Broker Check

Blog

Monday, October 31, 2022

Congratulations on your 72nd birthday! If so, it's time to start drawing down on some of your retirement accounts. If you don’t, Uncle Sam may help himself to some of your hard-saved funds. However, there are some exceptions.As...

Monday, October 31, 2022

Congratulations on your 72nd birthday! If so, it's time to start drawing down on some of your retirement accounts. If you don’t, Uncle Sam may help himself to some of your hard-saved funds. However, there are some exceptions.As...

Monday, October 24, 2022

How well do you remember 1981? Harrison Ford had his first bow as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Frogger and Donkey Kong were all the rage at video arcades. Bob Ross left the Air Force and took up painting. On top of that,...

Monday, October 17, 2022

Stubborn doesn’t seem like a strong enough word, but that’s how Fed officials are describing inflation.Inflation's “stubbornness” has been on full display in recent weeks: First, the Producer Price Index (PPI)...

Monday, July 25, 2022

Stop me if you heard this already—roughly half the population wasn’t alive last time inflation was at this level.It’s true. According to IMDb.com, Raiders of the Lost Ark was the #1 movie at the box office the last...

Show All

Monday, July 18, 2022

If you’re trying to get an inside edge on Wall Street, you’re probably paying attention to an array of stats and measurements. But there’s one indicator you might be overlooking.I’m talking about the...

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

With half the year behind us, now is a great time to consider what the remainder of 2022 may hold. However, with inflation and economic uncertainty causing many of us to delay or cancel vacations, large purchases, and more, it can be...

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

During periods of market turbulence, I take comfort in one of my favorite Warren Buffett quotes:“Don’t watch the market closely.”The Oracle of Omaha gave this sage advice in 2016, when Brexit, China’s economic...

Thursday, April 7, 2022

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Monday, February 14, 2022

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Preparing for retirement just got a little more financial wiggle room. This week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced new contribution limits for 2022.Staying put for 2022 are traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs)...

Friday, October 29, 2021

With temperatures falling and the nights growing longer, goblins, ghouls, and ghosts across America are preparing for our second-largest commercial holiday: Halloween. With this frightful day fast approaching, here are some fun facts...

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

If you have a secret, don’t tell anyone at the Federal Reserve Bank. They may leak the story before you’d like.In early August, multiple regional Federal Reserve Bank presidents hit the speaking tour. They made headlines...

Friday, July 16, 2021

Summertime rouses our desire to hit the road (or the airport) and travel. Here are a few things you’ll want to consider before you take off.Employment Issues for Airlines: Airlines have canceled hundreds of flights due to...

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

With June officially behind us, it’s time to face the facts: we’re headed toward the second half of 2021. While there’s still plenty of time to enjoy the rest of summer, we encourage you to slow down and check up on...

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

If there is a "silver lining" to all the inflation talk, it may be that Social Security benefits are expected to see a larger-than-normal increase in 2022.Preliminary estimates call for a 4.7% cost-of-living increase (COLA) in Social...

Monday, June 7, 2021

Over Memorial Day weekend, gasoline prices hit the highest for this holiday weekend since 2014.1With the Colonial Pipeline outage in the rear-view mirror and an ever-increasing number of adults vaccinated, formerly cooped-up motorists...

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

The talk is of tapering, and it’s making investors nervous.The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) released the minutes of its April meeting last week. The report suggested that should the economy continue to make progress, it...

Monday, May 24, 2021

The San Diego Padres signed infielder Fernando Tatis, Jr., to a 14-year, $340 million contract roughly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers inked outfielder Mookie Betts to a 12-year, $365 million deal. That brings the total to 8...

Thursday, May 20, 2021

A cyberattack shut down a major gas and energy pipeline supplying the East Coast of the United States for several days. The actual pipelines themselves are still functional and have since started running again, but it’s led to...

Monday, May 10, 2021

A recent survey shows that 63% of investors are more interested in protecting their financial assets and planning for uncertainty in the future than anything else.1There are many reasons for this change, but here are a few of the most...

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Will your retirement dreams match your reality?That's perhaps the most critical question to ask people who are currently retired. Was your retirement what you expected, or was it something else?For more than 30 years, the Employee...

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

There’s an old Wall Street maxim that says, “markets climb a wall of worry.” And these days, there’s plenty to worry about with the trend in long-term interest rates.The 10-year Treasury yield in recent weeks...

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Major League Baseball scheduled Opening Day for April 1, but two states have already scored with spring training underway.Every year, spring training divides the 30 MLB teams into two squads. Half of the teams travel to Florida as...

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

One time-tested principle of investing is, "when bond yields move higher, bond prices tend to move lower." Investors are doing a "double take" on the 10-year Treasury yield, which recently topped 1.5% — its highest level in...

