Blog | ITA Wealth Management

Risk Parity: A Brief Explanation of How Risky a 60/40 Portfolio Really Is

June 13, 2014 By Lowell Herr

This is a follow-up to the HedgeHunter Risk Parity (RP) post. This blog post will give readers an overview of how RP is calculated. This not for the mathematically squeamish, but the concept is not difficult if one can get past one step in the logic. I agree with HedgeHunter as to flaws in this […]

Asset Allocation – Risk Parity Revisited: Part 1

June 12, 2014 By hedgehunter

Having selected a number of assets to include in a portfolio, a key decision any investor has to make is “What percentage of my available funds should I allocate to each asset held in my portfolio?” In the Feynman Study I covered a number of common options: 1. Use of a Strategic Asset Allocation Plan (SAA) – […]

Music of Alison Krauss

May 25, 2014 By Lowell Herr

Instead of recommending a particular CD, this week I focus on the artist, Alison Krauss. As a late bloomer when it comes to many genres of music, I first heard Ms. Krauss in a few songs from the soundtrack of O Brother, Where Art Thou? That is one CD I highly recommend. Other albums featuring […]

What the Experts Say About Index Investing

May 2, 2014 By Lowell Herr

Perusing the Bogleheads web site, I found this long list of quotes from well known investment writers and managers. Here is what they have to say about index investing. These bits of wisdom further explain why I favor tilting investments toward non-managed index vehicles. Further, I favor ETFs for their additional tax efficiency. American Association […]

The High Cost of Fees

April 21, 2014 By Lowell Herr

High fees are to be avoided, particularly management fees. Readers of ITA Wealth Management are well aware of my propensity to keep fees to a minimum and that is why I place so much emphasis on using commission free ETFs. While most of you are managing your own money, there may be new readers of […]

Bach’s St. John Passion

April 20, 2014 By Lowell Herr

While Bach is well known for his St. Matthew Passion music, in some ways I prefer his St. John Passion compositions so here is my recommendation for the week. I usually include a review from Amazon as most reviewers have a better knowledge of music than I do. “I resisted buying and then listening […]

Seven Last Words of Christ: Theodore Dubois

April 18, 2014 By Lowell Herr

Of the two recordings I have of “The Seven Last Words of Christ,” one by Dubois and one by Haydn, the composition by Dubois is by far my favorite. The purity of “Christ We Do All Adore Thee” is well worth the price of this CD. The accompaniment is organ and I would prefer a […]

Charles Ellis: Loser’s Game of Stock Picking

April 16, 2014 By Lowell Herr

Let’s revisit Charles D. Ellis’ 1995 paper, “The Loser’s Game,” where he describes his Break-Even Return (BER) equation. Here is a review of this equation. BER = [(Turnover percentage x Transaction Cost) + Management Fee + Target Return]/Market Return It is quite easy to set up this equation in an Excel spreadsheet and play around […]

ITARR: How To Reduce Losses

April 15, 2014 By Lowell Herr

Zion National Park On page 167 of Mebane T. Faber and Eric W. Richardson’s book, “The Ivy Portfolio: How to Invest Like the Top Endowments and Avoid Bear Markets” we read, “Our research has shown that returns are lower and volatility is higher when asset classes are below the 10-month moving average.” What investor is […]

Portfolio Requirements: Basic Ideas For Construction

April 14, 2014 By Lowell Herr

Basic portfolio construction requires that long-term goals include diversification, a risk reduction model, and equity orientation. Here is how I outline the thinking process when putting together a portfolio of securities. Think diversification through asset allocation. Each asset class included in the Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) plan should hold a target percentage that makes it […]