The Bond Market: How Attractive is Fixed Income Today?


Looking at the bond market today, we can see that bond prices still haven’t fully recovered from the unprecedented decline of 2022.     While 2022 is not that far behind us, let’s remember how unprecedented the decline actually was.   Over the last century the bond market has seen an average intra-year decline of approximately -3.5%,…

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Investing: Is it Gambling?


Investors often refer to the stock market as gambling, no different than that of a casino.   Well, we would agree with that sentiment.  But not in the way most investors think.   As most people are aware, when you enter a casino the odds of every game favor the casino, some by a wider margin than…

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Feast or Famine: Markets are Unpredictable


Over the years we have referred to various sources to demonstrate data points on the financial markets in past articles that strive to provide a better understanding of how markets have historically performed, and what type of volatility has accompanied this performance.   In the illustration above, courtesy of AMG, we can see some interesting information…

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2025: Important Retirement Plan and Tax Law Changes


As the calendar turns to the new year, things rarely stay the same, and that applies to financial planning, as tax laws and retirement plan changes evolve.  This year there will be some impactful retirement plan changes from the Secure Act 2.0, which was passed in late 2022.  Also, there are increased limits and thresholds…

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S&P Stock Concentration: What Does History Tell Us?


Most investors have heard of market indices such as the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrials, but not all know exactly what that means.    Market indices can be constructed differently.  But in the case of the S&P 500 index it is a mathematical formula of the top 500 public companies in the United States…

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Real Estate: Should I Rent or Own?


It’s not uncommon to hear many young people suggest that home ownership is now unaffordable compared to generations past.  In some of the more expensive areas of the country, this may very well be true.  What about those that can afford a home, is it even worth it?   One of the reasons for home…

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How Long Does it Take the Market to Recover?


A common theme of concern among investors that most financial planners will hear just before a client is about to retire, or possibly already retired is that “I don’t have time to recover from a big market downturn”.   The assumption is that you’re too far along in your life to be able to hold your…

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Elections: How Much Do They Matter?


The democratic process of electing our leaders is fundamental to our republic of representative government.    But how much do elections matter?  Well, that depends on what you are asking the question about.    Elections certainly matter in terms of policy changes that can impact international relations, social policy, regulatory policy, as well as economic policy.    However,…

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Using a Trust as an IRA Beneficiary: Does it Make Sense?


One of the more common estate planning mistakes we have seen over the years is the use of a trust as a beneficiary of an IRA account.    This is not to say that such a strategy never makes sense.  However, it rarely does make sense for most investors.   A trust can serve several purposes…

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