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The COVID-19 Risks of Trying to Time the Market

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Success is achieved by time in the market, not in timing the market For the past two months, the market declines and market rallies have been historic, as COVID-19 introduced a level of uncertainty that was difficult to quantify, let alone predict. And if the stock markets hate one thing, it is uncertainty.  Consider this:  The stock market took just 23 days to drop 34% from its all-time high, the fastest bull to bear drop in history. During this time, the market ended negative 74% of the time.  The stock market has

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Financial Advisor, Financial Planning

Benefits Of The CARES Act For Businesses

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A summary of the biggest economic bill in history for businesses The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security act – the CARES Act – is the largest economic bill in U.S. history and was designed to “provide emergency assistance and health care response for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.” Spanning close to 900 pages, the CARES Act builds upon earlier versions of federal government support and is the third such bill, coming shortly after the

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CARES Act Financial Advisor, Financial Planning

Benefits Of The CARES Act For Individuals

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A summary of the biggest economic bill in history for individuals The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act – the CARES Act – is the largest economic bill in U.S. history and was designed to “provide emergency assistance and health care response for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.” Spanning close to 900 pages, the comprehensive aid package covers a lot, including direct payments to Americans, expanded unemployment insurance, changes to retirement rules, and billions

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bear wearing a face mask with plummeting stock prices in background

Quarterly Market Commentary – 1st Quarter 2020

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Markets Close 1st Quarter of 2020 by Rewriting the Record Books The first quarter of 2020 is over and investors are glad that it’s in the rear-view mirror. Remember when your parents said, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all?” It was that kind of quarter. Here is a quick snapshot: The DJIA lost more than 23% for the quarter, its worst since the fourth quarter of 1987 It was the worst first quarter for the

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Bear Market and the coronavirus

What Do You Really Know About Bear Markets?

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The Coronavirus Bear Kicked The 11-year Bull Off Of Wall Street Very Fast A “bear market” occurs when stock prices are falling, and then widespread pessimism sustains the continued drop in prices.  The stock market becomes a bear market whenever stock prices have fallen over 20% from their previous highs, as seen in market indexes like the S&P 500. Investors lose confidence in the market as they anticipate further losses.  A “bull market”, on the other hand, comes with rising stock prices and increasing investor confidence.  Stock prices rise by at least

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children in professional clothing looking at financial documents

Who is Doing Your Taxes? Are They Qualified?

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Make sure they can certify your tax returns and have the right credentials Tax season looms, but who will prepare your return? If you don’t do your own, then make sure your preparer has the right professional designation. Two warning signs: If the person who prepares your return does not sign it, certifying that it is complete and accurate to the best of their knowledge; or, The preparer does not have one of the right credentials. Either way, beware. You

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Bulls running off a cliff titled Wall Street

Don’t Turn A Temporary Decline Into A Permanent Loss

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On Thursday, February 27, 2020, stocks around the world fell sharply amidst a huge spike in volatility as investors were bombarded with more news about the coronavirus and its impact on corporate earnings and global economies. In the U.S., the major indices retreated into official correction territory, having dropped 10% from their recent highs earlier in the month. By the time the final bell tolled on February 27th, stunned investors saw that: The DJIA gave back 1,190 points and came

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Woman blowing her nose with caption "get the shot, not the flu"

Why Do Less than Half of Us Get the Flu Shot? (And Even Less Use A Financial Advisor?)

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It is almost impossible to predict when, how severe or for how long flu season will be from one year to the next. But the Center for Disease control has estimated that the economic impact of the flu is a staggering $87 billion each year, including: $16.3 billion in loss of earnings $10.4 billion in direct employer costs 70 million employee work days lost 31.4 million outpatient visits 3.1 million hospitalized days Further, the CDC reported that in the past

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Map of the United States with pins in it

The Housing Market Looks Robust to Start 2020

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Is housing a leading economic indicator or lagging indicator? Or neither? Historically, the housing industry has led the U.S. out of a recession and many economists consider new housing starts to be a leading economic indicator versus a lagging indicator. Think of it this way: If new housing starts rise, intuitively it means builders are optimistic about the demand in the future for newly constructed homes. If, on the other hand, housing starts fall, builders are getting more cautious because they think home sales

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Financial Advisor, Goals

Planning to Make New Year’s Resolutions (And Goals) Stick

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A framework to help you be among the 8% that sticks to resolutions and goals Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year? Set any goals for the year? One of the smartest ones could be to get your finances in order. But keeping that promise to yourself is another matter. A lot of people make money resolutions. According to study after study, the most popular resolution every year is to lose weight, followed by getting organized, and saving

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