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Market Outlook: New Year – New Decade
As the trade dispute with China seems to be moderating, the Fed in December maintained its federal funds rate target at 1.50 – 1.75%. After raising rates nine times since 2015, the Fed reversed course this year and cut rates three times. It also indicated it did not expect to make any change to its…
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A Microwave is Not a Great Retirement Planning Tool
When it comes to saving and planning for retirement, that old saying “slow and steady wins the race” is pretty accurate. Regular and consistent saving allows for time (and compound interest) to do the work of growing your nest egg; and is like cooking with a crockpot. The alternative of course is to do nothing…
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3rd Quarter Market Commentary – The Fed Speaks
Against the backdrop of an intensified trade dispute with China and a softening economy, the Fed lowered its federal funds rate target by another quarter point at its September 18 meeting. The target rate now stands at 1.75 – 2.0 percent. After raising rates nine times since 2015, the Fed reversed course this year and…
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Inversion Confusion
On August 14, the classic inverted yield curve (10-year treasury yields lower than 2-year treasury yields) reared its ugly head for the first time in over a decade. Since then it has flashed warning signs several times. So far the inversions have only occurred temporarily on an intraday basis with the inversion ending before the…
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Portfolio Manager Commentary
Our outlook at the moment is “cautious”. Many factors are leading us to take this approach with our investment portfolios: • The Trump administration ratcheted up tensions with Iran by threatening retaliation against the alleged Iranian shootdown of a U.S. drone over international waters. • U.S. Treasury yields are down in anticipation of a rate…
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Building Your Retirement Income Pyramid
One of the biggest concerns we hear from clients that are thinking about the transition to retirement is “How am I going to replace my paycheck? “ This is a major point of stress for pre-retirees and retirees and there isn’t always a clear cut solution. In some ways, creating retirement income is like a…
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Utilizing Tax Diversification and Tax Location to Lower Your Tax Bill
As an investor, the tax implications of an investment should always be on the forefront of one’s mind. Ignoring the consequences of a trade or opening the wrong type of account can create unintended tax burdens for an investor, sometimes without ever even withdrawing money from an account. If designed correctly, utilizing different financial account…
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2019 First Quarter Recap
1st Quarter Market Commentaryby Scott Spiering, Founder and Chief Investment Strategist Coming off its worst quarterly performance in 7 years the S&P 500 made a substantial rebound from December 2018 lows. The rebound is being largely attributed to improving expectations for a trade deal with China and the end of tariffs. The Fed’s “dovish pivot”…
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