2Q 2017 Market Commentary
The markets continued to march higher into the 2nd quarter. With the strong finish, it marked the eighth straight month of gains for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The Dow is now enjoying a rise of 8.0% for the year…
Retirement Planning (It is never too Early)
Retirement is one of the biggest experiences that you will have in your lifetime. The planning takes many years of hard work and persistence. The headaches and uncertainty can be reduced with homework, investment plan, and a long term commitment.…
What Are Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)?
Required minimum distributions, often referred to as RMDs or minimum required distributions, are amounts that the federal government requires you to withdraw annually from traditional IRAs and employer-sponsored retirement plans after you reach age 70½ (or, in some cases, after…
3 Potential Benefits of Dollar Cost Averaging
We put together this short presentation video as a reminder and overview of the three primary benefits of dollar-cost averaging. It is appropriate for investors considering or already utilizing a systematic investing plan, including retirement plan participants in a 401k…
The Fall of a “Titan” – Even the Best Underperform
In 2014, hedge fund “titan” Bill Ackman managed to earn a 40% return, dramatically outperforming the S&P 500 by over 26%. His fund saw an influx of new investor money and its portfolios’ values ballooned to about $20 billion! As of…
5 Keys to a Long Term Strategy in a Volatile Market
Five Keys to maintaining a Long Term Strategy: Maintain Perspective– quick impulse decisions can undermine long-term growth. Patience has rewarded stock holders throughout history. Know your Goals– Focus on your investing objectives and keep your systematic investment approach to reaching…
A Shift to Value?
Over the last several weeks we have seen a sharp drop in the stock market. Is this a simple correction or something more? Or could there be something else going on? It is hard to turn on the financial news…
What you should do after winning the Powerball jackpot?
We thought we would have some fun with this as Powerball fever sweeps the nation. Someone, somewhere in America or a group of people are about to have their live’s changed forever. We have all heard about the horror stories…
Tax loss harvesting energy investments
Your year end tax and investment plan should include tax loss harvesting your energy investments. If you hold energy sector investments in your taxable investment accounts chances are you have loses. Now could be a good time to do a…
Q3 2015 Market Commentary
The markets just wrapped up their worst quarter in five years. All three major indices entered correction mode during some point in the quarter, meaning they had dropped 10% below their recent highs. For the quarter, the S&P 500, DOW,…