
On this episode of "On the Money" we discuss tariffs and the economy, tips for reducing investor anxiety, and the folly of active management.
The Economy and Tariffs (1:18 - 17:25)
"The macro data seems to point mostly to positive growth"
- Paul A. Ruedi
"The economy seems really strong given the turmoil at the level of the president."
- Dr. Fred Giertz
"Even the administration was embarrassed about that - they didn't say we are levying a tariff to help inefficient American industries - they said it was for national defense reasons."
- Dr. Fred Giertz
"National defense is really a totally phony argument"
- Dr. Fred Giertz
To reduce anxiety when investing, focus on what you can control: (21:14 - 37:14)
"A lot of the anxiety that people have stems from them worrying about things that are beyond their control... If you can just focus on the things that are under your control and just take the rest as it comes and do adjust to whatever circumstances arise in your life, you're going to have a much more peaceful journey through life."
- David Ruedi, CFP®, RICP®
"You can control the average expected return of your portfolio by shifting the asset allocation, but you can't actually control what return you end up getting, in reality."
- David Ruedi, CFP®, RICP®
"I think a lot of people worry about what the market is going to do over the next block of time, or which fund or asset class is going to do the best - it doesn't matter - you should be making decisions based on long-term, historical rates of return, and then adjusting."
- David Ruedi, CFP®
"I think political landscape is another one - I remember when Bill Clinton was elected it was going to be an 'economic disaster' - we had 5 of the best years ever in the stock market."
- Paul A. Ruedi
The folly of active management: (40:46 - 47:15)
"A lot of people don't know how to distinguish active management from passive management; with passive management, you 'passively' hold the entire market - all the stocks that represent an asset class. Active management, by comparison, looks to pick the right stocks and be invested at the right time, and you are really making a lot of these investment decisions based on predictions - with the idea that you have to do all this to outperform or beat the market."
Paul R. Ruedi, CFP®
"Kind of a funny story, benchmarks were actually created to show how much value active managers were creating with their actions. It blew up in their face when it showed the opposite - active managers typically do not beat their benchmarks."
Paul R. Ruedi, CFP®
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Disclaimer:
It’s important to recognize that past performance is not an indication of future results.
You should not make any investment decisions without first consulting your own financial advisor and conducting your own research and due diligence.