Annoying Averages
June 13, 2019
Growing up in school, no one wants to be average. From the start, averages are ingrained into us, and behaviorally, we always want to be better than average in everything we do. Take this question: Are you an above average driver? My guess is you’d answer yes. And I’d venture to say that more than […]
Your Beneficiary Designations – Are They Correct?
May 28, 2019
Beneficiary designations are an extremely important component of an estate plan. They are found on many types of assets such as IRAs, 401Ks, life insurance and annuities and designate who receives the asset after the account owner passes away. The primary advantage of a beneficiary designation is that asset ownership transfers without the complexities and […]
Chasing Performance – Six Examples to Learn From
May 23, 2019
Who doesn’t like a story? With investments, a good story almost always accompanies chasing a hot investment. In our view, chasing performance is a dangerous game and extremely difficult to win. When it comes to investing, we believe there are no shortcuts. Higher returns equal higher risk and a greater chance of loss as a […]
The Pluses and Perils of Private Equity
May 9, 2019
As investors, there are a plethora of investment options out there and it’s important to keep track of them. Not to chase investments or a story, but to watch how things change, what data becomes available, and when something that might not have been an investment for you looking backward should become an investment looking […]
Smoothing Out Lumpy Cash Flow
April 16, 2019
Receiving most of your compensation in a few large paychecks is exciting to finally see in your bank account. But it causes a lot of headache when juggling cash flow for the year ahead. Financial professionals (private equity professionals, investment bankers, and asset managers) struggle with this problem given the industry’s compensation models. Investment bankers, […]
InvestmentNews awards BDF 2019 Best Places to Work for Financial Advisers
April 10, 2019
Balasa Dinverno Foltz LLC has been recognized as a 2019 Best Places to Work for Financial Advisers as announced by InvestmentNews April 1, 2019. BDF was chosen as one of this year’s top-75 based on employer and employee surveys delving into everything from company culture, benefits, career paths and more. InvestmentNews partnered with Best Companies Group, an independent research […]
Tips for Buying Travel Insurance
April 9, 2019
With Spring Break on the horizon, many families are hustling to pack their bags, load up the family mini-van, and get out of Dodge for the week. And if they’re really in a hurry to escape the never-ending Midwest winter, hopping on the first flights out to the beach. With all of the planning that […]
Active vs Passive, Still a Battle?
February 28, 2019
A battle has been raging on for the better part of 25 years within the financial community. This battle has come to be known as “Active vs Passive”. For first time readers who may be scratching their head, what exactly is Active and Passive? Let’s dive in deeper: What is Active and Passive? Active Management, […]
Optimizing ‘Your Family’ Capital’s Balance Sheet
January 29, 2019
A critical input to understanding an operating company’s current health and growth potential is the balance sheet. The balance sheet is a great tool that can provide insight into the foundation of a firm. Financial professionals, including investment bankers and private equity professionals, spend countless hours advising companies on how to achieve their next goal […]
Top 3 Things Smart Financial Professionals Do with Their Money
November 27, 2018
Over the course of the last few years, I have spoken with hundreds of financial professionals ranging from private equity professionals to investment bankers to asset managers. These conversations uncovered both the trials and the tribulations of their personal wealth management. Although plenty of individuals confessed their missteps, the tribulations they shared contained a few […]
What Happened to Emerging Markets?
October 25, 2018
Emerging markets has had a tough year. Since Late January 2018, emerging market equities have shed over 20% in value and are likely the biggest red number in your portfolio. During the nearly two-year period from March 2016 to the end of January 2018, emerging markets returned over 75%. What happened? There are a number […]
Volatility Strikes Again
October 12, 2018
Yesterday marked the second straight day of a Dow drop of more than 500 points. And while we have been talking about the return of volatility for quite some time, it still hurts when it actually shows up. So here we are with the S&P 500 having fallen over 7% in the last week. […]