Refreshing Snippets
Stock Market Volatility and Fed Rate Cuts
What’s driving this decline and why such a departure from the first quarter? The simple answer is… investors’ changing expectations for Fed interest rate cuts.
A Hidden Gem: Embracing the Power of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
Most of us understand the need to save for retirement by contributing to a 401K plan or an IRA. Health Savings Accounts (HSA) are less discussed and are more than just savings accounts; they are key players in promoting financial health and enabling a brighter, more secure future.
Estate Planning Is Key To Ensuring Your Life Wishes Are Fulfilled
Here’s a quick checklist that will help you and your spouse outline a legacy plan that will protect your assets, care for each other in the event of incapacitation, and give you both some peace of mind.
Government Debt Ceiling Deja Vu
Debt ceiling talks and ramifications for investors and the U.S. government are the top news stories of the day. Bond and stock markets have been volatile as the June 1st date deadline (when the government runs out of money) quickly approaches.
Silicon Valley Bank - What Really Happened?
The financial markets were shaken by news of Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) failure and the implications for other banks and the economy. Why did SVB fail and what are the implications?
Another Fed Hike & Midterm Elections
With only one and a half months to go before year-end, a year of negative performance is coming to a close. And, it has been a tough one. What can we expect for the next six weeks?
August CPI Data - Why the Sell-Off?
Why would a small 0.1% increase in CPI cause such a big sell-off in the markets?
The answer: because analysts were expecting a 0.1% decline for August instead of an increase (albeit a small one at that). An increase of 0.1% indicates that inflation remains high from a year-over-year perspective (at 8.3%) and may not be moderating as hoped.
Women and Wealth - Managing An Inheritance
Women should understand that receiving a large inheritance can dramatically improve their lives and those around them. However, sometimes a sudden influx of money may cause stress, confusion, and conflict.
10 Key Signs That It's Time for A New Advisor
Women have more financial responsibilities than ever before, and now, more than ever, a financial adviser is key to keeping your portfolio on track and achieving your financial goals.
The Fed Gets What It Wants
It's well known that two emotions drive market prices: greed and fear...and fear is at the helm right now. There are more sellers than buyers, causing security prices to decline, but if you stand back and look at the bigger picture, this is exactly what the Fed wants. The Fed is managing inflation by affecting consumer demand.
The Market Sell-Off In Perspective
Today, the Dow Jones Index fell 1,060 points ( 3.1%) and the S&P 500 index fell 3.6%. Year-to-date, the DJIA and SPX indices are down 9.2% and 13%, respectively. Investor sentiment and market commentary are extremely negative...is it time to pull out of the markets?
A Woman’s Guide to Retiring Early and Bridging the Gap to Medicare
Early retirement may be planned or unplanned, but either way, stopping work results in big lifestyle changes. Protecting your health at all stages of life is crucial to taking care of your well being.
The Ukraine Invasion and the Markets
The news about the invasion of Ukraine is distressing on a humanitarian level and unsettling when thinking about the impact of increased volatility on investment portfolios. Let's break it down and look at some of the threads we're tracking.
Positioning for Retirement with Equity Compensation
Creating a retirement income plan from stock requires more proactive and consistent planning. It may also fit into your retirement income planning in a different place than traditional savings.
Better Investing by Managing Emotions
Some believe that you can remove emotion from decision-making, but we’re human. Everyone has emotions. The important part is learning how to manage them while managing your money.
Determining A Stock Option Strategy
When you receive stock options, the company does not hand you shares of stock right away. Instead, you receive the right to purchase shares of company stock at a certain price, in most instances below market value.
A Tax Lens on Retirement Investing - Asset Location
Asset location is a retirement strategy that prioritizes investing in a combination of tax-free, tax-deferred, and taxable accounts to maximize after-tax returns. The return profile of the asset and how it is taxed can make a great deal of difference to both the overall return of the portfolio over time and the amount of taxable income generated each year.
Living Longer: The Importance of Planning for Long-Term Care
Since women tend to outlive their partners, building a long-term care plan is just as important as planning for retirement. For many retirees, healthcare costs are their most significant expense and without proper planning, those costs can make for a stressful retirement.
The Difference Between Trading and Investing
The key thing to remember when differentiating between trading and investing is the goal of the action. So let's take a step back and understand the differences between investing and trading and the place each of these styles has in an investment strategy.
Estate Planning: Streamlining the Transition
Planning the transition of your assets isn’t just about maximizing the amount passed on and simplifying the handover – it’s really about ensuring that the help, devotion and wisdom you provide for your loved ones now can continue even after you are gone.