Investor Jim O’Shaughnessy said that “human nature is the last sustainable edge” due to its remarkable consistency over thousands of years. We may no longer be trading tulips in Amsterdam or speculating on the ticker tapes in bucket shops, but from a behavioral and emotional standpoint, we do not act differently than our forefathers.
Admiral James Stockdale was the highest-ranking American taken prisoner during the Vietnam War after his A-4 Skyhawk fighter was shot down over North Vietnam. Stockdale ejected, breaking a bone in his back. Upon landing in a remote village, he badly dislocated his knee, which subsequently went untreated. Shortly thereafter, he was captured by North Vietnamese forces.
With another volatile week nearly behind us, I think it’s worth revisiting some words I penned at the beginning of this year about my time in the US Army’s Ranger School.
If you are using a debit card, you’re spending money and not getting anything back in return. It’s like paying with a check. When you use a credit card though, every time you pay for shopping online, eating at a restaurant, groceries, or other day-to-day expenses, you’re likely earning valuable points and miles that can be used in a variety of ways!
When GDP growth slows and extreme volatility plagues the market, we are often confronted with a familiar question…are we headed for a recession or are we already in one? The usual definition of a recession may make it seem clear-cut: two consecutive quarters of contracting GDP. However, to the “recession referees” of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Business Cycle Dating Committee, the real definition is a little more nuanced.
In 2009, Jon Stewart interviewed Jim Cramer, the famous CNBC financial news commentator (first portion of the interview is here). When Stewart pressed him on his contradictory and often erratic antics Cramer said, “Look, we’ve got 17 hours of live TV a day to do.” Just think about that for a moment. 17 hours of live TV to fill! In between gold and crypto commercials, they have a 17-hour void to fill that bridges the gap between news, entertainment, and some actual financial analysis.
How will I behave in combat? This a question I asked myself countless times before my first deployment to Afghanistan. As a young officer who performed well in training, I thought I had the foundation to do well, but there really isn’t a substitute for the real thing. Some things must be experienced before they are truly understood. A tough training scenario can recreate the sounds and chaos of combat, but it can’t recreate the emotions. No matter how stressful the training event, it’s still just that, a training event. There may be notional casualties, but actual Americans aren’t bleeding
Market Insight: Focus on the Foundation Dylan Potter, CFP®, Vice President, Wealth Manager There are all kinds of combat tactics. Every segment of war, whether it’s on land, sea, or air, has tactics and techniques that are specific to that venue. However, at the point of execution – that moment when you engage with the enemy – the best tactics in the world will not make you successful if you haven’t put in the weeks, months, and years of training it takes to prepare for that unforgiving minute. You need the foundation.In training, it was our goal to push ourselves so
We’ve received a number of questions about our thoughts on cryptocurrencies and ways in which to gain exposure to the ecosystem. The eyepopping returns and incredible volatility capture the headlines on a daily basis, so in today’s StreetSmarts we’ll provide a brief overview of the space and offer some of our thoughts as well. Cryptocurrencies now represent a $3 trillion market!—so it’s becoming harder to ignore the space completely. First, its important to note that this is a new frontier. What I mean by that is this space is evolving, changing and growing on a daily basis. Some investors are
