Written and Submitted By David Vomund

This year large-cap stocks are outperforming both mid-cap and small-cap stocks.  In fact, the S&P 500 (a large-cap index) is on track to outperform the Russell 2000 (a small cap index) by the widest margin since 1998.  But large cap stocks won’t always outperform.  Beginning in the year 2000 small-caps led large-caps for seven straight years.  When will small-caps outperform again?

Instead of predicting that answer, I prefer to let the market tell me when it’s time by using a strategy that I call “Style Index Rotation.”  When large-caps outperform then hold the S&P 500 ETF (SPY).  Once small-caps outperform then switch to a small-cap ETF like the iShares Small-Cap Index (IWM), which tracks the Russell 2000.  Similarly, when growth leads then hold a growth ETF, but when value outperforms then rotate to a value ETF.  

How do you know what segments are leading?  Each weekend I post relative strength rankings for style index ETFs and sector ETFs free-of-charge on the Analysis page of www.ETFtradingstrategies.com.  

Investors will want to own ETFs that are in the upper half of the rankings (outperforming).  For specific details of my strategy please refer to one of my two ETF trading books, ETF Trading Strategies Revealed and Exchange Traded Profits, both of which are available at the Washoe County Library.

Trading style index ETFs allows investors to gain diversified exposure to a targeted area of the market and it gives investors the flexibility to quickly move from value stocks to growth stocks, or from small-cap stocks to large-cap stocks.  

What is this strategy in now?  For most of this year large-cap has outperformed small-cap and growth has outperformed value.  Given that, the current holdings are Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQQ) and the S&P 500 ETF (SPY).  These have been and will be held until they underperform (fall to the lower half of a relative strength ranking).  Notice that with this approach the market tells us when to rotate instead of us telling the market when it’s time.  

Of course, rotating to outperforming segments involves trading and monitoring.  For that reason, it is best to use this approach in IRA accounts.

With style index exchange-traded funds (ETFs), it is easy to move from large-cap stocks to small-cap stocks, or switch from growth stocks to value stocks.  By rotating to the best performing segments, one can significantly outperform those that limit themselves to one trading style.

David Vomund is an Incline Village-based Independent Investment Advisor.  Information is found at www.VomundInvestments.com or by calling 775-832-8555.  Clients hold the positions mentioned in this article.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  Consult your financial advisor before purchasing any security.

Submitted by NLTFPD – Tia Rancort, Public Education/Information Officer

Fire has been a natural part of the Lake Tahoe landscape for thousands of years. These fires were low-intensity, frequent, and created an open forest canopy that supported forest health and a balanced eco system. Prior to 1870 and the European-American settlement, much of the Lake Tahoe Basin burned on average every 5 to 18 years. Things changed drastically when intense logging during the Comstock era in the late 1800s clear cut the entire Lake Tahoe Basin and left the forest decimated. While the forests grew back over the next 100 years, they grew in an unnaturally thick and even-aged state and by 2007, Tahoe’s forests were in a state of emergency. Years of fire suppression, hazardous fuels accumulation, drought, and a warming climate have made Lake Tahoe’s forests extremely vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire.

Additionally, homes and communities have been inserted into Tahoe’s wildfire fuel landscape, furthering the complexity of the situation.

So why do we conduct prescribed fire operations? In short, to pick up where we interrupted mother nature in the1800s. We have a lot of ground to cover from suppressing the natural frequent fires that occurred thousands of years ago, but we have learned that mother nature knows best, and this is the best way to effectively reduce the threat of catastrophic, high intensity fires that now threaten our landscape. We also use other methodologies in tandem with prescribed fire such as manual thinning, logging, and mastication when possible.

In 2007, one of the most destructive fires in Tahoe’s history, the Angora Fire, destroyed 254 homes and structures within hours. Stoked by strong winds and overgrown forests with hazardous fuels, this fire burned 3,100 acres before being fully contained. This fire was the impetus to the Emergency Bi-State Fire Commission being formed. Collaborative efforts with federal, state and local stakeholders, the first Multi-Jurisdictional Fuel Reduction and Wildfire Prevention Strategy was created as a guiding document to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire and protect the social and ecological values in the Lake Tahoe Basin. This new ten year ‘strategy’ was essentially a compilation of the Community Wildfire Protection Plansfrom the local Tahoe Basin fire districts, the Wildland Urban Interface Plan, and the 2007 USFS Fire shed Assessment.

Today, through the diligent work of multiple agencies and the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), thousands of acres of hazardous fuels adjacent to communities have been treated, fire agencies are actively conducting defensible space inspections around homes, and public education and outreach programs continue through the Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities and Living With Fire programs.

