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With people betting on more and more obscure things like the price of a hot dog deal at Costco or what specific word a public figure will next utter (along with more traditional events like the outcomes of sporting contests) on apps...

“The first rule of compounding: never interrupt it unnecessarily.” - Charlie Munger In my new book, The Other Birds & Bees: Money $ecrets No One Ever Taught You, we discuss at length the power of compounding and how if you start...

My 6th and most important book to date, The Other Birds & Bees: Money $ecrets No One Ever Taught You....

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold or silver.” - Gandhi Ask Steve Jobs as he was lying in a hospital bed – or even 94-year young Warren Buffett as he tap dances to work – what the most important thing in the world...

Let me tell you a story about an 11-year-old boy. He grew up in the Midwest where sports like ice hockey and baseball were all the rage. His town, Chicago, even had 2 baseball teams, and the famous Chicago Bears football dynasty of the...

For those of us of a ‘certain age’, the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail was a must see (and often far more than once). One of the many classic scenes depicts a worker rolling a large barrel from house to house collecting dead...

It is one thing to write about a particular concept like the potentially huge cost of missing up days in the market by trying to time it and / or selling long-term holdings based on short-term fears, but it is another entirely to...

“The stock market is a device to transfer money from the impatient to the patient.” - Warren Buffett With the recent stock market volatility, it is a good time to expand upon the topic I raised in March (ominous timing), namely, how to...

Humans are a funny species. Even in the best of times, we tend to act very irrationally based on emotions. When things become challenging – e.g. during a stock market correction – then say goodbye to any left-brain logic; the emotions...

Bear markets, defined as declines of 20%+ from peak to trough, are fairly rare, occurring on average about once every 5 years. They are not possible to predict (actually, I take that back, you can predict one every day as people often...

Once upon a time, there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically, “you must be so sad.” “We’ll...

There’s a guy out there who wants to help you. Big time. He’s a little quirky. And at times manic. But in the end, he’s a pretty likable guy. He likes to be called “Mr. Market”, or” M” for short. Despite all his eccentricities, M is...

Most investors spend an inordinate amount of time contemplating what may happen (with Fed decisions around interest rates, political outcomes, macro-economic events, and other factors). Their thought process is, if, then…. if X happens...

“Company Up 62% in a Few Weeks!” “Stock Rips Over 90% Higher from Its Recent Lows!” If you saw headlines like these, you would think you were reading about some penny or meme stock. But these were recent performances of companies in...

“Clarity in the stock market is always expensive to buy.” I’ve been investing in stocks since 1984. During those 4 decades, I have heard thousands of comments along the lines of, “…. once we know X, then we’ll have clarity.” Once we...

With the Fed cutting interest rates last week – and investors finding it harder to find reliable sources of income - now is a good time to revisit the potential power of dividend paying stocks. From time-to-time growth stocks are all...

We are writing a special 2nd edition newsletter this month in response to recent market events. Three Things. If your house caught on fire and you could only grab 3 things before running out, what would they be? Whatever those would be...

Stocks can drop for a variety of reasons, sometimes known (e.g. a terrorist attack), and in many cases for no discernable reasons. Here are some examples of why investors sell once markets start dropping (for whatever the initial...

“Biggest IT Outage in History Cripples Travel, Hospitals, and other Key Industries” “Head of Secret Service Resigns Over Failed Former President Assassination Attempt” “President Forced to Cease Reelection Bid” “Earth Has Hottest Day...

As a kid I came up with a concept called “Spheres of Control” which helped me accomplish goals as well as relieve stress along the way. Here’s how it works: take out a piece of paper and draw three concentric circles. In the smallest...

Earlier this month Coastwise held a great event featuring Dr. Marc Milstein, author of The Age-Proof Brain. During his presentation, Dr. Milstein recounted all the ways we can keep our brains healthy as we get older, just as we can...

