Pension plans, a type of employer-sponsored retirement plan that provides ongoing income after retirement, used to be very common. However today, about 15% of private sector employees and 75% of government employees have pensions, with the remainder of workers having 401k/403b plans instead. Pensions are defined benefit plans, meaning that as a participant, you are […]

There are a lot of adages in investing and one that has gotten a lot of air time in recent years is “don’t bet against the American consumer,” cited by those advocating for ongoing strength in the US economy backed by Americans’ desire (and ability) to spend. This adage was once again proven true this […]

We may have started a new year, but we are still talking about inflation! On Thursday, December’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report was released. The report showed the prices rose 3.4% year over year (compared to 3.1% in November) – however, after removing volatile food and energy, Core CPI rose 3.9% month over month (a […]

Bitcoin has been in the news quite a bit this week, which prompted a client to ask what the key developments were. Let’s take a look at what happened. This week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC) approved the registration and trading of Bitcoin spot price Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”). Prior to this moment, investors […]

Happy new year! I trust that you had a great holiday season and are ready for a wonderful year ahead. The calendar turned to a new year only a few days ago and already the markets and business media are off and running with their 2024 predictions. Countless money managers and economists are filing the […]

A new year has arrived! The turning of the calendar tends to spark the question “wait, is there something I’m supposed to do now?” There is certainly no shortage of messaging around the new year and things you should be doing (set resolutions, improve your health, write out new goals, and countless others every where […]

A client reached out this week to inquire about her performance (rate of return) since we started working together. As I drew her attention to that section of her quarterly reports, I also explained a couple of things to keep in mind when calculating and evaluating performance returns. These are important concepts for all investors […]

As one of our favorite research firms said after yesterday’s Fed announcement – Ho Ho Holy Moly! It sure seems like the Federal Reserve saved the best rate announcement of 2023 for last. Chairman Jerome Powell delivered a message that the equity and bond market both eagerly accepted as an early holiday present. In response, […]

I’ve been writing to you on a weekly basis for a year and a half now. At times, I certainly appreciate the fact that I am likely repeating myself, sharing a topic with you that we have covered in the past. This is one of those weeks – but arguably, this is one of the […]

There is no shortage of jargon and industry speak in the financial news. I do my very best to steer clear of it when I write to you, as I fully appreciate how confusing (and sometimes annoying!) it can be. However, one term snuck into my Pam to Paper post last week when I used […]