Mozart had an extraordinary memory. At the age of fourteen, he was visiting Rome when he heard Allegri’s Miserere performed in the Sistine Chapel; later that day he was able to write out the entire score from memory.1 This piece was…
The finance world has long assumed that markets are “efficient”. In other words, investors’ actions are perfectly rational and they act in their self interest in order to maximize their personal benefit. It also assumes that everyone has access to perfect information…
If I had told you in the Fall of 2016 – not even five years ago – that Elon Musk would be the richest man in the world, a global pandemic would virtually shut down the entire world, and a…
Note: In the Northwood Perspective newsletter, we usually target our writing to current and prospective family office clients (i.e. those with $10M+ of investable assets). However, we are also aware that many other people read our newsletter on a regular…
In recent days, I have been seeing more and more families who are accumulating significant amounts of capital, selling businesses, experiencing family changes, and getting older. Many are beginning to think about whether a family office now makes sense for…
Quick quiz: Which U.S. President of the last 70 years presided over the largest overall percentage gain in the stock market? If you answered Bill Clinton, you are correct. Over his eight years in office from 1993-2001 the S&P 500…
The things that matter most in personal finance are boring. Spend less than you earn. Invest in a diversified portfolio. Choose an investment strategy that you can stick with when markets get rough. Avoid risking what you have to reach…
Two friends are out camping. They hear a cry for help and rush into a fast-flowing stream to save a drowning child… only to see another struggling child drift by… and then another, and another. As one of the campers…
Dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic has been, to say the least, a challenge. Having to social distance, balance our work and family lives as we work from home, and watch our investments ride a roller coaster have all created stress…
The storm that raged through the financial markets in the first quarter of 2020 has eased somewhat, allowing investors a chance to catch their breath and assess the impact. While the possibility of further market distress and upheaval in the…
