Blog

By Tom Rueger, Financial Planning Analyst

What is an HSA?

An HSA (Health Savings Account) is a “tax advantaged” account that is designed to allow you to contribute money that you can use to pay for (or be reimbursed for) your qualifying medical and dental expenses. Qualifying expenses can also include: Long-term care premiums; COBRA premiums; and Medicare premiums if you are 65 or older (excluding Medicare supplemental policies).

by Dan Zalipski & Scott Rosenquist, CFA

Market Update

The recent rally has resumed after briefly pausing in January.  Over the past month we have seen the equity indices all move higher.  The latest move up is broad, includes developed markets, both domestic and abroad, as well as emerging markets. 

"What are the most common mistakes clients make before utilizing Vantage’s services?" We get asked that a lot. We offer the following so you can avoid these pitfalls before it is too late.

Do you wonder if your words matter, if you can make a comeback or if you can buy cars with cash?  These articles will help encourage you to make wise decisions with your life.

by Dan Zalipski & Scott Rosenquist, CFA

Market Update

Another year in the books.  From Brexit to the U.S. Presidential Election, 2016 was a year of surprises, some good, and some bad.  The first half of the year saw volatile swings as concerns about the economy dominated the markets sending them into correction territory. 

by Scott Rosenquist, CFA
Dow 20,000

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) is one of the oldest stock market indices in the world dating back to the late 1800’s.  The index contains 30 stocks of companies from the United States with most of them well known.  The Dow has been approaching the level of 20,000 since late last year, a level it has never reached.  It came within a point of that mark just recently.  Since the Dow contains only 30 stocks it does not provide the best measure of the broad market.  Most institutional investors refer to the Standard & Poor’s 500 when assessing the market. 

While last month’s blog focused on Year-End Tax Planning tips, I would like to shift our attention towards the tax reform proposal by President-Elect Donald Trump.  President-Elect Trump offered up several tax proposals on the campaign trail, but his final proposal was released in September 2016.

by Dan Zalipski & Scott Rosenquist, CFA

Market Update

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  Over the past month we’ve seen different parts of the markets make the naughty or nice list.  U.S. equities indices continue to rally, hitting all-time highs, on the prospects of a Trump Administration bringing about higher growth and lower taxes through new policies and initiatives.

by Scott Rosenquist, CFA
Inflation and Financial Markets

The financial markets have been processing the election results for almost a month now and there have been some notable moves.  We’ve seen sector rotation in the equity market from utilities and consumer staples to more cyclical areas including industrials and financials.  In the bond market, the yield on the 10 year U.S. Treasury has moved up sharply above 2%. This move reflects a change in expectations for GDP growth and inflation.  Inflation has been extremely low since the financial crisis and the market is now starting to reflect higher expectations in the future given the potential large increases in government spending through infrastructure.

by Jon Alton

The end of the year is approaching fast, but there is still time for everyone’s favorite topic: saving tax dollars. There’s a lot of things you can do to lower your tax bill before year end. I will briefly cover several topics, but reach out to your Relationship Manager to see if there are other options available or if you would like to learn more about a specific strategy.