Financial Advantage

On the morning of the election, U.S. stocks sported a year?to?date return of 15%. Seven trading days later that figure had shrunk to 9.7%. What's going on?

Traditional pensions are gradually disappearing from American culture. More and more of us will depend on our own investments to cover some or all of our living expenses during our "golden years." Prospective retirees' goals are pretty straightforward: to enjoy a satisfying retirement and to provide a meaningful inheritance for their families.

While the stock market is behaving fearfully, we want to examine the thesis that the human capacity for innovation is an inexhaustible source of power that routinely topples seemingly intractable challenges. Our genius for betterment has flourished in the social arrangement known as democratic, free-market capitalism. Its promise of rewards for our efforts tends to subdue our baser instincts of fear and envy, and to stimulate the powerful creativity with which we are endowed. Capitalism has raised the standard of living wherever its been tried.

In the past 10 years, the price of one ounce of pure gold has risen from less than $300 to $1,500, far outpacing the return on stocks and bonds. And yet, in most gatherings of professional investors it is not respected. Why is that? What drives the price of gold, anyway? And is gold really an appropriate investment in the 21st century? We set out to better understand this unique metal. Well explore the reasons that some consider gold an important asset class with unique and valuable investment characteristics, while many professionals regard it as a sort of investment sideshow.