The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District has been conducting prescribed fire operations since the mid-1990s. We have completed our fire break that spans both ends of our jurisdiction and focus on re-entry into these areas to once again mimic mother nature by conducting low-intensity fire operations that help to reduce the threat of wildfire in our community.

To date this season, we have burned 37acres of understory and 61 acres of piles.

If you would like to be on our Prescribed Fire Notification list, please email trancourt@nltfpd.net.

For information and current prescribed fire operations and forest fuels projects visit Tahoe Living With Fire website.

We hope this information has been helpful and informative.

Originally Published in Moonshine Ink 11/09/2023, Written Juliana Demarest

Crystal Bay Casino is ready to keep you movin’ and groovin’ through the end of the year, with some of North Tahoe’s favorite live bands.

Kick off Thanksgiving weekend with Elephant Revival and special guest Joe Purdy Nov. 24 when their West Coast tour stops at the CBC. Tickets are $40 plus fees. Elephant Revival is billed as a unique collection of multi-instrumentalists blending elements of Celtic, Americana, folk, and indie rock. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the shows start at 8 p.m.

The following night, Nov. 25, catch Jelly Bread for their 15th anniversary celebration, along with special guest The Last Waltz. Per the CBC, “Jelly Bread has risen from Reno/Lake Tahoe area favorites into a nationally touring powerhouse quintet that delivers a high-energy chameleonic playlist all over the United States.” The Last Waltz will hit the stage at 9 p.m. followed by Jelly Bread at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of the show. Music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance, $23 on the day of the show.

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*Photo Elephant Revival

Originally Published in The Tahoe Daily Tribune 11/17/2023, Written by Kayla Anderson

Local ski resorts are ramping up to provide a memorable experience for skiers and snowboarders that rival the last brumal season. Here are the new features/events/offerings/opening dates and parking changes to pay attention to at Tahoe’s downhill ski resorts in the 2023/24 season:

Now Open: Mt. Rose- Ski Tahoe

Boasting the highest base elevation of any resort in Tahoe (8,260′), the snow tends to fall (and stick) first here. With its 1200 skiable acres and 200-plus acres of black diamond and double-black diamond Chutes, Mt. Rose is a favorite amongst Renoites and advanced/expert skiers and riders. New this year, guests may notice a remodeled food court area in Lodgepole Café and great daily lift ticket deals for ladies, locals, and couples on Two ‘fer Tuesdays. Mt. Rose also just introduced $69 lift tickets on Mondays for hospitality and service workers and a partnership with the Tahoe Fund in which someone has the option to tack an extra dollar onto their daily lift ticket price to go towards the nonprofit. http://www.skirose.com

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*Photo Credit Palisades

Thanksgiving 2023

A young son is watching the TV news with his father… 

“Dad, how come all their houses are broken?”

“They are at war, Son.”

“Why?”

“Go ask your mother.”

“Mom, why are all their houses broken?”

“They are at war, Son.”

“Why?”

“Go ask your father.”

“He told me to ask you.”

“Alright then, I’ll tell you why their houses are broken. You see, Honey, grown men have this thing called testosterone. It’s a hormone that brings out the very best, and sometimes the very worst in men. Excess testosterone can cause package rage that can escalate into road rage, and escalate yet again into internecine warfare, and the breaking of houses.

“Do I have testosterone, Mom?”

“No, Honey, but you will soon enough, and it’s your father’s and my responsibility to raise you in an environment that will inspire you to become a clarion call for harmony between neighbors…all neighbors.”

As her son leaves the room, she finishes her thoughts by talking to herself…

“Dr. Martin Luther King told us, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’ Yet this recent spike in human depravity is demonstrating that justice is not inevitable. If we presume that progress is perpetual, well, we are going to fail.  

Each generation, in its turn, is responsible for maintaining the peace, as there will always be belligerents to muddy our otherwise pristine political waters. So it becomes each generation’s responsibility to keep our waters drinkable, or ‘potable’ as the saying is, though I don’t cotton to that particular word. To my mind, a potty-trained child could be called, ‘potable,’ not drinking water. And while I’m thinking of it, it seems to me that, ‘a temporary cease-fire,’ or ‘a limited pause in fighting’ are sanitized terms for, ‘temporary interruption in senseless killing.’ Just as ‘collateral damage’ is a nice clean term for, ‘Woops, sorry we murdered you, but you should have gotten out of the way.’

Warfare is so below us, and should be so far behind us as to be unfathomable, and yet we continue to find reasons to kill each other in the name of one god or another, one politic or another, one misplaced hatred or another. My grandmother used to have an expression that she would use on me when I came crying to her for a third time in an hour, ‘Oh, dry up!’ And I guess that is my mantra to those who feel a need to declare war or fight a war, ‘Oh, dry up!’ I can’t say it like my grandmother could say it, so that it carries the perfect pitch of authority and affection, but it will just have to do for now.”

