| 1.866.677.PLAN (7526)Don’t Avoid Family Conversations About Money
One of the first discussions a young couple may have when starting a family is about affordability. How will they pay for child care? Will one spouse quit their job to stay home and raise the child? Here are a couple of interesting facts that may enter that equation:1 The average income for first-time mothers…
Read More »Stock Market Roundup: What to Watch
Between 1926 and 2018, the S&P 500 experienced double-digit annual losses only 11 times. Not only did the market recover, but the index has never permanently lost ground in any rolling 15-year period during that timeframe.1 While past performance is no guarantee of future results, that bit of history is good for stock investors to…
Read More »Boosting Financial Literacy is a Top Priority
Financial literacy has always been a challenge. However, now that much of the burden of retirement income has shifted to employees instead of employers, it is all the more important that we begin teaching the principles of saving and investing to people as early as possible.1 In a recent survey, 44 percent of Americans said…
Read More »Why Buy an Annuity When the Market is Up?
Perhaps you are familiar with an annuity. The basic premise is that you convert a lump sum of money into a stream of income. Unlike an investment, once you commit a fixed amount of money to the insurance company, that company is contractually obligated to provide you a minimum level of income with the option…
Read More »Tech Trends
There are different formulas for launching highly successful companies. First, create a product that solves a problem that no one knew they had — for instance, how online search engines replaced encyclopedias. Then, there are ideas that help solve problems that plague millions of people. Back pain, for example. Not only do approximately eight in…
Read More »Retirement: Savings and Financial Health
As many baby boomers near retirement, some new facts are coming into focus. According to the latest Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on retirement security, 29 percent of households aged 55 and older have no savings set aside for retirement and no pension. If that doesn’t change, they’ll be relying solely on Social Security during…
Read More »Real Estate Investing
Investing in real estate can be an option to help diversify a portfolio because the market isn’t directly correlated with stock and bond markets. You don’t have to buy properties and become a landlord to participate, and there are a number of different financial vehicles available based on an investor’s key objectives, timeline and tolerance…
Read More »We Had a Strong Q1 2019; What’s the Outlook for the Rest of the Year?
The first quarter of 2019 proved to be a strong one. The S&P 500 posted a 13.1% gain (the highest quarterly gain since 2009), the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 11.15% and the Nasdaq increased by 16.5%. Bond investors in both developed and emerging markets saw three consecutive months of positive returns. Oil prices…
Read More »2019 Market Prognostications: What the Experts Say
By the end of 2018, not one of the eight asset categories tracked by Ned Davis Research was on track to post a return greater than 5 percent. Since it’s common for the market to yield at least some “winners” and “losers” among asset classes each year, this was a significant phenomenon that hasn’t occurred…
Read More »Responsible Investing Options Keep Sprouting
Nearly $23 trillion of assets worldwide are managed using responsible investing (RI) strategies, a 25 percent increase since 2014, according to the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance. New funds focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have also doubled since 2014.1 RI used to suffer under the guise of a do-good passion project or something…
Read More »Pros and Cons of Municipal Bonds
U.S. stock markets were enjoying an eighth consecutive year of a bull market until volatility toward the end of 2018 erased all of the past year’s gains.1 In times like this, as share prices continue to bounce back and forth on a day-to-day basis, investors close to or in retirement often transition to more conservative investments.…
Read More »Stability Grows for Emerging Markets
Thirty years ago, developed markets were seen as much more stable than smaller, emerging countries. But as political division and uncertainty permeates the West, the differences have faded, and emerging markets (EM) have shed the high-risk perception that accompanied foreign investment. Sound government situations, conservative monetary policy and lower levels of debt were once staples…
Read More »Ready to Take The Next Step?
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