Ask Steve Jobs as he was lying in a hospital bed – or even 93-year young Warren Buffett as he tap dances to work – what the most important thing in the world to them is and they would not cite their bank account balance but rather their...

“The negative interest rate era is over – Was it the dumbest idea in economic history?” This was a recent headline on a financial news site. The question is referring to the nearly $17 trillion (yes, with a “T”) that was invested in...

We are approaching the 15-year anniversary when, on March 6th, 2009, the S&P 500 reached a nadir of 666 (the market declining around 20% in the...

Many smart economists and financial pundits were predicting a recession for 2023 (as well as for 2022, and 2021…but for 2023 they really meant it). When the numbers rolled around recently for Q3...

Lessons Learned – May You Live in interesting Times December is always a good time to reflect on the year just passed, what lessons we learned, and how we can grow in all aspects of life in the year ahead.  Here are a few...

U.S. stocks recently went through a so-called ‘correction’ being defined as a loss of 10% - 20% peak to trough.  This is not surprising as statistically speaking corrections occur about 1.5 times per year on average.  Bear markets (20%+ dec

Cash Machine If you own a well-diversified portfolio of fixed income (bonds, money market funds, etc.) and some dividend paying stocks, you own a ‘money machine’.  If you happen to engage in covered call selling on top...

Soft Landing? Hard Landing? What Landing?   “Far more money has been lost by investors preparing for corrections, or anticipating corrections, than has been lost in the corrections themselves.” – Peter...

My kids often play the game, ‘would you rather’ where they will pose interesting (and often challenging!) questions around preferences of one thing versus another. Quandaries like, ‘would you rather be able to see 10...

When being interviewed for my latest book The Compound Code: An Expert Guide to Trading Stocks & Options, I was asked a question I get posed frequently: is stock investing a form of gambling? To be...

Turn the dial back just a few months to the week before Christmas 2022 and you will be reminded of all the red ink flowing from the markets.  At the time, given the usual rear view mirror commentating and prognosticating, most financial pun

In the great work, How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg, the author gives countless examples of how statistics – either presented with sincerity or intentional spin – can cause the reader to draw mater

when interest rates were sub-1% in the US (and in many European countries, actually negative), bonds were in a massive bubble for several years – akin to the internet bubble for stocks in the late 1990s and early 2000s.  As with all bubbles

Every few years there is a high-profile business implosion, from Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM) in the 1990s to Lehman in the 2000s to the most recent demise of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB Financial Group, SIVB).  Behind each of these blo

 “Company Up 62% in a Few Weeks!”  “Stock Rips Over 90% Higher from Its Recent Lows!” If you saw headlines like these, you would think you were reading about some penny or meme stock. ...

Here is the lesson from this and other similar periods in history: spend less time trying to predict the unpredictable (short-term stock price swings, macro-economic events like unemployment figures and their short-term impact on stock pric

So, if you should not be in the prediction business - nor make important money decisions based on TV commentators who know nothing about your particular situation - then what should you focus on in the year ahead? The answer: things over wh

In the October edition of the Coastwise newsletter, we discussed the potentially large costs of trying to time the market – of being on the sidelines when inevitable material market rallies occur. Case in point, since the market lows in Oct

As humans we tend to way underestimate the opportunity costs associated with taking various actions. We are keen to calculate the benefit of doing something, but often fail to accurately reflect what the true cost is for having taken that a

Weekly Market Insights: Volatility Reigns; Inflation Remains Unchecked.

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, October 17, 2022

Stocks were mixed last week amid wide intra- and inter-day price swings, as technology shares bore the brunt of the downdraft.The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.15% for the week. Meanwhile, the Standard & Poor’s 500...

Weekly Market Insights: Boost Early in Week Keeps Markets Ahead

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, October 10, 2022

A powerful two-day stock rebound cemented a positive week for investors as a new trading month began.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.99%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 added 1.51%. The Nasdaq Composite index increased 0...

