Now that we have your attention with that eye-grabbing title, there’s definitely something to the idea that stocks perform better the year after a sitting president wins reelection. “Think about it—usually when a president wins reelection, it means the economy is going pretty strong, so stocks tend to do well,” explained LPL Financial Chief Market […]
The annual Medicare Open Enrollment Period is the time during which Medicare beneficiaries can make new choices and pick plans that work best for them. Each year, Medicare plan costs and coverage typically change. In addition, your health-care needs may have changed over the past year. The Open Enrollment Period — which begins on October […]
With Election Day just under a month away and voting already taking place in many states, it is still anyone’s guess who will win on November 3. With all of the noise surrounding the election, we prefer to focus on the signals coming from the market. However, perhaps even the market is having a tough […]
Stocks fared well during the third quarter despite September’s weakness, with the S&P 500 Index returning about 9%. The quarterly gain brought the return through the first nine months of the year to 5.6%. Here we peel back the onion on the third quarter’s stock performance to look at what worked and what didn’t. Growth beat […]
If you’ve been wondering how to optimize your finances and ensure your money continues to work for you, a financial professional may be able to help. But the thought of turning over your most sensitive financial information to a near-stranger can be an intimidating one. To make this relationship work, you’ll need to place a great […]
An old Wall Street adage says bond markets are smarter than equity markets, so when stocks encounter volatility, investors often look to the bond market for clues about the potential severity of equity market weakness. The option-adjusted spread (OAS), a key data point, adjusts a bond’s yield for any unique features of the bond in […]
At some point in a child’s development, all parents wonder: how can I best teach my child the value of money? Parents who grew up in more modest circumstances than their own children can struggle to balance the desire to provide their children with the luxuries they never had with the importance of delayed gratification. What are some tools parents can […]
If you’ve been diligently saving for your retirement, you may often find yourself wondering when you can afford to set an official retirement date. The answer to this question can often depend on how much monthly or annual income your retirement portfolio can generate. Read on for three tips to help you plan your income […]
On March 23, 2020, the S&P 500 Index closed down 2.9% for the day, bringing its total loss from its all-time high to 33.9%. The index was in the midst of its fastest bear market ever. A day earlier, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had ordered the statewide closure of all non-essential businesses in an effort […]
September is National Life Insurance Awareness month. And while most of us likely recognize that life insurance provides us peace of mind and security, there are still some startling statistics that are likely not known. For example, did you know that: Four in 10 adult Americans have no life insurance at all? Only 35% of […]
