Investors breathed a sigh of relief last week after data from the United States (US) Department of Labor showed that US inflation finally eased from its four-decade high. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), an index used to measure the rate of price increases among households, came in lower than analysts expected: It increased 8.5% from a year earlier, cooling off from the 9.1% high that we saw in June.
Millennials and Generation Z are unlikely to remember that, back in 1997, Asia was dealt a significant blow by the United States (US) Federal Reserve (Fed), who, through their actions, caused the US dollar to appreciate substantially.
Have you ever tried to find the proverbial investment needle in a haystack? In a world with more than 41 000 exchange-listed companies, at a combined market value of more than USD 80 trillion, global investing decisions can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack. How do you approach this vast listed landscape to preserve and grow wealth over long periods?
Holistic financial advice considers you as a whole, looking at your wealth, health, and happiness. It also factors in how you fit into your network of family and friends. Remember, we are connected to, and even depend on, other people, who in turn have similar bonds with us. If a financial advisor excludes any of these aspects from a holistic financial plan, the results will be sub-optimal and possibly completely unsuccessful.