Long-term bond yields are expected to rise only modestly in 2016. That’s according to Russ Koesterich, chief investment strategist at the world’s largest money management firm. Whether you are investing for the short or long term, there are a number of common mistakes investors make. Robert Stammers of the CFA Institute explains how to avoid 20 of them. One of the most cost-saving things you can do is to seek advice from a fiduciary, who puts the investor’s financial interests first. Barbara Roper of the Consumer Federation of America examines why so many financial firms are opposing the Department of Labor’s conflict of interest rule, which would require those who call themselves “financial advisors” to act as fiduciaries.

Long-Term Yields Are Likely To Remain Low For Some Time–  BlackRock, the world’s largest money management firm, believes long-term bonds yields will rise only modestly in 2016.   Several factors unrelated to economic growth should keep rates from rising above the 3% threshold for the 10 year treasury: an aging population, a dearth of supply of bonds and persistent institutional demand for fixed income instruments. All of these either increase demand or reduce supply, which supports prices and therefore keeps yields low.  Russ Koesterich, CFA, and Chief Investment Strategist, explains in this article.  Read more…

Tips For Avoiding The Top 20 Common Investment Mistakes–  When learning how to invest, it is important to learn from the best, but it also pays to learn from the worst.  These top 20 most common mistakes have been compiled to help investors know what to watch out for.  This list is compiled by the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute. Read more…

Compensation Grids Encourage Conflicted Advice, Consumer Advocates Say–  Broker-dealers and insurers insist that they want their “financial advisors” to act in their customers’ best interests. Yet these firms often pay their advisors more to recommend products that cost customers more. Barbara Roper of the Consumer Federation of America has taken a look at the current opposition by some financial firms to the Department of Labor’s conflict of interest rule. Their  primary objection? It would require them to limit or abandon practices that encourage or reward harmful advice. Read more…   

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John R. Day, Bill Ennis, Stephanie Davidson and Matt Heller

Disclosure – The articles mentioned in Mid Week with Day & Ennis are for information and educational purposes only. They represent a sample of the numerous articles that the firm reads each week to stay current on financial and economic topics. The articles are linked to websites separate from the Day & Ennis website. The opinions expressed in these articles are the opinions of the author and not Day & Ennis. This is not an offer to buy or sell any security. Day & Ennis is under no obligation to update any of the information in these articles. We cannot attest to the accuracy of the data in the articles.