CKBlog

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Want to Know How Much We Make?

Admit it: you’d love to know how much your neighbor, friend, or family member makes. Sites like glassdoor.com or payscale.com can give you a ballpark of what your recently promoted friend is earning. They list average pay for certain roles and titles at thousands of companies across the US. It’s a tricky equation, but the websites claim to have proprietary algorithms to optimize their estimates. Want to know how much we earn? No algorithm needed. Here is our fee schedule.

Read on: Want to Know How Much We Make?

Topic: Standards

Friday, October 06, 2017

The Dark Side of the Fiduciary Rule

The Department of Labor has plans to implement the “Fiduciary Rule.” What does it mean, and how might it affect your investment portfolio?

Read on: The Dark Side of the Fiduciary Rule

Topic: Standards

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Warren Buffett Turns 87 Today

The Oracle of Omaha turns 87 today—an impressive accomplishment for anyone. But all the more impressive that he still runs a “Fortune 5” (yes, that’s a five) company and does so with the energy and wit of a person half his age.

Read on: Warren Buffett Turns 87 Today

Topic: Standards

Tuesday, May 02, 2017

My Father & I had Breakfast with Meg Whitman this Morning

Sure, there were several hundred other people in the room having breakfast with her. But details people, details. I was fortunate to have been invited to a breakfast discussion featuring Meg Whitman this morning by a good friend of mine who is an Estate Planning Attorney at Day Pitney. Her firm was one of the sponsors for this fundraising event which benefits a great non-profit called Family Centers. The discussion at our intimate breakfast centered on Meg’s advice regarding leadership. She covered many aspects of her successful career and gave useful anecdotes and feedback on how to run a world-class organization, regardless of its size.

Read on: My Father & I had Breakfast with Meg Whitman this Morning

Topic: Standards

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Advisor Alpha

In our industry, “alpha” is generally defined as an investment fund’s excess return relative to the return of a specific benchmark or index. If an investment fund has a positive alpha, it performed better than a particular benchmark for a specific period of time. For the baseball buff out there, if the average Center Fielder bashed 20 home runs last year but I notched 25, then I generated a home run “alpha” of 5 last year. For the foodies out there, if the average person eats 2 slices of pizza per sitting and I normally eat 6, then ... well, you get the idea.

As you might imagine, it is very difficult to generate alpha consistently over a long period of time (my pizza intake notwithstanding). But alas, alpha exists!

Read on: Advisor Alpha

Topic: Standards

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Has Your Wirehouse Broker Moved Recently?

If so, ask her why?

A February 27, 2017 Bloomberg article entitled, Shrinking Bonuses Slow the Revolving Door of Wall Street Brokers, tells you what is behind many of these moves.

Read on: Has Your Wirehouse Broker Moved Recently?

Topic: Standards

Friday, February 19, 2016

My Painter Arrived Today with His Investment Account Statement

If your portfolio is keeping you up a night, spend some time to review your holdings and rationalize why you own them. If you are having trouble doing this, please give us a call.

Read on: My Painter Arrived Today with His Investment Account Statement

Topic: Standards

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Rental Golf Clubs are Suitable

Within our industry, there is much debate about the Fiduciary Standard and how it compares to the Suitability Standard. This debate has even reached the White House. But what is the difference between them, and how does it translate in a real-world scenario?

Read on: Rental Golf Clubs are Suitable

Topic: Standards