To attend, please contact msilverman@braverwealth.com

117 Kendrick Street, Suite 800
Needham, MA 02494

Our new place is a 22,000 sq.ft. space in an award winning office building adjacent to Cutler Lake in Needham, just one mile from Route 128.

*Our phone and fax numbers will remain the same

As a major economy, Japan supplies goods and services to many sectors of our economy and the larger world economy. The economic ramifications of this disaster will not be known for weeks or even months. A disruption of this magnitude and the accompanying uncertainty that it brings will keep volatility and anxiety high in the short term. So what do we do as investors?

First and foremost, we adhere strictly to our models and manage portfolios in the same disciplined manner as always. We do not overreact to media reports or make irrational short term trades. We analyze the facts, as they are available, and make prudent adjustments if appropriate across our various investment disciplines. Importantly, the majority of our investment strategies are computer model driven and do not factor in human emotion. Our models have been designed to analyze current market trends and react to the market’s momentum. For example, our Diversified program moved towards the safety of money market funds in early March and holds all cash at this point. Our computer models are run every morning and we adhere to the resulting decisions without emotion. This approach has served our clients very well over more than twenty years and we remain confident during the current period.

Our Asset Allocation and Dividend Income portfolios are the only strategies that we manage using fundamental analysis, which factor in subjective decisions by our investment team. In the Asset Allocation strategy, portfolios are highly diversified across a wide range of asset classes. This diversification is designed to dampen unforeseen volatility and shocks to the system such as the past week’s events in Japan. Rest assured that we continue to monitor these portfolios on a daily basis and will take prudent action should the conditions warrant a change.

It is helpful to view the recent volatility in a larger context. The equity markets have been on a very strong upward trend capped by six straight months of positive returns. Most analysts expected a modest correction to this upward pattern. The catalyst for the recent weakness has been the tragedy in Japan along with the geo-political events in the Middle East. In the short term, the events in Japan are emotionally and economically disruptive. However, once conditions stabilize and the focus moves toward rebuilding, the longer term effects are likely to be stimulative to the world economy. In the meantime, the U.S. economy continues to show modest recovery. Unemployment is declining and housing is stabilizing. We must separate natural disasters from financial disasters and remember that most natural disasters do not initiate long term financial declines.

We will be working diligently to navigate these rough short-term waters while keeping our focus on the long term.

As always, please call us with any questions.

Your Braver Wealth Management Team

Published on: March 18, 2011

The political unrest in Libya is causing oil prices to spike and this is certainly a concern for the domestic economic recovery. Although painful to the consumer, our expansion can accommodate these current oil prices but further spikes could pose a severe risk to expansion.  At the same time, should tensions settle down and oil supplies remain firm through help from Saudi Arabia, the underlying economic recovery should ultimately firm up the capital markets.  As these issues grab daily headlines, volatility is likely to remain higher than in recent months.  We continue to encourage investors to have strategies within their total portfolio that can mitigate some of this risk and provide down market protection.  At Braver, we utilize our Tactical Investment strategies to provide our clients with risk control and protection when markets begin to deteriorate.  Remaining fully invested at all times has become too risky for most individual investors.

David J. D’Amico, CFA
President – Braver Wealth Management, LLC

Posted on: February 24, 2011

The International political landscape was rocked by the Egypt uprising a few weeks ago that eventually led to the resignation of President Mubarak.     The equity markets initially were concerned about potential contagion but quickly moved forward and this was surprising a relative non-event.   Over the weekend, Libya’s protestors against dictator Moammar Gadhafi gained further aggression and momentum towards liberation.     The international political landscape remains uncertain and the spreading issues may again cause real concern on Wall Street.

Closer to home, our domestic political landscape at the State level is growing more contentious with Wisconsin and Ohio leading charges to reduce pension costs that are strangling their budgets.   This struggle has far reaching ramifications across all states and municipalities and is a sign of the weak balance sheets across municipalities around the nation.   Pension, healthcare, and education costs are strangling local budgets and a long term resolution is needed to stop the red that is occurring across many local and state budgets.
These political headlines may begin to dominate the market’s direction in the short term and lead to a modest correction in the equity markets after a mostly uninterrupted run up over the past six months.

David J. D’Amico, CFA
President – Braver Wealth Management, LLC

Posted on: February 22, 2011

The second chart below illustrates the under-performance on a return basis that these large cap names have delivered relative to numerous equity asset classes over the past 10 years.   For those that believe in simple reversion to the mean, large cap has some catching up to do.

Investors with patience and  a long term outlook may want to consider this area of the equity market for stable investing as it appears to be presenting a rare opportunity.

David J. D’Amico, CFA
President – Braver Wealth Management, LLC

Posted on: February 16, 2011

CLAIMS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN MARCH 31, 2011.

Flexible spending accounts are “use-it-or-lose-it” plans. This means that amounts in the account at the end of the plan year cannot be carried over to the next year. However, the plan can provide for a grace period of up to 2 ½ months after the end of the plan year. If there is a grace period, any qualified medical expenses incurred in that period can be paid from any amounts left in the account at the end of the previous year. Your employer is not permitted to refund any part of the balance to you.

After March 31, employees will not be able to claim any of the remaining monies in their year 2010 flex account(s). The spending accounts are flexible, but the deadline is not!

NEW LIMITATIONS ON ELIGIBILITY FOR 2011

Due to changes in federal law, over-the-counter (OTC) medications are no longer eligible for reimbursement through a HSA without a prescription. A prescription will be required for all OTC medications purchased on or after January 1, 2011. The new rule does not apply to items for medical care that are not medicines or drugs. Thus, equipment such as crutches, supplies such as bandages, and diagnostic devices such as blood sugar test kits will still qualify for reimbursement by a HSA if purchased after Dec. 31, 2010, and a distribution from an HSA for the cost of such items will still be tax-free, regardless of whether the items are purchased using a prescription.

Posted on: February 16, 2011

These are difficult strategic questions that shareholders and employees are wrestling with and the outcome is certainly cloudy at best.   If not successful, Nokia will be unable to hold its market share and significant trouble could loom on the horizon.   If successful, it will go down as one of the gutsiest CEO moves in history.   These risks certainly would warrant the potential for an outsized return for those risk oriented investors.   If the strategy is successful, the handsome dividend could likely combine with impressive capital gains to deliver an outsized return.   However, risk averse investors may want to ignore the tempting 4% dividend yield and remain on the sidelines until more visibility into the deal and it’s progress is obtained.   This is certainly a game changer and the outcome is very uncertain but that is what makes a market!

For Microsoft which continues to struggle to catch up to Apple and Google, why not just buy Nokia outright or better yet, how about buying RIMM?   Or maybe they should buy RIMM and Yahoo at the same time!   Microsoft remains hesitant to utilize capital on an aggressive acquisitions.   Investors have certainly avoided the stock as they are losing their grip on future growth opportunities and are constantly playing catch up on numerous technologies.   Perhaps a more direct, aggressive acquisition is exactly what Microsoft needs!

David J. D’Amico, CFA
President – Braver Wealth Management, LLCP

Posted on: February 15, 2011

Today’s price reaction with CSCO declining 14% on news that was basically already known is just absurd.   To be sure, investors will need to be patient until the company demonstrates some excitement but that is was investing is about.   Chambers has a very successful record and I would not bet against him.   Instant gratification should be left for Vegas!

David J. D’Amico, CFA
President – Braver Wealth Management, LLC

Posted on: February 11, 2011