Monday, March 8, 2021

I’m sure you’ve heard that the House recently passed the Senate another round of stimulus to try and counteract the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new stimulus package could narrow income eligibility to...

Friday, February 26, 2021

At this time last year, it was still unknown that a deadly global pandemic was on the rise, eventually stalling economic growth and sending crude oil prices into negative territory. But recently, oil prices have surged, with crude...

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

The acronym “SPAC” is showing up more often these days because there is some big money behind the revitalized investment approach.SPAC stands for Special Purpose Acquisition Company, and they are sometimes referred to as...

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Recently, the world has watched with great interest as a few companies have seen surprising rallies in their stock prices. You may have read stories of individual investors gaining massive returns on their investments, thanks to this...

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

What's your "go-to" source for financial information?"Family and friends" is the #1 answer given in the annual Retirement Confidence Survey. But a close second is search engines and other online tools, including online forums like the...

Monday, January 25, 2021

The 10-year Treasury yield has climbed higher since the New Year, which means that some bond prices are dropping. You may have seen the headlines that say, “10-Year Yields Over 1%.”For some, the first time they experience...

Thursday, January 21, 2021

After a bit of political posturing in December, the $900 billion Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (2021 CAA) was signed into law by President Trump as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact employers and employees...

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

As Wall Street pushes higher, a pandemic-weary Main Street is relearning how to manage cash flow with the hope of keeping its retirement dreams alive.Self-employed Americans, and the people working for them, account for roughly 30...

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Hardly a day goes by that the topic of bitcoin or other cryptocurrency assets doesn’t come up in meetings with clients and prospects or from friends and relatives who want to know, “what all the buzz is about?”The...

Thursday, November 19, 2020

With the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates at or near zero, you may wonder about your mortgage. Is it a good time to refinance or even pay off the debt entirely? After all, your mortgage is one of the biggest expenses you may...

Monday, November 16, 2020

News of a COVID-19 vaccine ignited a rally in economically sensitive stocks and a broad retreat in technology companies last week, though enthusiasm was tempered by reports of rising new infections and fresh lockdowns.The Dow Jones...

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

After many weeks of telegraphing a long and careful ballot count, this week’s election lived up to that prediction in races for the Senate, the House, and the presidency. While Americans voted Tuesday, Wall Street cast its...

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Earnings are coming in, reflecting the third quarter of 2020. However, it’s important not to jump to any conclusions about the state of the overall economy based on the results reported from a small handful of companies...

Monday, October 26, 2020

The failure to reach an agreement on a new fiscal stimulus bill soured investor sentiment and sent stocks modestly lower for the week.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.95%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 0.53%....

Thursday, October 22, 2020

The upcoming election is prompting some people to reconsider their investment strategy.In fact, 45% of consumers with $100,000 or more investable assets expect to make changes to their portfolio due to the upcoming 2020 presidential...

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Stocks treaded water last week amid fading prospects for a stimulus bill, fears of a second wave of COVID-19 cases, and increasing political and regulatory pressures on Big Tech companies.The Dow Jones Industrial Average added just 0...

Monday, October 19, 2020

On October 13, 2020, the Social Security Administration (SSA) officially announced that Social Security recipients will receive a 1.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2021. This adjustment will begin with benefits payable...

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Applications for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are now open for the academic year 2021-22. Applying for the FAFSA allows you to qualify for grants, scholarships, and other federally-sourced aid, such as...

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Stocks staged a powerful rally last week, riding a wave of optimism over the prospect of the passage of a new fiscal stimulus bill.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.27%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 increased 3.84%....

Friday, October 9, 2020

Few life events are more stressful than a job loss.If you or someone you know is in this situation due to COVID-19, you’ll likely have several questions about job hunting, unemployment insurance, and health care. You may also be...

Thursday, October 8, 2020

When training to become a financial professional, much of our course work centers on the six critical areas of creating a financial strategy. Some recognize October as Financial Planning Month, so it's an excellent opportunity to...

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Stocks advanced last week, propelled by hopes that legislators may reach an agreement for a new fiscal stimulus package and optimism generated by a few corporate deal announcements and initial public offerings.The Dow Jones Industrial...

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Due to COVID-19, Americans are spending more time at home than ever before, leading to a record amount of spending on home improvement.1It’s not that big of a surprise since many Americans now find their homes are doing triple...

Monday, October 5, 2020

There hasn’t been much merger and acquisition activity through 2020. This diminished activity comes despite low interest rates, which may help companies manage the cost of borrowing for a purchase. Some of this makes sense, in...

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

As the U.S. presidential election draws near, expect to see more and more headlines that propose, "What will happen next if this person is elected?" or, "What policy changes to prepare for in the next four years?"In reality, however,...