Asset Allocation

An investor friend of mine, Howard Lindzon, keeps a list of...14 stocks which he has identified as having strong staying power over the next couple decades, based on the fact that nearly everyone ages 8 to 80 has heard of and/or uses these products consistently. He calls it the "8 to 80 Watch List".

Do you really need portfolio diversification?...Everyone assumes that broad asset class portfolio diversification is advantageous...[as it] reduces the risk associated with events that can trigger a decline in any one asset class...[and makes] financial planning more reliable and predictable by reducing the variations in portfolio performance from year to year. Simply put, portfolio diversification is a sound investment practice but, [that said,] exactly how much risk reduction, in actual numbers, is obtained through application of this philosophy? [Bottom line, is] asset class diversification all that it’s cracked up to be? This article...addresses...the benefits of diversification among various classes.

Gold mining stocks are hanging by a thread and stochastics indicate further to go to the downside before they turn around, but I think they are buyable here.

Overall, the market was due for a pullback. It seemed like every trading day in January, the market was only rising so it is only natural that, eventually, the market was going to fall but it’s just that many didn’t think this type of volatility was going to happen so soon. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Imagine that five years ago you invested $10,000 in the S&P 500. How much would it be worth today, with dividends reinvested but adjusted for inflation?

Today's infographic dives deep into dividends - what they are, how they work, their interesting history, as well as what they can offer investors over time.

History tells us we should expect higher stock prices in the next quarter, mid-year, and by the end of 2018. The trillion-dollar question is, “When will this all end?”

They say records are made to be broken and, so far, the US economy and stock market are on track to do just that.

There is an extreme amount of leverage in the markets and, while this leverage may increase for a while, at some point the insanity will end in one heck of a market correction-crash.

Sentiment surveys clearly show how bears have given up, and neutrals have capitulated and this particular trend may have room to run further.