Plans

Knoxville News Sentinel: Plans Sometimes Do Go Awry

“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley (oft go astray),” quoted from a Robert Burns poem, is often used to describe the futility of making detailed plans when our ability to execute said plans is uncertain. Market volatility can certainly trigger behavioral responses that are detrimental to our financial plans. Sometimes…

Alternative Investments

Hedging What? A Guide to Alternative Investments

What is a “hedge fund?” Well, simply put, a hedge fund is an investment company that invests in alternative investments (debt, derivatives, options, commodities, etc.) to either beat the market or provide a hedge against unforeseen market changes. Generally, hedge funds are considered to be opportunities for the “smart money” and to sophisticated investors, such…

Investing

Invest Like a Girl

While recently participating in a professional education conference, I attended a session on the subject of women and investing. Going into it, I expected a discussion around communication styles or financial planning needs that might be unique concerning female clients. However, I quickly realized that the speaker’s topic was actually around the research showing that…

SRI

Socially Responsible Investing

Sustainable, responsible, and impact investing (SRI), which is a discipline that avoids or favors certain investments for moral or ethical reasons, has become big business, with an increasingly wide range of options for investors. SRI consists of three main parts: screened investing, shareholder advocacy, and community investing. In the 1970’s, a new era was emerging…

Human Capital

Investing in Human Capital

It’s always a “smart” investment strategy… When trying to establish an individual’s net worth, most people think first and foremost about financial capital—how much someone’s house is worth or how much money he or she has in the bank. There is, however, a second component to personal and professional value that’s a little more difficult…