Chart of the Week
MAY 20
Get More For Less (Risk)
Topics: Alternatives, Investing for Income
Adding alternative investments to a portfolio has historically increased its performance while decreasing its volatility.
MAY 13
States Saving for a Rainy Day
Chart of the Week | Topics: Fixed Income
Balances in state rainy day funds have increased 50% since reaching a low in fiscal year 2010.
MAY 6
More Taxes = More Money with Munis
Chart of the Week | Topics: Fixed Income, Investing for Income
With investors starved for yield, and hit with higher tax rates, municipal bonds offer muni-to-Treasury yield ratios in excess of 100%, a rare circumstance.
APR 29
Looking Far and Wide for Income
Chart of the Week | Topics: Fixed Income, Retirement, Investing for Income, Equities
With many asset classes at their lowest yields, amid increasing volatility the income challenge for investors and retirees is enormous. However, the range of asset classes that can help generate attractive yields may be broader than most realize.
APR 22
A Mammoth of a Retirement Issue
Chart of the Week | Topics: Fixed Income, Retirement
Even though equity and bond markets have rallied, average state funding ratios have continued to languish.
APR 15
Chasing Negative Performance
Chart of the Week | Topics: Investing for Income, Equities
In an ideal world, investors "buy low, sell high." Though the rule seems simple, we've often seen investors do the exact opposite, especially during volatile times.
APR 8
Breaking the (Piggy) Bank
Chart of the Week | Topics: Fixed Income, Investing for Income
The strong inverse relationship between wealth and savings explains the historical erosion in the savings rate.
APR 1
Women and the Workplace
Chart of the Week | Topics: Retirement
There has been a dramatic rise in the number of women working up to the "traditional" retirement age of 65, nearly reaching parity with men by 2010. However, the story is more complicated than that.
MAR 25
Examining Energy Markets
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook
While developed markets have recently leveled off in their consumption of oil, emerging markets are just beginning to tap the energy markets.
MAR 18
Emerging Markets and China
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook
Why investors may want to consider emerging markets, and China in particular.
MAR 11
Re-examining Rates
Chart of the Week | Topics: Fixed Income
Data shows investors continuing to invest in fixed income, but there is arguably very little intermediate or long-term value in government bonds anywhere in the world.
MAR 4
Looking for (Mega) Opportunity
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook, Equities, Investing for Income
Mega caps in the United States outperformed other styles in 2012, yet still appear cheap by most metrics as indicated in this week's chart.
FEB 25
If Interest Rates Rise...
Chart of the Week | Topics: Fixed Income, Economic Outlook
With interest rates near historic lows, new risks for traditional core fixed income investors are rising.
FEB 19
Watch Your Withdrawals
Chart of the Week | Topics: Retirement
Lifespans are lengthening, and you may need to plan for a retirement that is 15, or even 30, years longer than expected. Are you prepared?
FEB 11
Long Live the Euro
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, backed by Germany, changed the game by pledging to do whatever was necessary to save the euro, in part by buying short-term bonds of peripheral countries such as Spain and Italy.
FEB 4
Looking Ahead
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook
The agreements made in Washington thus far have been better than nothing, but their limited scope and the need for additional negotiations will likely translate into a drag on the US economy and increased volatility for financial markets.
JAN 28
The Old Rules Are Out
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook, Fixed Income
The relationship between economic fundamentals and interest rates has broken down during the latest iteration of Fed monetary policy.
JAN 22
Risk Replay?
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook
Although 2012 was a year in which major catastrophes were avoided, it remained a year of "risk-on/risk-off" trading as investors continuously reacted to developments in Europe early in the year and political trends in the US as the year drew to a close.
JAN 14
Buckle Up: Speed Bumps Ahead
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook
The economy should get a boost from a strengthening housing market and a robust US energy sector. We forecast a growth rate in the United States of around 2% for 2013.