Satisfied that she had solved the world’s troubles, our mother’s thoughts return to her Thanksgiving dinner…

“Let’s see, I better replace this kitchen sponge, for this one, like artificial intelligence, is about ready to get up and walk out of here on its own.”

Audio: https://anchor.fm/mcavoy-layne

Incline Village, Nevada – November 17th, 2023 -10:30 pm – Professional snowboarder Curtis Woodman is excited to announce the release of his latest film, Rebirth. The film is a celebration of snowboarding and its unique ability to transform lives by pursuing your passions. 

After two years of being off of the snow while taking care of his Pops, who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and passed last fall, Curtis returned to the mountains last season to ride in honor of his pops and reconnect with what he loves most. 

“Rebirth” was named after the song Curtis produced for the film in honor of his experience of last season being back on the snow. This part features Woodman exploring some of the most remote and challenging terrain in the Sierras strapped only with his Spring Break Snowboard, Union Bindings, Vert snowshoes and Raen Sunglasses. Curtis traverses the steep chutes, powder-filled peaks, elegant cornices, and backcountry booters during the record breaking snowfall of the 2022-2023 Season in and around Lake Tahoe. Watch Curtis take full advantage unleashing his unique skills to stylishly Surf the Sierras.

But more than just a showcase of snowboarding tricks, Rebirth is also a story about personal growth and transformation. Snowboarding has helped Woodman overcome the loss of his father and find his peace in an often overly complicated world. 

“Snowboarding is more than just a sport to me,” Woodman says. “It’s a way of life. It’s something that has helped me to grow as a person and to connect with others on a deeper level. I’m excited to share this film with the world and to inspire others to find their own rebirth through snowboarding.”

Rebirth will make it’s worldwide premier November 17, 2023 at the Higher Elevation Film Festival at the Incline Village Cinema in North Lake Tahoe, Nevada. It will be available for streaming on Slush the magazine’s website following the premier and on various video streaming platforms at a later date.
Rebirth will be showing alongside: XL, the newest film from Tanner Hall edit by the kid again, Goon Gear’s the Recipe, Another Shred Film by Tim Humphreys and Check the Feed presents Share the Feed at the Higher Elevation Film Festival at Incline Village Cinema. Friday November 17th for a special 10:30pm Showing. Official Genius will be hosting a Burger and Beer pre-party at Inclined Burgers to kick the winter season off right! 

About Curtis Woodman
Curtis Woodman is a professional snowboarder. He has been snowboarding for over 20 years and has surfed epic powder around the world. The Surf the Earth series in recent years, has focused on making films that showcase the beauty and excitement of snowboarding. Curtis would like to give a special shout out to his sponsors, Spring Break Snowboards, Union Bindings, The Donut Shoppe, Raen Eyewear, Mid Life Crisis Snow, Turn, and Official Genius for making this film and premier possible.
Woodman is passionate about using snowboarding to inspire others. He believes that snowboarding has the power to transform lives and to help people to overcome their challenges. He is excited to share his latest film, Rebirth, with the world and to inspire others to find their own “REBIRTH” through snowboarding. “We hope you can join us for the Worldwide premier Friday Nov. 17th at the Incline Village Cinema, This will be a great night to kick off the season with all the homies.” Woodman said as he ended the interview. 

Video Premier Tickets will be available at the Higher Elevation Smokeshop located on Tahoe Blvd in the Christmas Tree shopping center in Incline Village, Nevada. 

Higher Elevation Film Festival featuring;

The Worldwide Premier of Curtis Woodman’s new movie •Rebirth• 

The Tahoe Premier of XL, a Tanner Hall joint edit by that kid again.

Goon Gear’s “The Recipe” by Vermont Locs

Share the Feed a new movie by Check the Feed. 

Tim Humphreys 23’ season edit

And opening recap of the TSS shoot-out and more ! 

Friday, November 17th, 2023 -10:30 pm at Incline Village Cinema

Originally Published in The Tahoe Daily Tribune 11/11/2023, Written by Miranda Jacobson

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev.— Grocery Outlet will be opening officially in Incline Village on Thursday, Nov. 16, with owners Shannon and Ryan Parrish thrilled to be bringing service to another close-knit community. 

“We’re really excited to be in the community,” said Shannon. “The responses that we’ve gotten from people in the parking lot and at the post office, just talking to us, we’re really exited to be there and have our family business in Incline Village as well as Truckee.” 

The opening couldn’t come sooner for the duo, who have been price checking competition in the area to make sure that they are bringing the best prices to the neighborhood. 

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