The Age of AI Has Begun From Bill Gates’s Blog

The development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor,...]]>  

The Age of AI Has Begun From Bill Gates’s Blog The development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone. It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other. Entire industries will reorient around it. Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it. The Stock Market Has Officially Entered Its Latest Bull Market From Yahoo Finance / Chartr The S&P 500 has surged 25%* since its October low, surpassing the 20% that many hold as an unofficial threshold for entering a bull market […] Investors often have to climb a “wall of worry” in order to get comfortable investing in stocks — and this year’s list of concerns was long. However, the economy has been surprisingly resilient. * As of 7/13/2023 Strong, Faster, Higher From TD Economics No, we haven’t mixed up the original Olympic motto, but repurposed it to characterize the outlook for the global economy. Stronger economic growth and faster inflation across much of the globe are leading to higher interest rates than we expected a quarter ago. The U.S. banking sector challenges seem to have dealt a glancing blow to the broader economy, and the consumer continues to spend at a healthy clip. Continue reading View Our Fee Schedule View Our Latest Form ADV and Form CRS

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Bearly noticeable

‍The S&P 500 has surged 25%* since its October low, surpassing the 20% that many hold as an unofficial threshold for entering a bull market.

As we’ve noted recently, investors often have to climb...]]> From Yahoo Finance / Chartr 

Bearly noticeable

‍The S&P 500 has surged 25%* since its October low, surpassing the 20% that many hold as an unofficial threshold for entering a bull market.

As we’ve noted recently, investors often have to climb a “wall of worry” in order to get comfortable investing in stocks — and this year’s list of concerns was long. However, the economy has been surprisingly resilient. Inflation has receded from its summer peak, job reports have been consistently solid and the debt ceiling showdown has been (mostly) resolved.‍

Back to the future

‍The tech giants have driven a large portion of this rally, thanks in part to the current buzz around AI. Nvidia, a semiconductor powerhouse seen as integral to AI’s ongoing development, has seen its shares surge 187% this year, catapulting the company into the $1 trillion club. The whole S&P 500 may have gained 11% so far this year, but the average individual stock has risen less than 3% in 2023. Indeed, some 90% of the index’s rise is down to just 7 companies; Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla, and Alphabet.

Obviously no one knows how long this run will go on, but historically bull markets have typically lasted nearly 5 years (since 1932), resulting in an average gain of 178% for the S&P 500. The previous bull market, which commenced in March 2009, persevered for an astonishing 11 years, ended only by the pandemic. In contrast, the most recent bear market was relatively tame, lasting only 9 months with a decline of 25%, less severe than the average decline of 34%.

* As of 7/13/2023

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“Earth is now our only shareholder.” – Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia

“I never wanted to be a businessman. I started as a...]]>

			“Earth is now our only shareholder.” – Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia “I never wanted to be a businessman. I started as a craftsman, making climbing gear for my friends and myself, then got into apparel. As we began to witness the extent of global warming and ecological destruction, and our own contribution to it…”
			Investing Through Uncertainty A Guide to Recessions from the Capital Group Recessions can be complicated, misunderstood and downright scary. But most of all, they’re hard to predict. So rather than predicting the exact date of the next recession, this guide will offer perspectives on questions such as: • What factors have contributed to previous recessions? • How have equities moved during past contractions? • How long do recessions last?
			Looking for Silver Linings From TD Economics Equity markets are in positive territory on the week despite the disappointment in the September inflation data. The Fed is struggling to contain inflation, and September’s reading was hotter than expected once again…. Continue reading To get the latest on your account’s progress including performance, fees, and latest statement visit www.advisorclient.com. View Our Fee Schedule View Our Latest Form ADV and Form CRS

Uncovering Opportunities in a Bear Market

Buying at lower prices isn’t the only benefit during market downturns. Bear markets offer the opportunity...]]>

