by Bill Stoddart | Aug 14, 2019 | Uncategorized
The environmental effects of plastic pollution are immense and pressing. They are articulated by those in the scientific community in a much more nuanced and intelligent way than we could ever manage. But we thought it might be interesting to look at plastics from...
by Bill Stoddart | May 21, 2019 | Uncategorized
What is the difference between ESG and non-ESG funds? Environment, social, governance (ESG) funds differ from their non-ESG counterparts in how they view impact and how they construct and manage their portfolios. Many ESG fund managers and institutions, along with...
by Bill Stoddart | Feb 5, 2019 | Uncategorized
Given the last two months in the U.S. stock market, let’s talk about volatility, aka market fluctuation. It’s hard to “keep calm and carry on” when you see your accounts plummeting into the red. Even if you’re a long-term investor and are mentally prepared to weather...
by Bill Stoddart | Jun 5, 2017 | News from the field
Since last November’s election, we have been working diligently to gauge the shift in our country’s politics and understand the implications. It has not been easy. It reminds me of my first attempts at surfing many years ago off Ocean Beach. Choppy sets, short board...
by Bill Stoddart | Jan 5, 2017 | News from the field
Perhaps one of the greatest threats today is that truth seems absent in the popular imagination. It is difficult to envision a more poignant challenge to the Enlightenment’s gifts of rational inquiry and the ideals of life, liberty, and universal equality. Instead, we...
by Bill Stoddart | Nov 9, 2016 | News from the field
Trump’s election is not an aberration, but is the result of many years of history. It is important to recognize the sentiments that elected him are born from perceptions and circumstances that were either manufactured for consumption or that actually exist. We can...
by Bill Stoddart | Oct 5, 2016 | News from the field
They say the four most dangerous words in investing are “this time is different.” The idea, of course, is that the sun will continue to rise and set, the seasons will change, the markets will rise and fall and we’ll continue to visit the grocery. Life isn’t clockwork,...
by Bill Stoddart | Apr 5, 2014 | News from the field
Spring is a time of transition. Since it is a rite more than a routine, it is a time of reflection as well. I’ve previously mentioned Novruz Bayram and one of the rituals of the Persian New Year that occurs around the time of the Spring Equinox. Participants...
by Bill Stoddart | Oct 5, 2013 | News from the field
Well, here we are again – the government is shut down and we’re on the brink of hitting the debt ceiling limit, which would trigger a default on many trillions of dollars in Treasury obligations. (Talk about reputational risk!) It’s a good thing Jefferson, Madison,...
by Bill Stoddart | Jul 5, 2013 | News from the field
Almost like clockwork, the switch flipped a couple of weeks ago, and here in Bozeman we went from spring and scattered snow showers to summer thunderstorms. A different switch flipped in the markets about the same time. Between Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke’s...
by Bill Stoddart | Apr 5, 2013 | News from the field
Far more than our Gregorian new year, spring is the season of renewal. Maybe that’s why New Years’ resolutions have so little staying power – we just seek them at the wrong time. We force the context and try to move the ocean. In 2003, I had the opportunity to share...
by Bill Stoddart | Dec 26, 2012 | News from the field
Having survived the end of the Mayan calendar (I thought at least the earth’s magnetic poles were going to change and the whirlpools in the bathtub would spin in the opposite direction), we now get to fasten our seatbelts, make sure our seats and tray tables are in...
by Bill Stoddart | Oct 5, 2012 | News from the field
“As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.” – Albert Einstein Well, we continue to hold our breath while we wrangle with a number of beasts: the “fiscal...
by Bill Stoddart | Jun 5, 2012 | News from the field
It seems a Spanish greeting might be appropriate for this update since it appears Spain is the latest of our European cousins to find their backs against the wall. Without delving into too many details, it seems the European currency crisis is “not dead...
by Bill Stoddart | Apr 5, 2012 | News from the field
It is officially spring and we should all be emerging from our comfortable hibernation and blinking our eyes as we step into the warm sunshine. With the U.S. stock market gaining ground during winter’s darkness, it would seem that all is well in fair Marketland. With...
by Bill Stoddart | Dec 5, 2011 | News from the field
It’s been awhile since we’ve put out any market updates or commentary and now that we are less constrained, except of course by the various regulatory entities that govern anything and everything financial, we hope to share a multitude of perspectives for...
