News & Insights
Are You a Meerkat or an Ostrich?
When it comes to your ETF and mutual fund investments, how much attention do you pay to the Manufacturer Report on Fund Performance (MRFP)? Do you actively seek it out—either by searching online or asking your financial advisor? Do you actually read the entire document? (Glancing at graphics or tables doesn’t count!) Do you fully […]
News & Insights
Nurturing Responsible Wealth Inheritors
One of the great challenges that all parents face is how to raise independent, self-sufficient, motivated kids. This concern can be exacerbated among families of affluence, as inherited wealth comes with its own opportunities, challenges, and pitfalls. For individuals who have created wealth through entrepreneurial endeavours, hard work, and risk taking, the fear of how […]
News & Insights
Unraveling Market Mysteries One Equation at a Time
Using Greek letters, numbers, and equations to describe the world is strange. Before I embarked on a near decade-long academic pursuit in the field of theoretical physics, I distinctly remember thinking about this peculiarity while sitting in my high school physics class staring at Newton’s laws of kinematics. It really is strange that we have […]
News & Insights
Election Economics: Fiscal Frenzy & Market Musings
Much of the focus in financial markets over the past few months has been on the Federal Reserve and forecasts for when they will start to cut interest rates. At Viewpoint, we’ve been keenly interested in the interplay between monetary and fiscal policy, and the implications on the health of the economy. With election year […]
News & Insights
Craftsmanship in Whisky & Wealth
Five years ago, I had the pleasure of taking a trip to Japan. A popular tourist destination, the country is well known for its culinary scene, cultural heritage, and beautiful landscapes. And, while I was excited to eat my weight in sushi and ramen, as well as explore the beautiful architecture in Kyoto, I was […]
News & Insights
Price Controls: A Popular Bad Idea
While listening to a Palisades Gold Radio podcast on government spending, debt loads and inflation, the ever-dour John Rubino made note of a recent survey which revealed that 62% of Americans were supportive of government set price controls to control inflation. Although much of the content of the podcast covered some overtly bearish topics like […]
News & Insights
Look to the Stars
Amid resolution planning to start the new year fresh, there is no time like a transition from one year to the next to look forward, and nothing epitomizes a forward-looking viewpoint more than the immortal words of Patrick Stewart (and other Star Trek captains alike), “Space: The Final Frontier.” In the spirit of this forward-looking […]
News & Insights
Strategic Bluffs: Game Theory in Action
Strategic decision making involves the identification and evaluation of choices to determine the best course of action to achieve specific goals. In the early 19th century, John Von Neumann published On the Theory of Games of Strategy, which birthed the field of game theory. This theory has revolutionized our understanding of complex interactions in diverse […]
News & Insights
Funded Status: The Tip of the Risk Iceberg
The rise in interest rates over the past couple of years has caused many headaches for most investors. Stocks experienced significant losses last year, while bonds – normally seen as the safer part of a portfolio – suffered their worst performance in history. There has been almost no place to hide, aside from inflation hedges […]