Category: markets
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...
Inflation: Past, Present, and Future
Inflation has been a part of human society as long as goods and services have been exchanged for one another. In ancient Rome, emperors and senators actively tried to manage inflation by striking the ideal balance between money supply and growth. In the thirteenth century, King John of England...
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...
Staying Focused on Your Financial Plan
In today’s volatile global economic environment, it’s more important than ever to stay focused on your financial plan. An updated financial plan will assist in guiding your actions to help you be proactive, rather than reactive, regarding changes to the economic landscape.
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...
Staying Grounded During Turbulent Times
The first quarter of 2022 has been anything but calm. After robust returns across markets during 2021, volatility returned meaningfully. This year began with growth stocks continuing a steep decline that started late last year, followed by indications the Fed would reduce its balance sheet and...
Market Commentary – Taking Stock of the Bull and Bear Case
Market indices have had heady returns over the last several years. The S&P 500 index has had double-digit gains in five of the previous six calendar years, compounding at an 18.5% annual rate over the past five years and a 16.5% clip over the past ten years. Comparatively, since 1928, the index has...
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.