Behind the Gate

Bonds are known to be less risky than equities, however, this is not true. If you look at the long-term, as we do, bonds are a riskier investment and the odds of losing money are far greater in bonds than stocks. Do we own bonds, yes, but it is for a particular reason. Brett and Brian will explain why bonds are risky and in what circumstances you will want to own them. Here's to wise investing! Th...

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, how did we just finish the 9th best quarter since 1928? When the markets fall as fast as they do, typically, they rebound faster than everyone believes it's going to. This is what is happening. Today's podcast dives into the effects that Covid-19 has had on the market and your portfolio, good and bad. Brian and Brett discuss the reasons behind the market rebo...

Which political party is better for the market? Republican? Democrat? Guess what? It doesn't matter. Your financial future does not change. How can this be? Brett, Brian, and Spencer discuss the historical data of the impact political parties have had on the average returns of the market. Here's to wise investing!! The commentary on this program reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints and analy...

In 2020, about 65 million Americans will receive over one trillion dollars in Social Security benefits. How can you be assured you are maximizing your benefits? In today's podcast, our financial planners, Spencer Nelson and Matthew Newman discuss common questions about Social Security and what you need to know. We are here to help. A financial plan allows for an analysis of your unique situation a...

The stock market has roared back the last month despite horrible news. The current sentiment in the market is overwhelmingly bearish. Almost everyone we hear on T.V. and talk to believes the market is going to fall. So, should we wait for the market to bottom before buying more stocks? That is the topic of the day. After a 30+% positive market move, should we wait to put more money to work? In tod...

“The four most dangerous words in investing are: this time is different.” – Sir John Templeton The Great Depression. The 9/11 terrorist attack. The Financial Crisis . . . and now the Coronavirus pandemic. In the midst of this current pandemic, as businesses fail and unemployment heads to 20%, it’s easy to say “this time is different”. In today’s podcast we explain why this time won’t be any differ...

The bear market hit hard and fast. On March 23rd the S&P 500 was down 37%. It did that in only 23 days. The investor fear gauge hit the magical number of one, which is as fearful as it gets. The economy shut down, and is still shut down. Since that day on March 23rd, the S&P 500 has rocketed up 27.50%. We are now down only -13.50% on the year. With a shutdown economy we are only down -13.5...

The market has fallen 30% from its highs in only 27 days. The country is shutting down and isolating itself. The pain, fear, and emotions that our country is going through is real and hard. We all know that investing is a marathon not a sprint. But the pain and fear within that marathon has us all asking… What do we do now? Should we sell our stocks? Should we buy gold? Should we quit? Should we k...

Earlier this week we sent out a letter to our clients discussing the market chaos that is occurring. Well, the chaos has continued! The market as it stands today is down 20% off its highs. Warren Buffett famously said, “it wise to be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” Fear right now in the market is approaching 2008 levels. The CNN Fear and Greed index (shown below...

he market is down 8% since hitting all-time highs on February 19th. The past two days have been volatile to say the least. The big global worry – the Coronavirus. In today’s podcast we discuss the Coronavirus, it’s impact, and what investors should do. When the market is trading at all-time highs, everyone is cheering for a market correction (pullback) so they can buy great businesses at cheaper p...

With the market making all time highs seemingly every week, we’ve been asked, “When is the market going to crash?” Our immediate answer focuses on two things – 1. No one knows when the market is going to crash. 2. It might happen when we see excesses in the market. In this week’s podcast we discuss how excesses in the market (also known as euphoria) might be the one thing to cause the next downtur...

Every year, the market falls at some point. Since World War II, the average yearly fall has been -13.8%. But what if it falls even more? Down 20%? That, my friends, is known as a Bear Market. In today’s podcast we talk all about these ugly Bear Markets. We discuss what investors can expect, how the individual investor managing their own money typically performs, and exactly how you should prepare....

Once again, the pessimists got it wrong. Despite what was supposed to be a horrible year, the market in 2019 was excellent! In today’s podcast, we review the biggest stories of 2019 and our forecasts (kindof) for 2020, including ONE THING that we strongly believe will happen. Lastly, we share with you our process and the importance of discipline when managing money, a philosophy of Iron Gate Globa...

Finally. A death that should have occurred a long time ago has finally come. Bank of America recently put the final nail in the coffin of one of the most popular strategies taught and implemented over the last 50 years. Odds are you’ve probably at some point in your life had this portfolio strategy implemented for you, or maybe you still do? For some reason academia and the majority of portfolio m...

Why is everyone so darn pessimistic!? There is too much doom and gloom out in the world today. In this week’s podcast we discuss – - Why right now is the best time to be alive in history - Why what you hear in the media is only half the story - Some amazing statistics that most people don’t know . . . and why during this Thanksgiving week all of us should have an attitude of gratitude. Here's to w...

Can you confidently answer “YES!” to the following questions? Will You Run Out of Money in Retirement? Will You Survive Another 2008 Crash? The stress that comes from the not knowing what the future holds can be a dark cloud looming over the head of too many people. Listen to this week’s podcast to hear our advisors discuss what you can do to increase your confidence in your financial future. Here...

When fear increases in the market, the common response for investors is to sell and buy investments that are "low risk." Typically when that "fear" increases around the market, people make horrible decisions. In today's podcast we discuss whether or not buying protection (less volatile investments) is a good idea. We discuss defensive stocks, options, hedging a portfolio and a whole lot more. Last...

#59 Cash is Piling Up. What Does it Mean?

For many of you, contributing to an IRA yearly is a challenge. If you make too much money the tax advantage of contributing to an IRA disappears. You’re taxed when you put it in and then again when you take it out. It seems as though when you make too much money the door is closed to planning for retirement in a tax advantaged way . . . or is it? In today’s podcast we discussed a government legal...

Recessions. Inverted yield curves. Insider selling. The reasons for cashing out of all your investments seems to be growing day by day. Fear in the market seems to be increasing while confidence heads the opposite direction. So what should you do? In today's podcast we discuss how to invest amid the uncertainty. The underlying foundation of any investment should be made based upon the goals for th...

One of the great ironies of investing is how people view risk. As clients initially come to us, their greatest fear is losing the money they have worked their entire lives to save. Now don’t get us wrong, that is a very important concern. However, after we begin working with and educating people, it becomes clear what the most important risk actually is. In today’s podcast we address the biggest r...

If you turn on the TV you will no doubt hear that the market was not only hammered today, but that there is a looming recession. An indicator for predicting recessions set-off a red light today and it's 9 for 9 in it's predictions since 1957. In today's podcast we discuss that indicator (the yield curve) and what that may mean for the market and your portfolio. The good news is that if history hol...

The market has been crazy as of late. The market has been down 5+% over the last week. Trade wars, interest rates, an earnings recession, Presidential tweets, and much more are causing concern in the market. As the market pulls back the question now becomes - should we buy or sell? In today's podcast we answer that very question. We share our process for determining what is a buy and what is a sel...

. . . planning to fail." The wise words of Benjamin Franklin have been true for over 200 years (since he said it) and will always be true. Financial planning is a blue print, a compass, a game-plan (insert other adjectives here) for your financial life! So why do so few people have a financial plan? (Only 25% of Americans have a plan according to CNBC.) In today's podcast we discuss three common l...

Everyone has long-term goals that they are trying to reach. Retirement, college funding, a new house, a second house, a new car, and on and on. So, what is the key to making those goals reality? In today’s podcast we will tell you exactly what that key is. Contrary to belief, the one thing it is not is investment return. We will go back in time, review the last nine months of the market and share...