Author Archives: Mark Helm, CFP, EA

“You keep using that word. I do not think that it means what you think it means,” Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride. The word “diversification” gets thrown around a lot in the investing world. Everyone agrees that it’s important and … Continue reading →

Retirement planning brings together almost every aspect of financial planning: Cash Flow, Tax Planning, Goals, Insurance and Estate Planning. But at the heart of retirement planning is your portfolio and what you hope to earn from your investments. At some … Continue reading →

In 1816, Americans living on East Coast Europeans experienced a devastating environmental phenomenon. In what became known as the “Year Without a Summer,” chilly temperatures, torrential rains and thick fog across Europe and the East Coast during the summer months … Continue reading →

“There are no right answers to wrong questions.” – Ursula K. Le Guin With the demise of most workplace pensions, investing has become an incredibly important job for most Americans. Yet, we’re never taught how to do it. In high … Continue reading →

Naturally, I typically write about financial issues, but with the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I just days away, I wanted to give an account of the final day of that conflict. The reason is simple: The … Continue reading →

In times like these, I like to remind myself that scary drops in the stock market are normal. Turmoil in the stock market is normal. Mental pain from being a stock market investor is normal. For some odd reason, we … Continue reading →

In my last article, I introduced the investment strategy of trend following – and my reluctance to believe in it. In the end, the evidence was too overwhelming for me to ignore. A trend following screen on stocks did appear … Continue reading →

I’ve always prided myself on being an evidence-based investment advisor. Don’t try to persuade me with a good story. I want a reasonable hypothesis, backed by data and rigorous statistical analysis. I want transparent, peer-reviewed research that’s gone through the … Continue reading →

I often tell my clients that the different stock market valuation methods can help us estimate future stock market returns. Naturally, this gets them pretty excited. I mean, knowing the future is pretty helpful when it comes to investing, right? … Continue reading →

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” – Epictetus Almost every appointment ends the same these days. “Do you think we should do something … Continue reading →