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Happy Halloween!
That spooky-yet-sweet time of year is coming – Halloween! Whether the costumes you or your kids wear are homemade or store-bought, whether the pumpkins by your home are hard-carved or plastic, whether you trick-or-treat in the...
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Will Fed Chair Powell Get a Second Term?
Financial markets tend to function best when they have clear, strong leadership. When there’s concern about who’s the boss, markets can struggle.Jerome Powell’s first term as Fed Chair ends in February 2022. Until...
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Weekly Market Insights: Debt Ceiling Raised
The overhang of bumping against the federal debt ceiling was lifted last week with an agreement to extend the debt ceiling through early December, helping propel stocks to a weekly gain.The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 1...
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Weekly Market Insights: Stalemate in the Capitol
Higher bond yields and a legislative stalemate in Washington, D.C., added up to losses for the week.The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.36%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 2.21%. The Nasdaq Composite index fell...
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Fallout from the Chinese Property Market
There’s a famous saying about a hurricane starting from a butterfly flapping its wings on the other side of the world. That “butterfly effect” is certainly happening in terms of the Chinese property market’s...
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Weekly Market Insights: Wild Week of Contagion Concerns
Stocks prices were whipsawed last week, dragged initially lower by financial contagion worries and later lifted by a supportive Fed policy statement.The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.62%, while the Standard & Poor’s...
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Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month
From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s time to honor the culture and contributions of the Hispanic and Latin Americans that make up our great nation.National Hispanic Heritage Month started...
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Weekly Market Insights: Stocks Lackluster Despite Positive Outlook
Stocks weakened ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve meeting and amid persistent concerns about the Delta variant’s impact on the economy.The Dow Jones Industrial Average was flat (-0.07%), while the Standard &...
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Weekly Market Insights: Passage of Infrastructure Boosts Stocks
Looking past inflation figures and Delta variant trends, stocks last week found a way to climb higher and set fresh record highs in the process.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.87%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500...
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Weekly Market Insights: Market Shows Small Loss
The stock market posted small losses last week despite a very strong showing by corporate America.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.36%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 0.37%. The Nasdaq Composite index dropped...
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Economic Lessons from Used-Car Inflation
Inflation is defined as the general upward price movement of goods and services in an economy. The key word is “general.” Inflation tends to be uneven and affects the price of some items more than others.If you’ve...
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Weekly Market Insights: Strong Employment Reports
Strong employment reports and rising consumer confidence sent the stock market broadly higher last week.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.02%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 picked up 1.67%. The Nasdaq Composite index...
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Weekly Market Insights: Stocks Reach All-Time Highs
Stocks reached new all-time highs last week as markets staged a strong rebound from the previous week’s declines.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.44%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 picked up 2.74%. The Nasdaq...
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Weekly Market Insights: Fed Signals Interest Rate Hikes
New messaging from the Federal Reserve on interest rates and inflation last week led to a broad retreat in stock prices.The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 3.45% while the Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 1.91%. The Nasdaq...
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Weekly Market Insights: Stocks Stay Cool, Inflation Heats Up
Stocks ended the week mixed as investors appeared to shrug off a hotter-than-expected inflation report.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.80%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 advanced 0.41%. The Nasdaq Composite...
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Weekly Market Insights: Labor Numbers Positive
A strong, but not too strong, employment report sparked a rally on the final day of trading, propelling stocks to a modest gain for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed by 0.66%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500...
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Inflation Outlook for 2021
As our nation continues to recover from the effects of COVID-19, one economic trend has been capturing news attention as of late. Consumer prices are rising amidst economic recovery. In fact, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.8%...
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A Seven-Year High for Gas Prices
Over Memorial Day weekend, gasoline prices hit the highest for this holiday weekend since 2014.1With the Colonial Pipeline outage in the rear-view mirror and an ever-increasing number of adults vaccinated, formerly cooped-up motorists...
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Volatility Tests Your Mettle
Most people understand that stock prices don't go straight up. But when market volatility increases, the price action can test the mettle of even the most seasoned investor.In recent weeks, stock prices have trended lower with a few...
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The Whims of Wall Street
It can be exhausting trying to keep up with the whims of Wall Street.Lately, the financial markets have been fixated on federal taxes and what may be proposed on Capitol Hill in the weeks and months ahead.Wall Street’s focus on...
