Financial Advisor
Financial NewsExplore the latest financial news and insights locally and around the globe.
Market Commentary – August 19, 2019
Don’t let volatility get you down.Last week was the 40th anniversary of BusinessWeek’s infamous cover headline: ‘The Death of Equities: How inflation is destroying the stock market.’ The publication’s current iteration, Bloomberg Businessweek, reported it...
Market Commentary – August 12, 2019
Global selloff. Quick comeback.Investors boomeranged from stocks to safe havens and back as trade tensions between the United States and China intensified last week. The Economist reported:“On August 1st President Donald Trump warned that he would soon...
Market Commentary – August 5, 2019
Tariffs strike again.The Federal Open Market Committee completed what it called ‘a mid-cycle adjustment’ with a quarter-point rate cut last week. Some investors were unhappy when Fed officials implied there would not be another reduction this year. They’d...
Market Commentary – July 29, 2019
The MarketsIt has been said there are two sides to every story. Just look at world financial markets. Stock markets and bond markets are telling very different stories. In the United States, stock markets were blue ribbon winners last week. The Standard...
Market Commentary – July 22, 2019
The MarketsDid last week mark the start of a new policy for the Federal Reserve?The U.S. Federal Reserve has a reputation for providing little transparency about the timing and direction of potential rate changes. That reputation was challenged last...
Market Commentary – July 15, 2019
The bulls are running.Last week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index set a new record, closing above 3,000 for the first time. Other major U.S. stock indices also finished at record highs, reported Barron’s. Company fundamentals, investor sentiment, and...
Market Commentary – July 8, 2019
What will the Federal Reserve do now? There was unexpected economic news last week. On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced 224,000 new jobs were added in June, which was more than analysts had anticipated. The gains were offset a bit by...
Market Commentary – July 1, 2019
In the infamous words of Mortimer Snerd, “Who’d a thunk it?”After U.S. stocks dropped sharply during the last weeks of December 2018, investors were not optimistic about the future. Early in January 2019, the State Street Investor Confidence Index dropped...
Market Commentary – June 24, 2019
Everything went up – and that’s unusual.Randall Forsyth of Barron’s explained, “Like our major political parties, the stock and bond markets seem to live in two different worlds these days. The former sits at record levels, suggesting we live in the best...
Market Commentary – June 17, 2019
Are we on the cusp of change?The United States is doing quite well. Randall Forsyth of Barron’s reported: “…the U.S. economy and stock market both seem to be doing better than OK, thank you, as the expansion and bull market celebrate their 10th...
Market Commentary – June 10, 2019
Surprise! It was a great week for markets.Since the U.S.-China trade conflict resumed in early May, investors have been off balance. The possibility of escalating tariffs on Mexico heightened economic uncertainty. Then, last week’s unemployment report...
Market Commentary – June 3, 2019
Tariff trouble.Just two weeks ago, the U.S. government lifted tariffs on Mexico and Canada. So, it was a surprise last week when President Trump tweeted the United States would impose an escalating tariff on all goods imported from Mexico until the flow of...
Market Commentary – May 28, 2019
U.S. stocks have had a great run.During the past decade, the profitability of U.S. companies increased rapidly. Strong corporate earnings helped the U.S. stock market outperform markets in other nations by a significant margin. According to Capital...
Questions To Ask A Financial Advisor
The recent volatility in the stock market has again become a wake up call to many investors.
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Advised Brokerage Accounts Are Better Diversified, Reports Schwab
The report highlights the benefits of working with an advisor. In general, participants who had professional help were more diversified across all of their holdings
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Red Flags for Tax Auditors
No one wants to see an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) auditor show up at his or her door. The IRS can’t audit every American’s tax return, so it relies on guidelines to select the ones most deserving of its attention.
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Six Steps To Financial Independence For Women
Financial independence: Whether you enjoy it or dream about it, it’s a common term that you’ve probably seen in magazine ads, TV commercials and billboards. But what really does financial independence mean, exactly?
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Understanding Credit Reporting
To qualify for the best loans at the lowest rates, borrowers must qualify financially and are scored by lenders using a computerized model for evaluating credit risk, developed by Fair, Isaac, and Company, known as the FICO score. Learn more
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Documenting Your Possessions in Case of Disaster
It’s better to protect yourself now and document your possessions rather than trying to do it after something has happened. A home inventory will give you an accurate recording of your assets for insurance purposes and give you a better idea of how much homeowner’s insurance you need to ensure proper coverage.
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Organizing Your Financial Records and Emergency Forms
Would someone be able to find your important papers during a crisis if you became ill, injured, or incapacitated? It’s a good idea to make sure a trusted family member or friend knows where to find your personal documents.
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5 Benefits of Working in Retirement
In the past, retirement has been portrayed as an ending, a grand exit from your years in the workplace. But the rules are shifting.
