We are pleased to present you with our second quarter market review. The more wide spread rollout of Covid-19 vaccines allowed both US and global equities to advance during the second quarter with the S&P 500 index reaching a new all time high. US and global bonds also saw modest increases during the last quarter. Although the…
At the end of March one year ago, the stock market was down by approximately 30 percent; certainly an abysmal first quarter, but as we now know, the markets went on an unexpected tear for the rest of the year. The first quarter of 2021 continues this momentum propelled by three factors: vaccine progress, government stimulus and expectations for more economic…
Last Thursday, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) into law. This article breaks down the major provisions of the Act that impact investors, retirees, families, and small businesses. Please know that there are many additional provisions in the 600+ page Act and we are here to help you decipher anything that affects…
It’s been a while since we last discussed Bitcoin on the Stone Pine blog. However, we’ve received a steady increase in the amount of questions regarding the cryptocurrency, particularly so in the last few months. No one can deny that Bitcoin has become quite popular, and while we don’t recommend cryptocurrencies as an investment, it is worth…
The year 2020 proved to be one of the most tumultuous in modern history, marked by a number of developments that were historically unprecedented. But the year also demonstrated the resilience of people, institutions, and financial markets.Here we present you with the 2020 Market Review. We encourage you to not only look at the short term market but to step…
Late last night President Trump signed the new stimulus bill, which is part of a larger federal funding bill, into law. While this bill is over 5000 pages in length we’ve synthesized some of the major points that are pertinent to retirees, investors, and small business owners. STIMULUS CHECKS With similar rules as the CARES Act stimulus…
Early retirement is an aspiration many of us have during our working years. For those who’ve been diligent savers and have managed to accumulate a significant nest egg in their early 60s or even before, early retirement may be in reach, congratulations! The joy of this great accomplishment can often be shattered by the sobering realization that…
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…