3 Things 10-19-26
Thing One Bonds and Bond Funds: They Are Not the Same Investment With interest rates considerably higher than they were just a few years ago, bonds have once again become a legitimate alternative for investors who want income without assuming the volatility associated with stocks. But there's an important distinction that too many investors overlook: Owning an individual bond is not the same thing as owning a bond mutual fund or ETF. And misunderstanding that difference c
3 Things 9-21-26
Thing One Should You Invest in Bonds Now That Interest Rates Are Up? For much of the last decade, this was a pretty easy question to answer. Owning bonds paying 2% when stock returns were substantially higher didn't make much sense. But as of September 18, the U.S. Treasury yield curve looked roughly like this: 1-Year Treasury: 4.44%2-Year Treasury: 4.76%5-Year Treasury: 4.86%10-Year Treasury: 5.01%30-Year Treasury: 5.34% Those are meaningful yields, particularly fo
3 Things 9-14-26
Thing One A Couple Of Yield Questions For Your Consideration Interest rates and bond yields are once again getting a lot of attention. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury is now hovering around 5%, so I thought I'd address two questions that help explain why that matters. Q: Why is the 10-year Treasury yield so significant? A: The 10-year Treasury is one of the most important interest rates in the financial world because it serves as a benchmark for borrowing costs t
3 Things 5-4-26
Thing One A Reminder About Markets As surprising as it is considering the mood of the country (and the world), markets have quietly worked their way back into positive territory this year. The S&P 500 closed 2025 at 6,845, then fell to 6,528 on March 31, 2026 - a decline of about 4.6%. From that low, it recovered to 7,230 0n May 1, 2026, a rebound of roughly 10.7% and about 5.6% above where it ended 2025. And it’s not just one area driving it - it’s happening across the boa
3 Things 9-9-24
Thing One Building Wealth The following is from jimrohn.com. It's a blog post he wrote about building wealth called, "You Can Have...
3 Things 3-15
03/15/2021 Although MAS is a financial services company, not everything published herein will be about numbers or investing. But no...
3 Things 1-18
01/18/2021 Thing One Government Agency or Personal Agency In 1841, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote an essay called, “Self Reliance”. The title...