Blog

It's often said that farmers and ranchers are "land rich and cash poor." Most of their net worth is tied up in land, and while land may appreciate in value, its actual cash return can be low. And when farmers have significant income, they often want to invest those profits in more land.…

Originally featured in Ag Progress on June 22, 2015…

The theme of this year's CFA Annual Conference is "Future Finance." The intent is for us to examine not only future prospects in the investment markets, but also - and more importantly - the future of the profession itself.…

The concluding speakers presented today at the CFA Annual Conference in Frankfurt. The sessions were fruitful and provided much food for thought. I'm excited to bring these perspectives to our investment team, many of which are already present and implemented in our client portfolios.…

It was an enjoyable and informative first day at the CFA Annual Conference here in Frankfurt, Germany. It got off to a good start when our cab driver played "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra in honor of us. We told him that we were from Iowa and he asked if we were cowboys or American football players. We had to disappoint him by saying we were financial advisors and mediocre soccer (I mean futbol) players but he was happy to learn that John Wayne was born in Iowa. …

Today in Frankfurt is overcast and rainy, which is a bit symbolic of the current economic environment in the European Union. The EU is plagued with slow/no economic growth, troubling unemployment, and generally weakened government balance sheets.…

This year's CFA Annual Conference, a gathering of leading investment professionals, is meeting in Frankfurt, Germany. Jason and I are in attendance representing Sherpa Investment Management and look forward to hearing about current investment trends and research.…

Many times we see people that have selected a Target Date Fund (TDF) for their retirement plan figuring this is a good diversified choice. At the Financial Advisor Retirement Symposium, Rob Arnott explained the problems with Target Date Funds. We agree with his assessment and recommend that these investments not be used. …

It's time for March Madness to begin, which means millions of workers will bring their employers' internet to a crawl as they live stream the NCAA basketball games.…

One of the things I'm most excited about in the future are the new possibilities coming from technological and medical advances. In fact, new and better technologies will likely be the catalyst for advances in medicine. …