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Buffett and Powell Talk Inflation
What does it mean when two of the most powerful voices in American financial life seem to be saying two different things?In one corner, we have the “Oracle of Omaha,” investor Warren Buffett. As one of the nation’s...
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Cyberattack, CPI Hit In the Wallet
A cyberattack shut down a major gas and energy pipeline supplying the East Coast of the United States for several days. The actual pipelines themselves are still functional and have since started running again, but it’s led to...
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Has 2020 Volatility Thrown Your Allocation Out of Whack?
The financial markets have been on a wild ride in 2020. The year began with a continuation of the bull market that started in 2009. The longest bull market in history, however, came to an abrupt end with the arrival of the COVID-19...
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Fourth Quarter Preview: What to Expect for the End of 2020
It took just under five months for it to happen. On August 17th, the S&P 500 closed at 3389.78—an all-time record. That record is also significant because it means the index officially recouped all losses from the downturn that...
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COVID Economic Update: Is a Second Stimulus on the Horizon?
As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into its seventh month, leaders in Washington are debating a second stimulus bill. On August 8, President Trump signed executive orders that extended the federal unemployment benefit, but reduced the...
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Is a resurgence threatening our recovery?
The United States set a somber record on Thursday, July 16, 2020, with more than 75,000 new COVID-19 cases. In fact, the U.S. set new single-day COVID-19 records 11 times between June 17 and July 16. Dr. Anthony Fauci predicts the...
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Can You Count on Social Security to Fund Your Retirement?
Social Security is a critical piece of the income puzzle for most retirees. In fact, half of married retirees and nearly 70% of unmarried retirees rely on Social Security for more than 50% of their retirement income.1 Your Social...
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5 Ways to Reduce Your Taxes in Retirement
What are the biggest expenses you’ll face in retirement? Healthcare? Housing? Travel? All of those costs could be significant, but one of the biggest could be taxes. That’s right. Just because you’re done working,...
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Financial Moves to Consider in a "Down" Year
It’s hard to find good news in today’s economic environment. COVID-19 single-handedly brought an end to the longest bull market in history and ushered in record-setting unemployment. If you’re like millions of others...
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Is It time for an economic recovery?
The first half of 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride. The COVID-19 pandemic completely altered our way of life and threw the economy into a tailspin. Most states have started the reopening process, but there is still significant...
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Take a look at the asset winners and losers in 2020
We’re halfway through 2020, and the year has already been a rollercoaster. We’ve seen a global pandemic, record unemployment and racial protests across the country. And let’s not forget, there’s a presidential...
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Are "Penalty-Free" 401k Withdrawals Free?
On March 27, the government passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, otherwise known as the CARES Act. The Act had a wide range of provisions to provide Americans and small businesses with economic support during...
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Investing After Retirement: Tips to Protect Your Nest Egg
Saving for retirement can often feel like climbing a mountain. It takes immense planning and discipline to reach the summit - the moment when you can finally retire and leave the working world behind. Much like climbing a mountain,...
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What's Next for a COVID-19 Economy?
The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic continues, even as states start to reopen restaurants, retail stores, and other businesses. The crisis brought an end to the bull market that started in 2009 and threatens to usher in...
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3 Ways the SECURE Act Benefits Women
It seems like the entire world has revolved around the coronavirus for the past two months. It has changed our way of life, the way we work, and even the way we interact with friends and family. Believe it or not, there have been other...
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What to do after you max out your 401(k)?
Are you one of the more than 58 million Americans who use a 401(k) plan to save for retirement? As of the end of 2019, 401(k) plans held more than $6.2 trillion, which accounts for nearly 20% of all retirement assets in the United...
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Potential Investment Opportunities During a Difficult Time
The stock market crash of 1987. The tech bubble in the early-2000s. The financial crisis of 2008. And now, the coronavirus pandemic. What do all of these things have in common? They all involve sharp market downturns that end a bull...
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What Do Zero-Percent Interest Rates Mean for You?
The coronavirus pandemic has launched the country, and the world, into uncharted territory. In much of the world, society is essentially shut down. Schools and large events are closed. People are staying in their homes. Businesses have...
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What Steps Should You Take in a Coronavirus Economy?
The coronavirus has taken the world, and the U.S. economy, by storm. After the longest bull market in history, the stock market is now deep in bear market territory.1 Businesses, sports, leagues, and schools have shut down. This is an...
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The CARES Act: What Does it Mean for Your Retirement?
On March 27, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which provides economic support to Americans who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. You’re probably familiar with the...
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