To Inform: The Joseph Group’s Investment Committee met this week. Among the agenda items was a regular exercise where members rank their asset allocation views (underweight/neutral/overweight) across the five primary asset classes we use in constructing client portfolios. It’s always an interesting exercise, and usually one that stimulates interesting debate. One asset class discussed was […]

To Inform:  Earlier this week the Federal Reserve (in surprise to virtually no one) cut interest rates by 0.25%, taking the upper band of the Fed Funds range from 4.50% down to 4.25%. The Fed Funds rate influences short-term interest rates for things like money market funds so cash savers should expect to see lower […]

To Inform: A favorite activity at my home is when dad throws batting practice to the boys, when I can find the strike zone, that is. When the kids are feeling cheeky (and maybe my pitches are a little wild) they like to toss back more than one ball at once. Usually, I try to […]

To Inform: One of the greatest benefits of working at The Joseph Group for a person in my seat is the opportunity to get face time with the portfolio managers we’ve entrusted with the responsibility of managing our client’s capital. This past week, Senior Investment Analyst Jerry Brown and I had a conversation with a […]

To Inform: “Money is a tool. Used properly it makes something beautiful; used wrong, it makes a mess!” — Bradley Vinson Making financial decisions can feel like a headache and it’s hard to know how to prioritize. Should I pay off my car loan or keep excess cash for an emergency? When do I start […]

To Inform: Earlier this week, Joseph Group Chief Investment Officer, Alex Durbin, and I had the opportunity to talk to a group of clients and friends about what we are seeing in markets in our quarterly Portfolios at Your Place Zoom event. We set the stage talking about the current landscape: U.S. stock market indexes […]

To Inform: Every so often we find it useful to do a roundup of the asset class categories we invest in for our clients at The Joseph Group and to highlight some of the key drivers affecting those asset classes. As you may recall, we view the world through the following lenses: High Quality Bonds, […]

To Inform:  Much has been made of the most recent tax bill that was passed earlier this summer (including Alex Durbin’s take on what it means for the markets, available here.) As many are now aware, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB for short) was signed into law by President Trump on July 4th. […]

To Inform: Summer and country music (the good stuff, mind you) go hand in hand. Now I know I’ve used these pages before to express my love for country music, so if you’ll indulge me, I’m going to do it again. I recently wrote a commentary for our 401(k) plan clients that reminded me of […]

To Inform:  Yesterday, I was in a client meeting with a beloved friend who had a long career in public service. As we were talking about investments and his family’s terrific looking financial plan, he said, “oh, I forgot to tell you – my Social Security went up by about $1,000 per month because of […]