Year End Tax-Planning Checklist
As we shake off the food coma induced by turkey, yams, and cranberries, we turn to the next round of holidays. While our focus is likely – and should be – on the traditions of family get-togethers, gifts, and yes, more food, we should not lose sight of another important one: year-end tax planning. As […]
Election Outcome: What It Means for the Markets and Your Investments
Finally!! With the 2024 Presidential Election behind us we thought it was appropriate to discuss the outcome and what we will be doing strategically. While not a surprising outcome for the presidency, we were amazed at the magnitude of the victory for President Trump, the Senate flip to Republican, and what looks to be the […]
Quarterly Review: Q3 2024
The U.S. stock market continued its positive momentum in the 3rd quarter, with the S&P 500 gaining 5.4%, bringing its year-to-date gain to 22.0%. This marks five consecutive months of gains and 10 out of 11 for the broad index. In fact, the S&P 500 closed the quarter at an all-time high. Notably, during the […]
Quarterly Review: Q2 2024
The first six months of 2024 in the domestic equity markets mirrored how 2023 finished, with the S&P 500 up by nearly 15%. This strong performance widened the gap between domestic and foreign stocks, with the U.S. outperforming by over 10%. One of the driving factors in this disparity is the heavier weighting of the technology sector […]
Giving in Your Golden Years
Charitable giving is an important goal for many individuals and families. As people age and their wealth evolves so too should the manner in which they give. While cash and appreciated securities are the two most popular methods of giving available to everyone regardless of age, the option of giving via qualified charitable donations (QCDs) is oftentimes […]
A Roadmap to Saving for Retirement
For those entering the workforce or those that have been working for years, but only now have the capacity to begin saving for retirement, figuring out where to start can feel like a daunting task for many. Questions like “What type of account should I use?” “What is the difference between a Roth and a Traditional […]
Protecting Ourselves Against Fraud
While fraud risk is nothing new, it is worth reminding ourselves that it is out there and a constant risk to all of us. In addition to reminding ourselves, it is important to take the time to educate our kids and grandkids of the risks, help them identify red flags, and develop prudent practices to […]
FDIC Insurance
Given the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, the topic of FDIC insurance has come up more lately than it has at any point since the financial crisis of 2008. We do not write this piece out of any sort of fear. We do not have concerns about the strength of the overall […]
Market Update
We thought it would be appropriate to share the chart below to illustrate that we have been in this type of volatile stock market before. The chart shows six bear markets going back to 1980 and how the S&P 500 behaved within the life of each. The circles highlight the various double-digit positive returns during […]
Market Turmoil
Given the volatility in both the stock and bond markets, we wanted to explain what is causing the market dislocations and what we are doing about it. The cause is simple: inflation. Higher prices are rippling through the economy and stock market. In the chart below, you can see changes in prices in different components. […]