Archive for July, 2010

Breakfast with the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Things are tough and will stay tough for a while.

So says Richard W. Fisher, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, with whom I had breakfast on Thursday, July 22.

Mr. Fisher says that the problem is not a monetary one that can be addressed by the Fed. Rather, he believes that while there is plenty of money in the economy, it is not being deployed because decision makers are uncertain about the future.

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Growing and Preserving Your Wealth in Unsettled Times – The Podcast

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Did you miss the June 4th seminar on Growing and Preserving Your Wealth in Unsettled times? Well if so you are in luck! The podcasts from the seminar are now available for your listening pleasure at Starmont.com. Please click on the segments below to hear the presentation featuring Rick Lake from Aston/Lake Partners Alternatives Fund.

Part 1—Alternative Funds—What are they?  How are they used in a portfolio? (7 minutes 47 seconds)                     Part 2—Asset Allocation, Diversification and Performance (8 minutes 4 seconds)
Part 3—Volatility, Managing Risk, and the New Normal (9 minutes 50 seconds)

We are the Guardians of our Clients’ Dreams

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Two significant things happened yesterday:

- Congress passed the financial reform legislation, designed to prevent the kind of behavior by investment banks, commercial banks, and other kinds of financial institutions that led us to the brink of the worst depression since the 1930s; and

- Goldman Sachs settled their case with the Securities and Exchange Commission, agreeing to pay a fine of $550 million because of double-dealing with their Clients.

All of this came about because of the belief of many people in the financial services industry that if their behavior with their Clients wasn’t illegal, it was acceptable.

At Starmont we have a very different point of view. 

We believe that we are the guardians of our Clients’ dreams.  Based upon that belief, our behavior must not only be legal, it must be moral and ethical.  Our Clients must always know that we will do what we believe is best for them. In our view there is no other way to behave when you are dealing with other people’s money.

Using Hedge Fund Like Mutual Funds to Add Value

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Starmont CEO and CIO Harvey Rowen was recently interviewed on MarketWatch.com regarding the Firm’s creative use of hedge fund like mutual funds to add value to Starmont Clients’ portfolios in this difficult market. Click HERE to watch the video!

Click to Read General & Research/Outlook Disclosures