Recently, there have been record outflows from equity funds and record inflows into bond funds. This is likely due to the negative sentiment around the current market environment. As we continue to enjoy the longest bull market in history, many investors feel that it can’t last and are removing money from the

With over a month of school behind us, grades are starting to come in for Yakel kids—for the most part, it’s all good news.  Everyone’s doing ok for first quarter—except Melanie…she’s working on pulling up her C in PE!!   Apparently, the new PE teacher at school is a little more strict this year…no

As investment managers, we are constantly trying to walk the line between risk and return. And, more importantly, we are trying to find the right mix for our clients’ particular situation. Typically, the more risk you take, the more return you can expect over time. It’s a fairly simple concept, but it can be

A few weeks ago, my low tire pressure light came on as I was driving the kids to school.  I stopped quickly, topped off all the tires, and kept on heading to school.  After I dropped the kids off, the light came on again, and I knew I had a leak.  What I didn’t realize […]

Sorry for the delayed blog post (we usually post on Tuesdays), but we’ve been at the Wealth/Stack conference in Arizona and have been totally occupied.  Wealth/Stack has been a great conference to hear where the future of financial advice and investment management is heading.  In two very compressed and full days,

Lately, some of our clients have been asking us why their account is not performing as well as the S&P 500 so far this year. It’s certainly a valid question, but it misses the point of what it means to stay diversified. Certainly, investing SOME of your money in a low-cost index fund is a […]

Unlike Nathan’s children that had to start school this week, our kids don’t go back until after Labor Day. –The Gilbert kids not at the beach So, to squeeze the last bit of summer fun in, we are spending some of our last few days of freedom at the beach. –The Yakel kids at the […]

If you follow the financial headlines even a little bit, it would be hard to miss all of the recent attention focused on the yield curve. Why? Mainly because an inversion in parts of the yield curve have been predictors of the last 5 recessions.   What is the yield curve anyway? The yield curve […]

It’s tough to fight against an innate instinct.  Nature is filled with examples of instincts at work—animals have extremely strong predator or prey behaviors, as anyone who has ever been dragged by their dog chasing a squirrel can attest… …or attempted to shield the family guinea pigs (prey animals) from the