Category: investing
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. Resurgent demand bolstered by mass...
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...
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.
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,...
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.
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...