This past week, a friend of mine gave me grief about using exchange traded funds (ETFs) for our allocation(s) to precious metals and other commodities. He argued that holding physical gold, in this instance, would provide…
Common Cents Blog
Given the recent geopolitical turmoil, you could excuse people for assuming the worst-case scenario when it comes to the investment markets. However, when push comes to shove, while things haven’t been fun, they haven’t been all…
Perhaps not surprisingly, a lot of people have said something along the lines of “it must be an interesting time for you” to me recently. So it would seem. After all, global conflicts and political dysfunction…
Periods like this can be uncomfortable. Headlines move quickly. Markets respond just as fast. When events unfold quickly, perspective matters. Oakworth Asset Management’s Investment Committee shared the following perspective with clients regarding recent geopolitical developments and…
As featured in the Bay Business News. One of the scariest phrases in investing is “it is different this time.” Typically, it isn’t. A common thought is that history repeats itself — but if it doesn’t…
It is almost hard to believe we are quickly approaching the 6th anniversary of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. I remember it almost as though through a fog. In some ways, that whole timeframe seems…
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) reported Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United States increased by a whopping 4.3% during the third quarter of 2025. The median estimate in the Bloomberg survey was for a…
The voice behind “Sam the Snowman” in the 1964 animated Christmas special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” was an entertainer named Burl Ives. Those of you of a certain age undoubtedly know this and remember the man.…
When the question of “why not?” stops working. Last week, the Federal Reserve cut the target overnight lending rate by 25 basis points (0.25%) to an upper level of 3.75%. This wasn’t much of a surprise.…
For some time, the proverbial crystal ball has been decidedly hazy. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either lying or doesn’t have a crystal ball. However, this hasn’t stopped me from giving numerous recent presentations about…