We frequently mention the importance of employing global diversification to manage investment risks while pursuing expected returns. The broad concept is simple: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

That said, beyond the simple adage, questions may remain. A recent Dimensional Fund Advisors paper addressed one of them: Since U.S. stocks have outperformed international and emerging markets stocks over the last several years, is it still worthwhile to invest worldwide?

If you’d rather skip to the compelling conclusion, the short answer is, yes, global diversification is still worth it. Not only do the last several years tell us nothing about the next several years, they could lull U.S. investors into a false sense of home-biased complacency. To emphasize this point, we need only point to the 2000–2009 “lost decade,” when the S&P 500 took a depressing 10-year dive, while most of the world’s indexes soared.

Bottom line: You never know where your next source of best returns will be found, so it’s best to go global – and stay that way.

FYI! From January through March 2019, our St. Louis office will be under “reconstruction,” with our St. Louis team in temporary office space or working remotely. If you weren’t planning to visit us in person during the first quarter, you’d be unlikely to even notice that change is afoot. All of our contact information will remain the same throughout, and meeting space will be available in the building as needed.

Why the makeover? As our team continues to grow, we want to keep our administrative costs well-managed. We also want our office to remain a warm and inviting place for ourselves and our visitors. To achieve all that, we’re revamping our existing quarters. We look forward to reopening our doors to walk-in guests come April. Until then, pardon our dust!

As Hill Investment Group’s newest team member, I was honored when Matt Hall asked me to represent us in a holiday post about gratitude.

One of the reasons I knew I’d found a special place when I joined HIG earlier this year was how integral gratitude is to our culture. It’s not just a word to haul out once a year. We live it here every day.

For example, when a newbie comes on board, along with a bounty of educational materials, we’re provided a little book called The Five Minute Journal. It’s a handsome journal that poses 5 daily questions to help zoom in on gratitude. Each of us has a copy to keep current and we think it helps maintain a positive focus.

I’m grateful for so many things, a page a day can hardly contain them. Toward the top of the list, I’m grateful to have the daily opportunity to help our clients and their families enrich their own lives through our work.

On behalf of all of us here at HIG, I’d like to thank each of our clients for giving me plenty to write about in my Five Minute Journal, every single day.