Category: Investing
Speculating vs. Investing
Over the past several weeks, significant volatility in the share price of video game retailer GameStop dominated news headlines. The shares began to soar at the end of January when investors united on social media platforms to drive the stock price higher (an outcome that was possible given the company’s relatively small size and limited…
Our Perspectives on 2020
When we wrote to our clients at the end of 2019, we opened with the following message: “As we begin a New Year and a new decade, many financial experts are polishing their financial crystal balls in an attempt to predict what the market will – or won’t – do in 2020 and beyond. The…
How to Determine Your Ideal 401(k) Asset Allocation
There are three major factors that impact your retirement goals: how much money you save, how long you save, and the rate of return on those savings. Quite often, investors focus on their short-term rate of return, which is the factor over which they typically have the least control. In fact, research conducted by Vanguard…
Why the Dow and S&P 500 Don’t Tell the Whole Story
At the end of August, ExxonMobil, Pfizer, and Raytheon Technologies were replaced in the Dow Jones Industrial Average by Salesforce.com, Amgen and Honeywell International. ExxonMobil’s removal is notable because the company has been a member of the Dow for more than 90 years: Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, a predecessor to ExxonMobil, was added…
Asset Allocation: The Importance of Maintaining a “Balanced” Approach in Today’s Market Environment
As with most things in life, it’s uncommon to find a free lunch in investing. Generally speaking, investment returns tend to be commensurate with the level of risk incurred. However, it seems some investors are questioning that rule and reacting to the current low interest rate environment by reducing their allocation to high-quality fixed income…
9 Tips to Build and Manage Your 401(k) Account
You’ve signed up for your company’s 401(k) plan, but that’s only the first step in saving for retirement. Keep in mind that the primary factors which determine your success in adequately funding your retirement are how much money you save, how long you save, and the rate of return on your savings. Social Security income…
What Should You Do with Those Old Retirement Accounts?
You’ve worked hard over the years and diligently contributed to your workplace retirement account. You focused on the right things, like proper asset allocation, receiving the full employer match and deferring enough from each paycheck to reach your retirement goals. After all, you’re not planning to work forever. What will you do with your 401(k),…
Stock Market vs. Economy
Between a double-digit unemployment rate, sputtering economic activity, and a pandemic that has now taken the lives of more than 120,000 people in the United States, there was plenty to be worried about as equity markets plummeted in the month of March. And after the S&P 500 declined by more than 30% from its February…
Speculating During the Pandemic
At a time when casinos around the country are temporarily closed due to COVID-19, Americans have found a new avenue for wagering: short-term trading in the stock market. In addition to stay at home orders, there have also been technological improvements that enable anytime access to trading platforms, as well as a meaningful reduction in…
Survivorship Planning Checklist
In many families, one partner takes a more active role in handling the finances than the other. Often, this division of labor stems from fear, time pressure or lack of interest. Regardless of the root cause, having one spouse exclusively handling family finances can put the other partner in a difficult position in a time…