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The Drawback Of Target Date Mutual Funds
If the majority of fund management won’t even invest in their own target-date retirement funds….why should you?
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Just How Safe Is An Insurance Company, Really?
When you think about the car you drive, the house you live in, the health plan you use and the life insurance policy you have, it’s not a stretch to say insurance is an intrinsic part of our daily lives.
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Credit Freeze - You should consider it!
It’s been over a year since Equifax, one of the three largest credit reporting agencies in the U.S., revealed they’d been hacked.
What did you do to protect your data?.
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Should Parents Pay for College Tuition?
It’s a pricey question.
College Board estimated the average cost for full-time, in-state students who live on campus at four-year public colleges or universities during the 2017-18 school year is $25,290.
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Just Say NO to Pie Charts!!
Pie charts look nice coming out of a color printer, but they can’t help manage investment risk
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An Investment Advisor’s Blueprint To Making Solid Financial Decisions
A common mistake people make is to give up what they want most for what they only want right now. Pick which goals in your life are most important to you, and make achieving those goals your utmost priority. Then…
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Enjoy Life. Hire Someone To Watch Your 401K
Have you ever thought you’d be happier if you could just pay someone else to do watch your company 401K retirement plan account?
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The 7 Rules of Investing
From 1977 through 1990, Lynch ran one of the most successful mutual funds ever, posting an average annual return of 29%.
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Considering A 401K Rollover?
What to do with an old 401K?
One great thing about a 401K retirement savings plan is that your assets are often portable when you leave a job.
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Have You Checked Out Our Retirement Planning Library?
While retirement planning can seem intimidating, it’s never too early or too late to start preparing for the future.
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Common Financial Terms
We have compiled a list of important financial terms. If you don’t speak personal finance, don’t worry—we’re here to help.
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Inverted Yield Curve – Should You Worry About A Recession?
If you ask an economist what makes them toss and turn at night, chances are they’ll tell you, “Fear of missing the warning signs of a recession.” After all, for anyone who studies the economy for a living, few things could be worse than a sudden economic...
Q&A on the trade war
China has introduced a new weapon to use in the trade war with the United States. That weapon? Its own currency.On Thursday, August 1, President Trump proposed a new slate of tariffs on Chinese goods. In response, the Chinese central bank devalued its...
Tariffs and Tweets
When Twitter first launched back in 2006, its creators probably never imagined that a single “tweet” could make the stock market plunge. But that’s exactly what happened on Thursday, August 1, when President Trump tweeted the following:“…the U.S will...
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Plan
Throughout history people have made inheritance choices that are inexplicable to others. In 1926, Harry Houdini left his magical equipment to his brother, his pulled-from-the-hat rabbits to the children of friends, and a series of random words to his wife....
Understanding Credit Reporting
Historically low interest rates present a welcome opportunity for many homeowners to improve their financial situation by refinancing their mortgage. But, like everything else in the world of finance, there are no free lunches. To take advantage of these...
The importance of time management
It may sound strange to hear a financial advisor say this but achieving the things you care about most requires more than just money. There are certain habits and behaviors that, while not directly related to finance, can spell the difference between...
5 Benefits of Working in Retirement
In the past, retirement has been portrayed as an ending, a grand exit from your years in the workplace. But the rules are shifting. Labor force participation among those aged 65-74 is predicted to reach 32 percent by 2022, up from just 20 percent in...
Will you be able to fly after October 1, 2020?
Did you know you will not be able to fly or access Federal facilities after October 1, 2020 without having your driver’s license updated to the federally mandated REAL ID? It is not mandatory that states update their driver's licenses, but citizens will...
Happy July 4th!
This July 4, I hope we all can take a moment to reflect on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence. It goes beyond politics and partisanship. It’s more than a historical artifact. It’s the foundation upon which our nation rests.
How financial advisors provide value to those saving for retirement
What if I said that people who try to invest for retirement on their own have almost 50% less in their accounts than those who use an experienced financial advisor? Would you be surprised? The proof is in the numbers.
One of the Most Important Things We Do for You
Over the past several months, you’ve most likely heard or seen some combination of the following predictions: If someone was forced to do nothing but read headlines and predictions, they would probably get whiplash. That’s because there’s always so much...
Three financial principles our fathers taught us
It’s June, and that means Father’s Day! As you know, Father’s Day is a chance to tell our dads how much we love and appreciate them. A chance to say “thanks” for providing for us, protecting us, and teaching us – this last above all. The older I get, the...
Red Flags for Tax Auditors
No one wants to see an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) auditor show up at his or her door. The IRS can’t audit every American’s tax return, so it relies on guidelines to select the ones most deserving of its attention. Ever wonder why some tax returns are...
