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After my niece Dorothy graduated from high school this year she spent the summer with me. She did some work in my office and we spent very enjoyable weekends sightseeing in the D.C. area.

In their well-known and oft-quoted 1986 study of 91 large pension plans “Determinants of Portfolio Performance” published in the Financial Analysts Journal Gary P. Brinson L. Randolph Hood and Gilbert L. Beebower found 94% of portfolio returns were determined by the asset allocation plan and just 6% attributable to market timing and security selection.

I am sure the hearts and minds of every American reflected with great sadness on the events that took place ten years ago.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who lost a loved one on 9/11 or as a result of the terrorist attacks on America.

In an investment environment that’s seen endowment assets drop and administrative costs climb many families nationwide are eschewing the cache of small foundations for donor-advised funds. Why? Lower administrative costs and flexibility mean that more money goes to their charitable causes.

We’ve all received emails riddled with misspellings from scam artists notifying us that a vast amount of cash is just waiting for us to claim or that something’s amiss with our bank account. All we need to do is enter our bank information and money will be wired immediately and we’ll live happily ever after.

For over ten years we have preached the the merits of the efficient markets hypothesis and why investors should use low-cost tax-efficient broadly diversified asset class funds in an asset allocation plan tailored to their unique concerns goals and risk tolerance.  We believe this strategy is the optimal way to grow and protect wealth.  And many of the gre

According to Jim Parker Vice President DFA Australia Limited understanding investment risk begins with accepting that “the market itself has already done a lot of the worrying for you.” As Parker notes “Markets are highly competitive which means that new information is quickly built into prices.

We probably all can recall hearing our mother say “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”  That solid advice to diversify is often misapplied to the investing front. Some investors think that buying 50 blue chip stocks complies with that adage.

In Which Risks Are Worth Taking Jim Parker a vice president at Dimensional Fund Advisors writes “Even the most self-declared risk-averse people take risks every day.” Parker notes that routine risks to our safety include crossing the road exercising at the gym choosing lunch and using electrical equipment.

In a recent article Why We’re Not Wired for Successful Retirements Philip Moeller explores the psychology behind the answers to that question as documented in new research by Justine Hastings of Yale University and Olivia Mitchell of the Uni