			Uncovering Opportunities in a Bear Market Buying at lower prices isn’t the only benefit during market downturns. Bear markets offer the opportunity to offset future taxes by harvesting current losses and making it easier to convert from a tax-deferred IRA to a tax-free Roth. Plus, in the current higher interest environment, cash can be put to work at some of the highest yields in decades. Contact us for the latest fixed income rates.
			Investors Crank Up Pressure on Companies With Record Climate, Race Proxy Proposals From Bloomberg McDonald’s Corp. is facing questions about animal welfare. Meta Platforms, Inc. is being confronted by concerns that its metaverse is causing psychological damage. And the biggest U.S. banks are being held to account for their contributions to climate change.
			Addressing Issues Impacting the Economic and Financial Outlook From TD Economics There has been plenty to keep us busy this quarter. We begin by addressing how our outlook is shifting in the face of the war in Ukraine, elevated inflation, and more aggressive rate hikes by central banks. Continue reading To get the latest on your account’s progress including performance, fees, and latest statement visit www.advisorclient.com. View Our Fee Schedule View Our Latest Form ADV and Form CRS

The best thing about the electric vehicle (“EV”) trend is that it gets stronger and stronger each year....]]> 1. Rapid adoption of EVs and a huge demand wave for EV metals such as lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, manganese, magnet rare earths

The best thing about the electric vehicle (“EV”) trend is that it gets stronger and stronger each year. The bonus is that the EV trend does even better if oil prices move higher as consumers are more incentivized to switch from an ICE vehicle to an EV.
 
EV demand in 2022 is growing stronger by the day, which is causing EV waiting lists of 1 year or longer.
Stronger EV demand means more demand for EV metals. We have seen lithium prices almost double in 2022 and nickel prices roughly double in the past 3 weeks.

2. Renewable energy and energy security & independence (to help get the world off fossil fuels and being dependent on oil nations such as Russia)

Perhaps the number one concern globally right now for consumers is oil/gasoline prices rising. It leads to higher cost inputs and inflation. That leads potentially to rising interest rates, which then leads to mortgage stress and can lead to a recession as consumers slow their discretionary spending.
 
This means the number one thing the world can do to help is accelerate the transition to green energy and EVs, ideally securing a safe and secure supply chain. Green energy adoption will mean massively and rapidly ramping up solar, wind, geothermal, hydro and other forms of green energy. Energy storage is also a key driver in helping make intermittent energy work.

3. Base load energy will require nuclear & uranium to get off polluting coal ASAP

Apart from hydro, arguably the best base load energy is small nuclear plants. If we agree nuclear energy is needed to get off coal and gas then the next issue is uranium. Russian largely controls the uranium market (41% of supply from Kazakhstan and 6% from Russia). This means the western world needs to build up its own safe and secure supplies of uranium.
 
The U.S. is quite reliant on uranium with 19% of the electricity grid and a significant part of its navy being nuclear powered. The USA has made some preliminary moves over the past 2 years to support a domestic uranium supply and to build up a uranium reserve.

4. Adequate food supply for the world

Regardless of what happens next in the Russia-Ukraine war the world will need an ever increasing amount of food each year to feed an ever increasing population. If the war deteriorates we can expect a potential shortages of grains, especially wheat as Russia-Ukraine produce about 25% of global wheat production.

5. Technology to continue to thrive in a modern world

Generally speaking, the technology sector has not been directly impacted yet by the war, except indirectly via the crash in technology stocks. Tech stock valuations in 2022 have fallen dramatically as sentiment collapsed and high inflation looks set to cause interest rates to rise.
 
The core fundamentals of the U.S technology sector have not significantly changed and the strong longer term growth outlook remains. Some smaller issues that are impacting tech are privacy concerns notably for social media giant Meta Platforms (FB) and some concern that President Biden will introduce higher company tax rates.

This article has been edited for length and content. It is not meant as investment advice.

