Blog

by Dan Zalipski, CFA & Scott Rosenquist, CFA

Market Update

The U.S. equity markets moved higher over the past month.  They found support in economic reports on expanding manufacturing and service sector activity, strong retail sales, and a positive employment report.  Fixed income trimmed their year-to-date losses as investors sought out safety from trade related headline risk.  International markets continue to struggle this year as trade-related concerns and a stronger dollar continue to weigh on the space.  The trade issue has also spilled over in to commodities, which have suffered a recent price collapse as fears of a global slowdown continue to build.  

 by Jonathan Alton, CFP®

Now that we’re well past peak tax season, it’s the perfect time to lay back, relax, and possibly fall for a scam phone call asking for a tax debt you “owe.” These tax scams really do happen, and it’s important that you stay vigilant and know how to differentiate a scam from a real IRS contact.

by Scott Rosenquist, CFA

2018 FIRST HALF RECAP

The first half of 2018 is behind us and it already has been a busy year in the financial markets both domestically and internationally. 

 by Jon Flaherty

Maybe you saw it written on the wall.  Or, maybe you felt blindsided by the news.  The fact is, job layoffs happen.  If you’ve ever lived through a layoff, then you know it can be challenging both emotionally and financially.  The good news is that you can take steps now to lessen the impact a layoff could have on you and your family. 

by Dan Zalipski, CFA & Scott Rosenquist, CFA

Market Update

Investors over the past month have done their best to sort through the headlines and their potential impacts on the markets.  The North Korean summit was cancelled, and then happened.  Trade ‘wars’ were called off only to be back on days later.  Italy flirted with crisis when two populist parties struggled to form a coalition government.  With all this commotion, the U.S. markets moved higher over the past month on the back of favorable economic data and solid corporate earnings. 

by Scott Rosenquist, CFA

RECESSION LOOMING?

The current U.S. economic expansion that started in the middle of 2009 is now the second longest on record.  Such a prolonged expansion may leave some investors asking, “When will it end?”. 

 by Thomas Rueger, CFP®

With the recent Equifax data breach, as well as the many other smaller, but no less damaging breaches, it is best to recognize that your personal data may have been exposed and could be in the hands of the bad guys who will either use it or sell it to someone that will. Because of this, we should all have a good working knowledge of what identity theft is, how we can try to protect ourselves from it, and what to do if we become a victim of it.  

by Dan Zalipski, CFA & Scott Rosenquist, CFA

Market Update

The equity markets continue to be volatile.  Both the U.S. and international developed markets have had substantial moves this year yet remain relatively close to where they started.  Looking only at 2018, the S&P 500 was up nearly 7% at one point in January, only to find itself down 4% in early February.  It recovered to positive 4% in early March, only to find itself down 4% by the end of March.  At the time of this writing, the S&P 500 has had 32 trading days with moves of 1% or more in 2018 according to DataTrek’s Nicolas Colas.  An average year will see around 50 days with 1% moves in either direction, and with the historically volatile months of August and October still to come, it’s likely we will exceed that mark.

by Scott Rosenquist, CFA

Q1 EARNINGS

First quarter earnings have been rolling in over the past few weeks and the numbers have been quite strong. As of last week, close to 80% of the companies in the S&P 500 have reported. Many of them are doing better than expected when compared to analyst estimates. This feat is known as an earnings “surprise”.

 by Jonathan Alton

A successful retirement is so much more than just having enough money to live on.  As financial planners, we often focus on the financial aspect of retirement. The social, emotional, and physical health side of retirement are just as important as having proper funds. In fact, you won’t really know how much money you need in retirement until you know how much you want to do. I will discuss several common retirement goals and how to prepare for success.