Q: Who should work with a financial advisor or investment manager? If you feel like you need a high-level overview of where you're at, working with a financial advisor can be helpful. They have expertise, objectivity, and clear-sighted ability to help you place yourself relative to your financial goals and long-term liabilities. They can help you make estimates around earning power and asset growth between now and whatever timeline you have set for your goals (retirement, pay

Q: Are ESG [environmental, social, and corporate governance] funds a good way to invest in companies? There’s no doubt that ESG funds have grown in popularity in recent years. Investment in (theoretically) socially and environmentally conscious businesses has nearly tripled just from 2019 ($1 trillion invested) through the end of 2021 ($2.7 trillion invested). However, I tend to be skeptical of these investment vehicles. First, it’s worth noting that I’m not a fan of index fu

Q: What market conditions – separate from factors specific to any individual business – matter the most when deciding where to invest? Over the past year, I’ve talked about numerous market conditions – inflation, interest rates, labor, supply chain – that are noteworthy for investors. These are all issues that are extrinsic to or separate from any individual asset I’m considering. But just how much attention do I pay to such factors? Not much. It’s just not a guiding variable

Q: This has been a crazy year for labor. There’s constant news about labor shortages, the Great Resignation, and something called “quiet quitting.” Should investors be paying attention to any of this? The current labor situation is certainly unprecedented in terms of having so many “Help Wanted” signs that just go unfilled, especially in industries like education, service, and healthcare. In fact, these industries are below replacement rates: they have more job openings than