Most people know that once they approach retirement age, their reward for years of work comes from Social Security payments they put money towards during their employment. Deciding when to file for your Social Security payments is likely what you may focus on, but there are some other Social Security benefits you may be […]
Enduring Market Volatility With a Financial Plan
If you hope to retire soon and are concerned about what the future may hold for your investments, you are not alone. Inflation has many retirees and soon-to-be retirees worried about outliving their savings and investments.1 What might you do to survive and even thrive during volatile markets? A financial plan may help you […]
Wading Through Financial Stability Risks: An Action Plan
The Federal Reserve (Fed) has a history of raising short-term interest rates until something “breaks.” Considering the Fed has raised rates from a near-zero level to 4.75% (upper bound) over the course of only one year, it was almost a near certainty this time would be no different. Recent bank failures suggest things are indeed […]
Latest Equity Asset Allocation Views
Last week did not play out how we anticipated. Coming into the week, it was all about Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s congressional testimony and the February jobs report. Instead, we got a shockingly fast collapse of a financial institution with over $200 billion in assets, which turned the market’s focus toward the stability […]
SVB Collapse
Dear Valued Investor, Financial markets were shaken last week as Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the California bank subsidiary of SVB Financial Group (SIVB), fell into FDIC receivership. SVB is the first FDIC-insured institution to fail since 2020 and the largest by assets since Washington Mutual failed in 2008. Prior to the latest distress, the bank […]
No Landing = No Sense
Suggesting an economy makes “no landing” makes no sense. Analogies eventually break down, especially this one. Economic activity does not stop like an airplane eventually does, but rather the economy will settle into a steady state where growth is consistent with factors such as population and productivity. Here we take a look at some […]
Waiting for New Highs
Dear Valued Investor, Financial markets have experienced quite a bit of change this year in just two short months. We started the year hopeful that stocks would benefit from a better economic and monetary policy environment by the spring, but recent developments suggest that may be further out than we initially thought. We remain confident […]
Spring Cleaning Your Investments
Spring is traditionally the time to clean the garage and to get the yard in shape. It’s also a great time to clean up your investment portfolio. Going into the final days of tax season, this is a perfect opportunity to get rid of clutter, review your asset allocations and make the necessary changes if […]
When to Call Me: Times to Call Your Financial Advisor
Most of us go to see professionals when we’re in trouble or during times of crisis. Think about it. We go to the doctor when we’re sick. We go see a lawyer when we have a pending legal matter. We go see a counselor when we’re feeling depressed. As a financial advisor, unfortunately, I often […]
Reducing Credit Card Debt Without Depriving Yourself
Credit card use can be beneficial to your finances if managed appropriately. Learning to balance credit card use with spending habits while also saving can positively impact your finances over time. Credit card use often helps increase one’s credit score if the balances are paid in full each month and on time. However, mismanaging credit […]