The third quarter of 2020 has surprised many investors. Back in March, very few people would have imagined the US market would hit new highs in the month of September - while we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. This is a good example of the difficulty to accurately predict future markets based on current…
The volatility of the current state of the economy and stock market, in conjunction with 2020 being a presidential election year, has many folks wondering where their portfolio stands if the election goes red or blue? Of course, what happens to the stock market is not as simple as accurately predicting what happens on November 3rd. In fact, who…
There’s a whole lot going on in the world today. While no crystal ball exists to tell us how the future will play out, we don’t need to panic, rather, we need to plan. We like to think of this as making some lemonade out of lemons. Here are 5 things to consider which will help you…
The first quarter of 2020 started with record stock market highs and then a steep decline due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. While the US and international stock markets are down sharply for the quarter, both the domestic and global bond markets are up from the beginning of the year. For those near, or in retirement, the…
We get it, it's natural and justified to be worried about the coronavirus (COVID-19). As the virus spreads around the world, still much is not known, including the severity in the U.S. Bonds It’s important to remember that most people have an allocation to both stocks and bonds. Bonds have been a common complaint from people over the…
THE FACTS The coronavirus has been making news headlines not only for its severity and rapid spread, but also for triggering volatility in global stock markets. While 2020 gains may be fluctuating at the moment, China’s prompt and internationally coordinated response to the coronavirus may offer some reassurance that the economic (and human!) effects can be limited.…
Think back to the beginning of 2019. We had just ended the worst year for the financial markets since 2008, and the media was predicting a gloomy year ahead. Many people thought we had seen the end of the bull market and tough times were on the horizon. 2019 turned out very different than predicted. In fact,…
At the end of December Congress passed into law the SECURE Act, the implications have a significant impact on retirement. As your financial advisors, we are keeping abreast of the new legislation and doing lots of research so we can assist you with taking advantage of the changes. There will be many new strategies for optimizing retirement…
They say hindsight is 20/20 but we think taking a moment to plan for the year end and the year ahead can give you some 2020 foresight... pun intended! We get it, it’s holiday time and your focus is probably not on your finances, but in actuality, year-end is an important time to take stock of where…
The Social Security Administration announced earlier this month the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) will be a 1.6% increase. While this raise is lower than last year’s, the increase is tied to the consumer price index (CPI) which means inflation is currently low. This is typically a good thing. Low inflation boosts employment, makes it more…