Weekly Market Insights: U.S. and U.K. See Financial Turbulence

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, October 3, 2022

Rising recession fears and uncertainty in the bond and currency markets sent stocks to new 2022 lows last week.The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 2.92%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 slumped 2.91%. The Nasdaq Composite...

In honor of “Throwback Thursday” I am revisiting an article we published on 01/22/19, as the market plunged into the abyss the prior month based on perceived Fed policy mistakes at the time. I believe the content is...

Weekly Market Insights: Fallout From Powell Comments Continues

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, September 26, 2022

Last week, Fed Chair Powell said the U.S. would not tame inflation without economic pain. This week heightened recession fears and sent stocks broadly lower.The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 4.00%, while the Standard &...

Weekly Market Insights: White Hot Inflation Report Alarms Investors

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, September 19, 2022

A hotter-than-expected inflation report sent stocks sharply lower last week as investors faced the prospect of more aggressive interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve for perhaps a longer period.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell...

Weekly Market Insights: Markets Upbeat, Despite Gloomy Inflation Talk

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, September 12, 2022

In a holiday-shortened week of trading, stocks posted healthy gains despite more tough talk on monetary policy from Fed officials.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.66%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 gained 3.65%. The...

Weekly Market Insights: Markets Sag, Job Numbers Soar

Scott G. Kyle

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

The overhang of Fed Chair Powell’s Jackson Hole speech the previous week carried over into last week as investors recalibrated stock valuations amid a seemingly more assertive monetary policy stance.The Dow Jones Industrial...

Weekly Market Insights: Powell comments spur sell-off on Wall Street

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, August 29, 2022

A comprehensive sell-off on Friday following comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell drove stocks to losses for the week.The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 4.22%, while the Standard & Poor's 500 dropped 4.04%. The Nasdaq Composite...

When people think of a Financial Advisor they often fixate on short term portfolio performance. But is this the sole purpose a well trained Advisor can serve? Or even the most important? To be sure, just as a great personal trainer can add

Weekly Market Insights: Markets Tap Brakes, But Hold Fast Against Downbeat News

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, August 22, 2022

Stocks tumbled on Friday, sending stocks to a weekly loss after an otherwise quiet August week of trading.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped -0.16%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 1.21%. The Nasdaq Composite index...

Weekly Market Insights: Stocks Have Warmer Week as Inflation Cools

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, August 15, 2022

An improving inflation outlook buoyed investors’ spirits last week, helping lift stocks to solid gains.The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 2.92%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 3.26%. The Nasdaq Composite index...

Weekly Market Insights: Mixed Week For Markets; Jobs On The Rise

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, August 8, 2022

Stocks turned in a mixed performance last week as investors struggled with headlines suggesting that the Fed was unlikely to soon ease up on its current monetary tightening policy.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.13%, while...

Weekly Market Insights: Markets Rally; Earnings Better Than Expected

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, August 1, 2022

Undaunted by another Fed rate hike and news of a contracting economy, the stock market rallied last week on better-than-expected corporate earnings.The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 2.97%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500...

Having some exposure to growth stocks is certainly viable if you have a long enough time horizon to withstand the inevitable material ups and downs along the way. But maintaining a core holding of dividend paying stocks is prudent for a var

Weekly Market Insights: Markets React to Dim Forecast, 2Q Reports

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, July 25, 2022

Stocks rallied last week as investor spirits lifted thanks to a better-than-expected start to the second-quarter earnings season.The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.95%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 added 2.55%. The...

Weekly Market Insights: Friday Rally Stems Week of Losses

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, July 18, 2022

A record-high inflation report, the prospects of a more aggressive Fed, and growing recession fears sent stocks lower– though losses were pared by a Friday rally.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.16%, while the Standard...

Weekly Market Insights: Stocks Rally Despite Mixed Data

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, July 11, 2022

In a holiday-shortened trading week, stocks rallied despite mixed economic data and vacillating energy prices and bond yields.The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.77%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 1.94%. The...

