Small Company Stock Indexes (and the poor souls who follow them)

• One asset class tracked by four indexes, all quite different: how to choose?
• Four small cap stock indexes tracked by four quite different funds: how to choose?
• Index funds versus Structured Asset Class funds versus Exchange Traded Funds: an attempt at a taxonomy.

The Fiduciary Flap: Should Advisors be Required to Put Client Interests First?

• Fiduciary Reform and Universal Fiduciary Standards
• An Emerging Fiducary Standard of Practice
• Investment Advice to Participants in ERISA Retirement Plans

Roth IRA Conversion Opportunities in 2010

• Traditional vs. Roth IRAs
• Should I consider converting? Some examples may shed light.
• How much should I convert? Partial conversions, and how they may be used.
• The Roth IRA as an Estate planning tool.
• Backing out of a Conversion as an Income Tax planning tool.

The Value Premium: An Emperical Update

• Does the Value Premium Exist?
• Differing Indexes, Differing Opinions
• Trends in the Value Premium
• Large, Small, and International Value Reviews

Investment Basics: Rational Investing and Asset Allocation

• Contrasting Hopeful and Rational Approaches
• Asset Allocation: A Definition
• Asset Allocation and the Risk/Return Tradeoff (with Graphs)
• Changing Circumstances and Preferential Criteria

Hedge Funds and the Current Bear Market

• A Primer on Hedge Funds
• Growth and Contraction in Hedge Funds
• Fund of Funds
• Matching Redemption Request Dates to Market Activity

Wealth Management Strategies: Portfolio Withdrawals in Turbulent Times

• Investment Policy design based on wealth utility needs
• How to establish an optimal portfolio allocation within the risk tolerances of the investor.
• Buy and Hold vs. Constant Absolute Risk Aversion (or Relative Risk Aversion)
• Risk Aversion’s Relationship to Utility of Wealth
• Establishing a Floor value and multiplier
• Comparative Performance of Asset Management Styles

Economics, Recessions and the Stock Market

• Defining “Recession”
• Stock Market Post Recession
• The Duration of Recession-Induced Bear Markets

Social Security Retirement Income Elections

• When to Begin Receiving Benefits?
• Which Elections are Best?
• Tax Implications
• SCLC’s Simulation Conclusions of Social Security Elections

Safety First: Protected Investment Products

• Managing Risk With Equity Indexed Annuity (EIA)Contracts
• EIA Provisions and Regulatory Environment
• Evaluating EIA Performance
• Who Should Buy EIAs?