Wealth and Wisdom: Week of October 27, 2025
- Mike Brown
- Oct 27
- 4 min read
Despite some strong earnings reports, it’s getting hard to ignore the fact that virtually every key indicator shows a market that is priced way beyond its fundamentals (see Item #1 below). That poses additional risks for equity investors – especially those who have been chasing the latest investment fads.
But long-term investors know that the best way to earn the market’s historical returns is not in trying to outsmart it through market timing, but by accepting the volatility and occasional pullbacks as the psychological cost of getting those returns. We don’t try to avoid risk; we try to manage it. And we won’t predict what the future holds; we plan for it.
To manage risk, I think this would be an excellent time to look at your portfolio and compare the current mix of equities and fixed-income investments that seems appropriate for your goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk – current market conditions notwithstanding. If the equity portion is well ahead of your stated target, take advantage of the market’s recent outperformance by rebalancing your portfolio back to its original allocations.
All signs are pointing to an equity market that’s gotten well ahead of itself – but resistthe temptation to alter your investment approach in response. (Reading time: 5 minutes)
But it’s been a great hedge against inflation, you say. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t line up against the facts. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
Financial blogger/author Ben Carlson compares gold vs. stock prices decade by decade – and reports some miserable conclusions. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
They can be powerful tools for building wealth tax-efficiently – especially if you can avoid these common oversights. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
Morningstar’s take on a subject I covered in a similar blog post a few years back. (Reading time: 7 minutes)
Your income might restrict how much – if any – money you can contribute. But there are other ways to get your savings under the Roth umbrella. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
The bad news: you’re almost certainly the target of the latest Social Security scam. The good news: at least it’s not jury duty. (Reading time: 3 minutes)
Under these conditions, you can claim benefits on your ex-spouse – without affecting their benefits. (Reading time: 5 minutes)
Use Medicare’s online search tool to find doctors, hospitals, home healthcare agencies, and other health care providers who accept coverage. (Reading time: 1 minute)
To get the most benefit from your philanthropy, decide who, when, how, and why. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
Words to the Wise
“Bull markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria.”
– John Templeton
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