While the stock market has had several good years in a row now, those gains may not have been apparent for some investors, those who have diversified portfolios. Wait a minute, isn't that what you're supposed to do: diversify? What has happened is that many international investments haven't kept pace with the U.S. So, should we stop diversifying our portfolios? Mike Switzer interviews Wes Johnson, a certified financial planner with ACT Advisors in Charleston.
After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.