Imagine it is early January 2010 and you are reading a review of the financial markets. Investors have been on a roller coaster over the past three years, living through the stress of the global financial crisis and market downturn of 2008–2009, then experiencing the recovery that began in March 2009 and is still going strong. Investors who rode out … Read More
2019 Q4 Economic Update
In this Q4 recap: Equities maintain their momentum to close out a strong year on Wall Street, helped by a slight thaw in the U.S.-China trade dispute and some better-than-expected domestic economic data. Q4 Market Recap Movement in U.S.-China trade negotiations, an accommodative Federal Reserve, evidence of decent economic growth – all this brought some fourth-quarter tailwinds to Wall Street. … Read More
The SECURE Act
Long-established retirement account rules change. Published January 7, 2020 The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act is now law. With it, comes some of the biggest changes to retirement savings law in recent years. While the new rules don’t appear to amount to a massive upheaval, the SECURE Act will require a change in strategy for many … Read More
Measuring the Value of a Financial Advisor
One study asserts that these relationships can make a difference for investors. What is a relationship with a financial advisor worth to an investor? A 2019 study by Vanguard, one of the world’s largest money managers, attempts to answer that question. Vanguard’s whitepaper concludes that when an investor works with an advisor and receives professional investment advice, they may see … Read More
End-of-the-Year Money Moves
Here are some things you might consider before saying goodbye to 2019. What has changed for you in 2019? Did you start a new job or leave a job behind? Did you retire? Did you start a family? If notable changes occurred in your personal or professional life, then you will want to review your finances before this year ends … Read More
2019 Q3 Economic Update
In this Q3 recap: the U.S. and China intensify their trade dispute, but agree to negotiate again, the Federal Reserve cuts short-term interest rates once more, and stocks ride through some volatility to end the summer higher. Q3 Market Recap Summer doldrums? Not exactly. The third quarter brought a number of attention-getting events, and while investors took some cues from … Read More
The SECURE Act and Traditional IRA Changes
What is it? How might it affect retirement strategy? If you follow national news, you may have heard of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act. Although the SECURE Act has yet to clear the Senate, it saw broad, bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and could make IRAs a more attractive component of your retirement … Read More
Here’s the Prescription: How to Improve Your Financial Health
Improving someone’s financial health is a lot like improving their physical health. The challenges associated with pursuing a better financial outcome include diagnosis of the current situation, development of the appropriate course of action, and sticking with the treatment plan.
2019 Q2 Economic Update
In this Q2 recap: stocks rise, fall, and then soar, as the Federal Reserve shifts its thinking and new chapters unfold in the ongoing U.S.-China trade dispute. Q2 Market Recap The S&P 500 certainly experienced volatility during the second quarter of 2019, but it also gained 3.8% across those three months. U.S.-China trade negotiations unwound, but as the quarter ended, … Read More
2019 Q1 Economic Update
In this Q1 market recap: the Federal Reserve alters its outlook, the truce in the trade dispute holds, the real estate market strengthens, and stocks make an impressive comeback from Q4, even as growth concerns mount. The Quarter in Brief The strongest first quarter for stocks in 21 years featured all kinds of news. Central banks revised their outlook on … Read More