To Inform: It’s tax season! And I just realized this is the 20 year anniversary of my last busy season preparing tax returns. Fond memories – truly. As I reflect on those years, aside from the tax planning strategies I gleaned, I learned so much about HOW financial advisors can best work with tax preparers. […]

To Inform: I have a chair at home I sit in every morning where I have my coffee and devotional time. Often toward the end of that time I will read the Wall Street Journal and look at the news. The headlines and pictures of explosions in Ukraine stir a fury of emotions. Our prayers […]

To Inform:  It seems like you can’t go an hour without seeing a headline about inflation, or interest rates, or Ukraine. These are all important developments for the market, but they’re all clearly getting their time in the sun. We’ve talked about those issues at some length, and they continue to be front page news. […]

To Inform: The past week has seen two major economic data releases. First, January’s jobs number was much better than expected. Payrolls increased by +467,000 jobs which was higher than virtually every economist’s forecast (which ranged from -400,000 to 250,000). Upward revisions to prior months’ data only strengthened the case the employment market is robust. […]

To Inform:  Mike Tyson, the electrifying boxer known for interesting aphorisms famously once said, “Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth.” Tyson was referring to an upcoming fight with Evander Holyfield and Holyfield’s “fight plan.” As a full-service wealth management firm, our view is that planning is important, but equally important […]

To Inform:  We love Roth IRAs!  Tax-free growth for a lifetime – what’s not to love?!  If only we could put all our savings in a Roth IRA.  Well, unfortunately, there are limits to funding Roth IRAs and one in particular, the income limit, presents some challenges for many of our clients.  For some, there […]

To Inform:  Financial markets have gotten off to a volatile start in 2022 with interest rates rising and the closely watched S&P 500 index of U.S. stocks down approximately -6% (through January 20) with many technology stocks down even more. Within our Investment Strategy Team meetings, we’ve said that when the market has a more […]

To Inform:  It’s fair to say that 2022 started with a bang. Reminiscent of the start to 2021, bond yields took off in the first week of 2022, with the yield on the US 10-Year Treasury Bond rising from 1.51% on December 31 to an intraday high of 1.80% on January 7. This increase in […]

To Inform: The first week of the year is a time to look back, compile the official market data for the prior year, see what worked and what did not work, and use it all to inform decisions for the year ahead. Let’s look at some observations across major asset classes. Note:  Index Return data […]

To Inform: “Bah! It’s humbug still. I won’t believe it!” These words, uttered by Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens’ novel “A Christmas Carol” come just before the ghost of Scrooge’s old partner Jacob Marley pays him a visit. Hearing a disturbance down the hall, Scrooge dismisses it. Sometimes investors make the same mistake Scrooge did. We […]