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When 5% Changes Everything

“Raising bond rates need to be watched by investors.” ——- For much of the past decade, investors had a fairly simple reason to favor stocks: bonds just didn’t pay enough. That equation is changing. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield is now around 4.8% and again within striking distance of 5%. According to Reuters, rising […]

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The Small Business Advantage

“Why being small is a competitive advantage.”    ——- In business, we tend to assume that bigger is better. Bigger companies have deeper pockets, larger staffs and greater purchasing power. But entrepreneurs have something that can be just as valuable: speed. A small business can change direction quickly, test a new idea without six committee […]

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Retirement Without Borders

“For a growing number of retirees, home may be somewhere entirely new.” ——- Retirement used to mean downsizing, perhaps moving somewhere warmer, and staying reasonably close to family and friends. Today, the possibilities are much broader. With people more mobile than ever, retiring abroad has become a realistic option for Americans looking for a different […]

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Your Body is Part of the Business

“Clear thinking starts with taking care of yourself.”    ——- Entrepreneurs spend a great deal of time thinking about strategy, capital, customers and competition, but one of the most important business assets is much closer to home: our own physical and mental condition. The connection between the two is stronger than we sometimes acknowledge. According […]

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You Can’t Live Inside a Stock Certificate

“The enduring appeal of owning something tangible.” ——- Investing has become almost frictionless. With a phone, we can buy stocks, bonds, funds, and other financial assets in seconds. There is enormous value in that liquidity and accessibility. But physical assets—particularly a home—occupy a different place in our financial and emotional lives. Recent research examining survey […]

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Some Meetings are Worth the Trip

“Why being there matters.”    ——- Zoom and Teams have permanently changed business, mostly for the better. A meeting that once required an airline ticket can now happen instantly from opposite sides of the world. But there are moments when being in the same room still matters. In research published in Nature, Melanie Brucks of Columbia […]

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Investing Bigger Life

“When financial return is only part of the equation.” ——- I’ve spent quite a bit of time looking at real estate recently—not only as an investment, but as a lifestyle decision. That distinction has become increasingly important to me. When we’re younger, an investment tends to have one primary job: make money. By midlife, I […]

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Opportunity Doesn’t Stop at the Border

“Looking beyond the market you know.”    ——- For most American business owners, the United States is more than enough market to worry about. That’s understandable. But it can also create tunnel vision. The OECD reports that digital technologies have reduced some of the costs associated with international trade for small and medium-sized businesses. Digital […]

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Don’t Confuse Movement with Opportunity

“Patience still pays.” ——- Financial markets may be the ultimate example of a world accelerating. Investors can watch prices move tick by tick, trade from a telephone in seconds and receive breaking financial news around the clock. Recent markets have provided a perfect illustration: enthusiasm surrounding artificial intelligence and corporate earnings has existed alongside geopolitical […]

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Agility is the New Competitive Advantage

“Move or get passed.” ——- I have been in business long enough to remember when starting or expanding a company required resources that put smaller entrepreneurs at an immediate disadvantage. Research required hours of digging, marketing required outside professionals, publishing required substantial infrastructure and reaching thousands of prospective customers could be prohibitively expensive. I’ve watched […]

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