Five New Year’s Resolutions Every Investor Should Make

You owe it to yourself to take these steps for a healthier financial future.   Markets had a good 2020 and it’s almost a given that we will have a 10-15% pullback in early 2021 but based on current economic numbers, low-interest rates, and light at the end of the tunnel on the COVID crisis, we are planning…

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The Bull Is Back… Will It Keep Charging?

On August 18, 2020, the S&P 500 set a record high for the first time since COVID-19 ushered in a bear market on February 19. The cycle from peak to peak was just 126 trading days, the fastest recovery in the history of the index, erasing losses from an equally historic plunge of almost 34%…

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IRS Clarifies COVID-19 Relief Measures for Retirement Savers

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March 2020 ushered in several measures designed to help IRA and retirement plan account holders cope with the financial fallout from the virus. The rules were a welcome relief to many people but left questions about the details unanswered. In late June, the IRS…

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Form CRS: Helping You Understand the Financial Professional Relationship

Have you received what’s known as “Form CRS” from your broker-dealer and/or registered investment advisor? If not, then sometime in July 2020, you likely will. A new requirement by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the form is designed to help you clearly understand the nature and cost of services you receive from your financial…

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Q2 2020 – Second Quarter Stock Market Commentary

There is an old saying on Wall Street, “The stock market is not the economy and the economy is not the stock market.” We all got a little taste of that this past quarter when we saw a negative -4.8% GDP in the first quarter and predictions of negative -30% to -50% GDP for the second quarter. We saw record…

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2020 First Quarter (Q1) Market Commentary

Most economic slowdowns occur over time with a slow deterioration of Employment, Consumer Confidence, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Companies generally tighten their belts and the Fed and Government make monetary and fiscal policy changes to help soften the blow and eventually we come back slowly. It’s called the business cycle. We have been going…

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Coronavirus Concerns? Consider Past Health Crises

During the last week of February 2020, the S&P 500 lost 11.49% — the worst week for stocks since the 2008 financial crisis — only to jump by 4.6% on the first Monday in March.1 By all accounts, the drop was largely driven by ever-increasing fears about the potential effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its…

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2019 Q4 Market Commentary

One year ago, the market was convinced that our economy was headed for a recession and we began 2019 on the heels of one of the worst quarterly market returns in more than a decade.  This could not have been further from the truth.  Once the market figured out that a recession was not happening,…

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All about IRAs for 2020

An individual retirement arrangement (IRA) is a personal retirement savings plan that offers specific tax benefits. In fact, IRAs are one of the most powerful retirement savings tools available to you. Even if you’re contributing to a 401(k) or other plans at work, you might also consider investing in an IRA. What types of IRAs…

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