So much for a quiet end to summer. Markets had other plans. Starting after last Friday’s job report, markets took a sharp turn downward and reached levels of volatility only seen twice before (during the global financial crisis and COVID). While we currently sit just down ~1% in most equity indexes (as of Thursday afternoon), […]

Before I dive into this week’s post, I want you to remember of an important fact. We’ve been here before and come out the other side. What proof do I have? I’m about to re-post an article I wrote on March 9, 2020. Over four years ago, we were in a similar spot, albeit one […]

Below is an excerpt from Warren Buffett’s letter to shareholders in 1987- reminding us how to handle market fluctuations. Almost 40 years later, the advice still holds. Ben Graham, my friend and teacher, long ago described the mental attitude toward market fluctuations that I believe to be most conducive to investment success. He said that […]

During each Federal Reserve rate decision meetings of 2024, I have been immediately transported back to my childhood. In these flashbacks, I am sitting in the backset of a station wagon, wedged between my sister, our cocker spaniel Clover, and some luggage, asking (repeatedly) “are we there yet?” And regardless of if we were within […]

A client referred her mom to me for help with an essential task in her financial journey – the selection of a financial advisor. Her mom had a long-standing relationship with a local advisory firm and her designated advisor left very abruptly. She was faced with a decision – leave and follow her prior advisor […]

There are weeks where not much happens…and then there are the first few weeks of July 2024! In addition to all that is happening in the world and political arena around us, the markets have had their fair share of excitement in recent weeks. Let’s take a quick look at what’s happened, what is coming […]

A client asked a great question this week about an often-overlooked strategy to utilize tax-deferred IRA funds to make donations directly to charity. Let’s take a closer look at this strategy and determine when it may make sense for you to consider it as well. What is a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)? A QCD is […]

The year is half-over. It’s a perfect time to schedule a time to complete a mid-year financial review. Here are five things you may wish to add to your agenda! 1.) Spending and savings plan – If you took my advice at the outset of the year, you have a rough plan in place in […]

I talked with a client recently about dividend reinvestment. The question came up as he placed a trade and was prompted to elect whether to reinvest dividends. It’s a great topic to understand so let’s look at it more closely What are dividends? Dividends are a sum of money paid out by a company to […]

If you have read any of my posts over the past two years, you are familiar with at least one part of the Federal Reserve Bank’s dual mandate – price stability (said another way, combat inflation). We have spent many a Fridays dissecting the latest inflation data and debating when (or if) prices would start […]