Starmont’s Vivian Groman quoted. Read a recent article about how advisors can be mindful of gender differences .
Advisors: Clients’ Gender Clue to Understanding Financial Behavior
Blog
Becoming a Better Advisor
Thursday, August 4th, 2011 | no commentsHere is Starmont’s Vivian Groman’s latest blog on the Women Advisor Forum website.
Turning the Behavioral Finance Lens Inward
Behavioral Finance was originally developed as a set of psychology-based theories to explain stock market anomalies—anomalies caused by human emotions, beliefs or intuition versus “logical” reasoning. Now it’s being discussed as a tool to help advisors improve their relationships with Clients.
Indeed, Behavioral Finance may help a financial advisor understand Clients better by shedding some light on their point-of-view and motivations. But I propose that financial advisors—one of most Clients’ chief professional resources—might want to look at themselves through a Behavioral Finance lens.
By this, advisors can cultivate a greater understanding of our own behaviors or tendencies. Knowing our tendencies and when they are useful and, more importantly, not useful, helps us identify what we need to develop to be better advisors.
Client Communication: More on the Debt Ceiling
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011 | no commentsTo Our Valued Clients,
We sent to you a week ago an e-mail that included a discussion of what is going on with the debt ceiling legislation under a heading that read, “July Could Be A Volatile Month-Buckle Up.” If you didn’t have a chance to read it, here is a link: http://www.starmont.com/2011/07/market-and-debt-ceiling-update/
Where Are We Now?
The date at which the United States Treasury runs out of cash and could start defaulting on the payment of principal and interest on Treasury bills, notes and bonds is only 15 days away.
No resolution is in sight from the White House and Congress, although there are numerous plans being floated in Washington.
Stock and bond markets have been rather blasé about this until today, when the Dow closed down around 100 points. As the drop dead date of August 2nd gets closer with no resolution, we expect increased volatility in the markets.
Ask just about anyone in the investments business why there has been little interest in this topic and they will say, “It’s all a bunch of political posturing, and by August 2nd they will have raised the debt ceiling.”
Maybe. But maybe not.
And the consequences of Maybe Not could be severe.
We are only speculating, since the United States has never defaulted on its debt in its over 200 year history as a country. But here is what could happen:
More on the Debt Ceiling from Harvey Rowen on MSN.Money.com
Monday, July 18th, 2011 | no commentsStarmont’s Harvey Rowen and Christine Benz of Morningstar, were quoted by the Associated Press regarding the Debt Ceiling, Congress and Client portfolios.
Client Communication: Market and Debt Ceiling Update
Monday, July 11th, 2011 | no commentsTo Our Valued Clients and Friends
June started out badly, but rallied at the end of the month and closed only moderately down for the month. (Markets were down for the month, but are up for the year. See below).
The major U.S. stock indexes were down from 1% to 2.5% for the month. The EAFE index (Developed International Markets) was down 1.2%, and the iShares EEM (Emerging International Markets) was down 0.94%. For the year through June 30th, all major domestic and international stock indexes are up, from 8.6% for the DJIA and Russell 2000 (domestic small cap) Growth; to 0.91% for the iShares EEM.
Domestic and international bond indexes were negative for the month, with the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index down 0.45% and the Barclays Capital Global Treasury Ex-US Index down 0.01%. For the year through June 30th these indexes are positive.
Commodities and REITs, both domestic and international, were negative in June, and the commodity index has gone negative for the year.
All Starmont Client portfolios are positive for 2011 through June 30th—with the amount dependent on how their assets are allocated among the various asset groups. So far in 2011 the higher the allocation to equities, the better the portfolio performance. Your First Half Reports will be sent to you later in the month.
July Could Be A Volatile Month—Buckle Up!
Congress and the Debt Ceiling – Starmont’s Harvey Rowen interviewed on MarketWatch.com
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 | no commentsClick on the link below to see Harvey Rowen on MarketWatch.com discuss the dangers if Congress does not pass the legislation raising the debt ceiling this month.
Stylish and Savvy Women—Starmont Hosts First Women Only Event
Monday, June 27th, 2011 | no commentsBy Vivian Groman, Senior Advisor, Starmont Asset Management, LLC
A typical Starmont event focuses on educating Clients about investing. Several times each year, we host intimate gatherings that feature a fund manager or investment expert in dialogue with clients over lunch or cocktails.
But on June 13, the women of Starmont rocked the house. 40 Starmont Clients and friends met at the Hyatt Embarcadero, in the lingering daylight of a lovely summer evening. We shared a glass of wine, made new friends and talked….not mutual funds but style!
We were under the spell of LA celebrity stylist, Jennifer Butler, who spent nearly two hours teaching us how to express our essence more powerfully, authentically and effectively through style and color.
Jennifer’s approach diverges significantly from the fashion advice we get in magazines or watch on TV. Instead, she teaches how to use clothing and accessories to help express our true essence. By dressing and accessorizing in this way, we appear more congruent and therefore more trustworthy, naturally beautiful and authentic.
Honoring the Father in us all
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 | no commentsby Vivian Groman, Senior Advisor, Starmont Asset Management, LLC
Many of us just celebrated Father’s Day, and I find myself thinking about the role of “father” and what it represents to many of us.
Several high profile male politicians notwithstanding, the father archetype for most of us is a cross between Ward Cleaver and Dr. Cliff Huxtable, with a little Dr. Phil tossed in for some psychological perspective.
In the archetype, Father is the family’s protector and provider. He ensures survival by bringing home the bacon. He provides what we need to grow and thrive. He makes sure we are safe. He has our back.
As financial advisors, our role is not that different.
Starmont’s Vivian Groman Quoted in Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 | no commentsLive Very Very Long and Prosper
As more people live into their 90s and beyond, financial planning becomes even more important—and trickier
by Suzanne Barlyn
“Funding a retirement well into my 90s, though, could require investing more in equities until age 70, says Vivian Groman, senior adviser at Starmont Asset Management in San Ramon, Calif. How much risk I accept should depend on how much I’ve saved, my lifestyle and the health of the economy at that time, Ms. Groman says.”
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