As is our custom, we conclude the year by reflecting on the 10 most-read investment and planning articles over the past 12 months. Later today, we will highlight the 10 most-read practice management articles.
In decreasing order, based on the number of unique readers, those are:
by Allan Roth, 10/21/24
Allan Roth takes a good-humored stroll through his 20 years of financial writing to recall where he got things just plain wrong in his columns.
2. U.S. Versus International Stock Performance
by Harry Mamaysky, 10/14/24
U.S. stocks have handily outperformed their global peers over the past few decades, as well as in the post-World War II period. Harry Mamaysky documents the scale of the outperformance and asks whether it can continue.
by Allan Roth, 8/29/24
Call it more of a guideline than a rule. Allan Roth explains how he uses this standard in his work as a financial planner and why it works.
4. Baby Boomers Better Get Out of the Stock Market Now
by Ron Surz, 7/29/24
Ron Surz sounds the alarm for baby boomers who may not understand that the next crash may not see markets bounce back as quickly as they have in recent years. A slow recovery could have major consequences for their retirements.
5. The Unsurprising Failure of the Largest Hedge Fund in the World
by Michael Edesess, 5/19/24
Bridgewater Associates and other hedge funds’ risk parity strategies resulted in generally abysmal performance. High fees are the main culprit.
6. Social Security’s Deterioration and Implications for Future Reform
by Ken Steiner, 2/26/24
Ken Steiner explains why Social Security is in trouble and what needs to happen in terms of reforms, as well as the implications that advisors must understand when planning for their clients.
7. Why Should You Care When Stocks Plunge?
by William Bernstein, 9/10/24
The safest way to ensure retirement security is to match, on a year-by-year basis, future spending needs with a reliable stream of inflation-adjusted income and maturing fixed-income assets. As we’ve already seen, a conventional stock/bond portfolio may not be enough.
8. Practical Considerations in Tax-Efficient Distribution Planning
by Wade Pfau, Joe Elasser and Steven Jarvis, 2/12/24
This article identifies 10 real-world considerations in tax-efficient distribution planning from the perspectives of an academic (Wade Pfau, PhD), a practitioner (Joe Elsasser, CFP), and a CPA (Steven Jarvis).
9. Managing Reinvestment Risk When the Yield Curve Is Inverted
by David Blanchett, 1/14/24
Beware of investing in cash with a plan to extend maturities when the yield curve is no longer inverted. David Blanchett’s research shows that this decision is historically difficult to time.
10. The Bond Market Update: What You Need to Know
by Steven Fraley and Austin Cleveland, 11/6/24
Steven Fraley and Austin Cleveland provide an overview of the status of the bond market and why bonds could make a great addition to your portfolio.
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