JAN 7
The Proof is in the Performance
Chart of the Week | Topics: Investing for Income, Equities
While dividend payers may lag the broader markets for short bursts, we've seen them outperform over the long term-across bull and bear markets-as the market acknowledges companies' underlying fundamentals.
DEC 31
Craving Performance? Look at What's Emerging
Chart of the Week | Topics: Alternatives, Equities, Investing for Income
With investors starved for returns, emerging markets offer tremendous opportunities. Emerging markets' GDP and wealth accumulation have great long term growth potential based on growing exports and commodity production.
DEC 24
Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook, Fixed Income
While we continue to believe (or hope) a compromise deal between Republicans and Democrats on the fiscal cliff issues is the most likely outcome by the end of the year, the probability has dropped and the scope has narrowed.
DEC 17
Going for Growth
Chart of the Week | Topics: Equities, Investing for Income
In a world of low growth and even lower interest rates, dividend-paying stocks possess two distinct attributes that make them very compelling investments.
DEC 10
Putting Taxes in (Global) Perspective
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook
US tax revenues are comparatively low, ranking at the bottom of developed economies at around a quarter of GDP. Does this mean policymakers will raise tax rates?
DEC 3
Volatility Propels Emotional Investing
Chart of the Week | Topics: Investing for Income
Amidst difficult financial times, emotional instincts often drive investors to take actions that make no rational sense but make perfect emotional sense. As a result, the average investor underperformed most asset classes over the past 20 years.
NOV 26
Surprising Dichotomy of Political Uncertainty and Market Volatility
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook
In this period of intense differences over the future path of policy, anxiety and uncertainty have been the most reliable descriptors of sentiment. Strangely, volatility has been very low while this policy uncertainty has been very high.
NOV 19
Letting Emotions Dictate Your Portfolio
Chart of the Week | Topics: Investing for Income
Be careful that emotions aren’t the driver of buying and selling, as they may not be the best signaler for the "right" time to do so. Oftentimes, our emotional instincts will tell us to do the exact opposite of what we should do.
NOV 12
Emerging With Investment Rewards
Chart of the Week | Topics: Alternatives, Equities
Investors in emerging markets("EM") have been rewarded more than investors in developed markets over the past decade. We believe this will continue to be the case.
NOV 5
Focusing the Election Debate on Dividend Income
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook, Equities
With the current 15% dividend tax rate set to expire at year-end, the concern among many investors is that higher dividend tax rates would significantly hurt a favored sector, dividend-paying equities.
OCT 29
Election Time Rumblings Re: Munis
Chart of the Week | Topics: Fixed Income, Economic Outlook
Municipal bonds, another subject of election debate, continue to outyield US Treasuries of equivalent maturity. The market is priced for 0% tax rates – in other words, not pricing the muni tax exemption.
OCT 22
Reshaping Retirement Expectations
Chart of the Week | Topics: Retirement
Many investors are grappling with the challenges of planning for their futures. With the realization that a typical 65-year-old couple has a 50% chance of living to age 94, confidence in achieving a financially secure retirement has declined.
OCT 15
Financial Repression Not Holding Back MBS Prices
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook, Fixed Income
The Fed's action has been remarkably successful at inflating financial asset prices in at least one asset class: mortgage-backed securities (MBS).
OCT 8
Since When Did It Become Buy High, Sell Low?
Chart of the Week | Topics: Investing for Income
Most investors are buying high and selling low--the opposite of the ideal "rule" of investing.
OCT 1
Mapping Weakness and Strength
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook
Find out which housing areas we believe are vulnerable to fiscal distress, as well as those areas representing greatest opportunity.
SEP 17
States: Help or Hindrance
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook
The fiscal plight of local governments has been well publicized in the wake of the Great Recession. That said, several states have been proactive in aiding their locals in times of stress.
SEP 10
Charting Unsustainability Based on Uncertainty
Chart of the Week | Topics: Economic Outlook
Long-run challenges, left unaddressed, create uncertainty and result in unsustainable debt levels.
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