Category: investing
Understanding the Laws That Protect Your Assets
The failure of First Republic Bankthis week marked the third major bank collapse in the past two months, following the demise of Silicon Valley Bankand Signature Bank in March. Combined, these three institutions had roughly $530 billion in assets and represented the largest bank failures since...
Understanding Stock Ownership, Earnings, and Dividends
Recently, a well-informed client asked me: "If I own 5% of a company's stock, does that mean I get 5% of the earnings?" It's an interesting question that got me thinking about company earnings, dividends, and valuation dynamics. The short answer is that owning 5% of a company's stock does not...
2023 Market Commentary: Bear vs. Bull
Like most investors, we are glad to view 2022 out of our rearview mirror. Last year, U.S. equities had their first annual decline since 2018 and their worst return since 2008. Fixed income was just as dismal and had its poorest performance in the last 50 years. The S&P 500 and U.S. Aggregate bond...
Considerations For Investing in Bonds
When many people think about investing, their minds immediately go to the stock market. However, the bond market is the largest securities market in the world, representing over $100 trillion of debt. The most common bonds include government, corporate, municipal, and asset-backed securities (where...
Market Commentary – A Fed in Transition
It has been a difficult start for the market in 2022 for both stocks and bonds. Certainly, a pause in performance wasn’t unexpected as the market has compounded at about 14% for the trailing three, five, and ten-year periods. We entered the year mindful of the risks of inflation on profit margins...
The Importance of Getting on the Same Financial Page as Your Spouse
I’m currently preparing to become an empty nester and recently lost my father-in-law. As a result, I’m thinking about the future and reflecting upon my own mortality, even more so than usual. Whether you’re dealing with the loss of a loved one, children moving on to college, or other landmark...
Why An Estate Plan Is Essential For Investors
A new President brings new priorities and a new fiscal plan to fund those priorities. Consequently, there has been much discussion this year of potential impacts to income and estate taxes. Despite a lot of conversation and preliminary proposals, we still lack clarity on what changes may ultimately...
Is Inflation Back?
As the economy reopens and we begin our post-pandemic lives, the world is starting to feel normal. However, many market prognosticators are calling for something that has not been present in America for a long time – a sustained period of above average inflation.
Keep an Eye on Proposed Tax Changes to Fund U.S. Economic Stimulus Plans
The fiscal stimulus train in Washington has continued to move forward. To date, Congress has passed several stimulus plans totaling an eye-popping $5 trillion to help mitigate the negative financial impact of the pandemic on Americans from coast to coast.
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...