EarthFolio

More seasoned investors looking to diversify their portfolios or transition to ESG investments might consider EarthFolio. This top-rated robo advisor invests exclusively in stocks and bonds that adhere to strict ESG guidelines. This platform has a 0.5% asset...]]> BY: COURTNEY JOHNSTON
 

EarthFolio

More seasoned investors looking to diversify their portfolios or transition to ESG investments might consider EarthFolio. This top-rated robo advisor invests exclusively in stocks and bonds that adhere to strict ESG guidelines. This platform has a 0.5% asset management fee and requires a $25,000 minimum deposit, which is why it’s often a good choice for more experienced investors. On the upside, you’ll always know you’re investing in socially conscious and environmentally responsible companies.

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It’s an automated investment company with sustainable portfolios for potential investors.

Think about it. You can invest sustainably.

Platforms like Earthfolio provide you with this opportunity. You get to make money, while still...]]> Any person seeking a sustainable investment company should consider Earthfolio.

It’s an automated investment company with sustainable portfolios for potential investors.

Think about it. You can invest sustainably.

Platforms like Earthfolio provide you with this opportunity. You get to make money, while still minding your impact on the planet.

While not many companies follow good ethos, there are some that are quite strict about it. These are run and managed sustainably to benefit and better the environment.

Table of Contents

What is Earthfolio?

What Are the Key Features of Earthfolio?

Online Platform

Specific Portfolios

Online Questionnaire

Who Can Benefit from Earthfolio?

Benefits of Investing in Earthfolio Compared to Other Investment Platforms

Who Does Earthfolio Appeal to?

Is Earthfolio a Long or Short Term Investment Platform?

What are the Upfront Costs of Earthfolio?

Types of Earthfolio Investment Accounts

Steps of Opening an Earthfolio Account

Pros of Earthfolio

Cons of Earthfolio

Earthfolio Customer Service

Related Resources

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Earthfolio is an online investment advisor for investors who only want ESG companies in their portfolios.

According to the company website, “Every portfolio we build invests exclusively in a broad...]]> Robo-advisors help address the need for sustainable, responsible and impact investing.

By Barbara Friedberg

Earthfolio is an online investment advisor for investors who only want ESG companies in their portfolios.

According to the company website, “Every portfolio we build invests exclusively in a broad spectrum of sustainable mutual funds that screen on up to ten environmental, social, and governance, criteria.”

Like other robo-advisors, Earthfolio begins with a brief questionnaire. The investor’s answers guide the asset allocation which aligns the user’s goals and risk tolerance with her asset allocation (percent invested in each type of fund). The company also rebalances and manages the investments. This is where the similarity with other robo-advisors ends.

In general, Earthfolio’s available investment funds, most of which lean towards the socially conscious realm, are not low fee index funds but higher cost professionally managed offerings. This leads to greater underlying costs. It also creates a challenge for this robo to beat the indexes.

Unlike many of Earthfolio’s robo-advisory peers, this company offers an impact investing menu of both stock and bond funds by a variety of providers. A sample of the available Earthfolio funds includes Calvert Green Bond (CGAFX), TIAA-CREF Social Choice Bond (TSBRX), CRA Qualified Investment (CRATX), Access Capital Community (ACASX) and more.

Earthfolio’s bond and stock funds cover the socially conscious investing landscape and invest in firms committed to these socially responsible spheres:

• Environment
• Clean Tech
• Equality & Diversity
• Human Rights
• Fair Labor
• Animal Welfare
• Non-Violence
• Corporate Governance
• Healthy Living
• Community Development
• Fossil-Fuel-Free
• Shareholder Advocacy

Earthfolio is a viable choice for the diehard socially conscious robo-advisor investor, who wants her entire portfolio to be invested in line with her values. Earthfolio’s management fee is 0.50%, like other robo-advisors, yet the underlying fund management fees are a bit pricey. Finally, there may be lower cost impact investing robo-advisory alternatives to meet a similar end.

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