Weekly Market Insights: Stocks Rally, Despite Recession Concerns

Scott G. Kyle

Monday, June 27, 2022

Prospects of cooling inflation powered a rally in stock prices last week despite growing recession concerns.The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 5.39%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 climbed 6.45%. The Nasdaq Composite index...

Weekly Market Insights: Fed Rate Hike Triggers Market Dip

Scott G. Kyle

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Stocks moved lower last week as recession fears deepened following a Fed hike in interest rates and weak economic data.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 4.79%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 dropped 5.79%. The Nasdaq...

So where does the idea of being adaptable apply to one’s investing approach? As with most things in life, it all starts between the ears. Regardless of intelligence levels, behavioral patterns tend to be repeated over and over. In effect, m

Half the years in which a bear market occurred, the market actually finished up on the year.  For example, in 1987, the market finished the year up 2% after being down 34% intra year.  In 2009, the market closed up 23% after being down 28%

Less than 2 short years ago when US interest rates were hitting historical lows, and there was talk that a key interest rate benchmark might actually go negative, I warned that in the coming years, losses in bonds from the then inflated

Jim Cramer Is Not Your Financial Advisor.

Scott G. Kyle

Thursday, February 24, 2022

Jim Cramer. Smart guy. Successful money manager. Great TV personality. Not your Financial Advisor. He says it himself in so many words at the beginning of each show when he declares that he is there to entertain and to teach.

My 11-year-old daughter, who is quite industrious and forward thinking, announced recently her intention to cultivate a set of friends for camping who are not particularly speedy. “When a bear attacks, I don’t need to be as quick as the bea

Each year the stock market brings new events, challenges, and opportunities, but the underlying themes and fundamentals are often very similar to lessons past. As the saying goes, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme. Here are s

Day after day for weeks, months, financial analysts and pundits debated mightily what the Fed would say about tapering and interest rates at its most recent meeting. It was as though the fate of our economy, if not all humanity, hung in the

Bring Out Your Dead: The Shock of Anticipated Events There is a great scene in the classic movie Monty Python and The Holy Grail where 2 castle guards are standing casually in front of an entrance. The camera pans to what appears to be...

The Stock Market is Rigged – In Your Favor You will often hear investors refer to the stock market being “rigged” as a basis for not investing in equities. They are suggesting that stocks are somehow manipulated or...

I hear this phrase regularly from my kids when they are explaining how inequitable it is that one of them gets something and another doesn’t or some similar grievance. You also hear a similar refrain when it comes to the current...

Inputs, Outputs, and Results A few years ago, I attempted to swim the English Channel. Having just completed an Ironman triathlon, I was at one of my leanest points, my weight hovering around 165 lbs. I was also seeking an athletic...

“When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you are only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding...

At Coastwise, if we could ask a new client only one question, it would be: “What is your time horizon?” Put another way: “When do you need the money back?” With this information, we can determine the risk, asset...

I was warming up in the gym the other day on a spin bike and a TV show about doctors (Grey’s Anatomy) came on. I didn’t have the volume up so I could not hear what they were saying, but as soon as the scene shifted to an...

“The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect. You need a temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the crowd or against the crowd.”– Warren Buffett A year ago this...

I recently had a COVID test with my two young kids. They had a lot of fear and anxiety going into the test, visualizing a swab protruding into their brains for minutes on end. Of course, the test turned out to be a nothing burger, and...

LA Jolla, CA (December 10, 2020) Coastwise Capital Group, LLC is pleased to announce Mr. Patrick Fischer will be joining our team as a Financial Advisor and Portfolio Manager. Coastwise is proud to add a team member with such an...

A couple years ago I read a great book, How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking. The basic theme of the work is that humans tend to either intentionally, or subconsciously, interpret numbers and facts in ways that lead...