experts express bewilderment at world equity market weakness, which has dragged down the price quotation for many well known companies, I have, like them, been puzzling over the matter. With the […]

Over this past weekend, I shared a special report with clients, discussing with some detail their current holdings and explaining our approach during this time of equity (stock) market correction. Below is an edited version for use by the public:

The US is basically being pulled down by the rest of the globe, in particular the […]

The inflation adjusted Dow or similar “inflation adjusted” measures of performance remind us that earnings and returns on investment, in the end, are about what you can buy with your profits. As the cost of living rises inexorably, we all need to generate greater dollars to maintain and hopefully improve our wealth. We hear of “record” levels for stocks, from time to time but without adjusting for inflation this is as deceptive as comparing Elvis Presley’s 1956 earnings to those of Taylor Swift in 2014. So the chart below is one I like to check from time to time, as it tells us if markets are truly making progress for investors over longer time spans.
As I noted here last year and at our annual client event, this chart should get a true “technician” excited. Any asset class whose real level is able to exceed the level that has held it in check for some 13 years is usually sending a strong continuation signal.

I recommend this article to anyone thinking of buying individual property as an investment. We've used real estate investment trusts in our client portfolios for many years with good results. The nice thing about REITS is they allow the investor to exit rapidly rather than becoming entangled in the often lengthy process of negotiations with a limited number of buyers a problem that characterizes ownership of individual properties. Even better, the investor avoids the hassle of property management.

"Why Real Estate Should Be in Your Portfolio" Barron's | Jan Willem Vis Investors who have been inclined to dismiss listed real estate as an attractive asset class since the financial crisis should perhaps reconsider, as they could be missing out on the important roles that listed real estate can play in multi-asset portfolios. Not only can it operate as a proxy for direct real estate while generating diversified returns - with a stronger income component arising from high dividends - it can also provide some protection against rising interest rates, which may come as a surprise to some. Evidence shows that, over the long term, investment in listed real estate offers an exposure to direct real estate (including real estate physical property investments and unlisted funds) while addressing the well-known illiquidity problems associated with owning a portfolio of individual buildings. Read More