5 Takeaways from Inside ETFs 2019
The world’s premier ETF conference convened in Hollywood, Florida this past week with pretty much everyone who’s anyone in ETFs attending. Financial advisors, fund companies, and analysts were among the 2,300+ attendees preaching or being preached the ETF gospel. ...
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Jack Bogle: An ETF is Like Handing an Arsonist a Match
The investment world recently lost a legend when Vanguard Founder Jack Bogle, the father of indexing and low-cost investing, passed away at age 89. Jack had a complicated relationship with ETFs. While he came to appreciate low cost, broad-based index ETFs, he had...
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5 ETF Predictions for 2019
There’s an old saying that “prediction is very difficult, especially about the future”. Please. Check out my 2018 ETF predictions, where I’m going to give myself a little leeway and say I nailed 5 out of 5. You be the judge – and no question my bonus prediction of...
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ETFs – Year in Pictures
Another eventful year in ETFs is one best experienced in pictures. If you missed my earlier ETF pictorials, see here: ETFs in Pictures I ETFs in Pictures II Without further ado, let's look back at the year that was in ETFs. Enjoy! ETF Growth ETF assets hit record...
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Investing in Marijuana: High Crime?
“It’s actually growing from the ground straight to you, so it’s just like eating a vegetable. You know what I’m saying?” – Snoop Dogg About this time last year, two questions I kept fielding were “What is bitcoin?” and “Is there a bitcoin ETF?”. This year, with...
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Active Managers Selling the “The Great Pumpkin”
Every year around this time, my wife and I take our two daughters to the local pumpkin patch in search of a few future jack-o’-lanterns. Our first stop is always the Louisburg Cider Mill, where you’ll find the best apple cider donuts anywhere. Then it’s out to the...
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Fee War Moving to Advisors?
With mutual fund and ETF fees continuing to fall (and zero fee funds now available), the spotlight is shifting towards financial advisor compensation. Tim Buckley, CEO of Vanguard presented to 250 Vanguard investors last night. I was there. One of his big initiative...
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A Crisis, a Bull Market, & Financial Illiteracy
“The number one problem in today's generation and economy is the lack of financial literacy.” – Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve Chairman Ten years ago this month, the country was mired in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Lehman Brothers...
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Stagecoach Robbery
By now, you've likely (hopefully) seen some of the many headlines of Wells Fargo malfeasance. The latest was artfully captured by Barry Ritholtz... At this point, if you STILL have any financial relationship with Wells Fargo, you have implicitly given them permission...
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The Empire Strikes Back
Earlier this year, I chronicled “Core Wars”, the ruthless ETF fee competition being waged over the core building blocks of a portfolio. Investors continue plowing money into the lowest cost ETFs, resulting in fund companies battling for those dollars by engaging in a...
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