Refreshing Snippets
Your Risk Profile Heading Into Year-End
As year-end approaches, it's a great time to reassess your investment strategy. Being aware of your risk profile will help you navigate this period confidently and ensure your portfolio is aligned with your long-term goals, particularly as retirement nears.
Three Reasons to Take a Sabbatical in Retirement
A sabbatical can also be a transformative experience for retirees. By putting a pause on your current retirement schedule, you can expand your ideas about what retirement can be and explore new ways to achieve satisfaction, joy, and value in your retirement years.
10 Financial Tips for Single Women
For women, whether you’re single, divorced, or separated, money management will become an important part of your life. You don't necessarily need to spend a lot of time getting your finances in order. It is often simply a matter of attending to the “basics.” The following best practices may help you stay on track.
How One Data Point Moved the Markets
The year started out with a bang! From the start of the year to mid-July 2024, the S&P 500 gained 19.5% and the Nasdaq QQQ gained 25%. Since then, and including today’s sell-off, these indices gave up 8.3% and 13.5%, respectively. What a reversal! What could lead to the pullback we’re seeing in the stock market these last few trading days?
The Stock Market - “Taking A Breather”
In the context of the stock market, "taking a breather" refers to a temporary pause or slowdown in the movement of stock prices after a period of significant gains or losses.
Passing Wealth - Is Equal Distributions the Best Approach?
A more practical approach to division of assets may be one in which you recognize and compensate for differences in the abilities and needs of your children, even at the risk of producing some conflict. Through your estate plan, you have a chance to provide a measure of fairness that your children may not have found in their own lives.
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.