Category: The Market

First Quarter 2023 Review and Outlook

David Martin

As you’ve likely seen, there was plenty of drama driving the markets in the first quarter 2023, culminating in bank worries that sent volatility higher and stock prices lower. The headlines over the first three months of the year were beyond scary. They started with consensus among economists that recession…

Categories: The Market

Your Retirement Planning: “Too Big to Fail”

Thad Schlaud

Many of us remember the phrase “too big to fail” from the 2008 financial crisis and cringe now that its use has been resurrected during the coronavirus pandemic. Others remember that the term was also used in 1984 by U.S. Congressman Stewart McKinney when he talked about the FDIC’s intervention…

Categories: Industry Ideas, The Market

Most Investors Perceive Losses as More Impactful

Thad Schlaud

When managing personal finances and investments, people frequently exhibit irrational behavior for different reasons. If you’re one of these folks, be fair to yourself: It doesn’t even take a spate of market zigzags like we saw recently to prod you into questionable decisions. Everyone makes choices about money nearly every…

Categories: The Market

Third Quarter 2022 Review and Outlook

David Martin

The third quarter of this year started out so promising. After the worst first half since 1970, the S&P 500 rallied 17.4% from its June 16 low to its August 16 high. But stronger-than-expected inflation reports, and a hawkish Fed proved to be too much for the market, and the…

Categories: News, The Market

Elon, Twitter, and the Importance of Due Diligence

Thad Schlaud

Elon Musk – the world’s richest person – recently announced that he was pulling out of his agreement to buy Twitter (good luck!), saying that there was a lack of information about the number of Twitter users made up by bots. In a letter sent to Twitter, Musk said that…

Categories: News, The Market

Don’t Believe That This Bear is Different – It’s Not

Thad Schlaud

Bull markets happen. Bear markets happen. Just stick to your financial plan and stay calm and disciplined. When the market sours or slumps, don’t believe talk that this bear is different. It is not. History shows this is true. When markets decline, they do so rapidly and painfully. The subsequent…

Categories: The Market

The Fed Raises Rates, Should You Sell Bonds?

Thad Schlaud

Don’t let public perceptions drive your investing because that’s speculating. On May 4th, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 50 basis points and scaled back other pandemic-era economic support, as it stepped-up its fight against the highest inflation we’ve seen in 40 years. “Inflation is much…

Categories: News, The Market

It Might Not Be Enough to Diversify at the Asset Class Level

Ben Klamo

Traditional investing, frequently coined a “buy and hold” investment strategy, incorporates a mix of assets that create a portfolio of investments. This portfolio of assets generates an expected return given an investors’ risk profile. We refer to this type of investing as Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA). At the core of…

Categories: News, The Market

First Quarter 2022 Review and Outlook

David Martin

U.S. equities closed out their first quarterly loss in two years with the S&P 500 Index falling 4.9% in Q1, the first quarterly decline since the 20% plunge in Q1 2020 at the start of the pandemic. The first Fed rate hike since 2018, the highest inflation in 40 years,…

Categories: The Market