I’m writing this on another grey and gloomy January day in Wisconsin. Perhaps that is why I chose this title. Or perhaps it is because today’s inflation report may finally be giving markets, investors, and this ever-optimistic financial advisor a glimmer of hope that we are approaching lighter and brighter investing days ahead. December CPI […]

Years ago when Windermere was just starting out, my dad and I met with an owner of a successful investment advisory firm in Boston. He was sharing his perspective on a variety of things along with best practices for building out a large-scale advisory firm. Many of him comments and lessons have escaped my consciousness […]

As we turned the calendar to November this week, there were a lot of things to look forward to – final two months of 2022, Thanksgiving around the corner, the few remaining nice days of fall weather (at least for us Midwesterners), and of course – the second to last meeting of 2022 for the […]

Inflation seems to come up in every client conversation these days – rightfully so!  This week it was an extra hot topic with Thursday’s latest CPI release for September 2022.  Let’s cover some of the highlights What do I need to know about September’s inflation report? The September Consumer Price Index (CPI – or “CP-High” […]

On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve issued yet another increase in the Federal Fund Rate, bringing it to 3-3.25%. (Note: you can read more detail on the meeting and the implied rate path here) I listened to the press conference from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell – and one phrase kept coming into my mind […]

It wasn’t all that long ago that inflation was a seemingly theoretical discussion topic.  We’d bring it up to clients (usually during a financial planning future illustration) and try to find a way to explain it.  “Your money will be worth less over time” or “your purchasing power will decline” were phrases we’d use. While […]

It was only a few years ago that inflation reports would go virtually unnoticed. Nowadays, they receive “breaking news” headlines, live news coverage, and follow-up press conferences at the White House. July’s inflation report (published August 10, 2022) was yet another hotly awaited release. The key question at hand – are things getting worse or […]

July 2022’s CPI print brought some relief, showing a 0% increase since June. A big reason of that change was the decline in gas prices month over month. The data published on August 11th, 2022 by AAA helped to reiterate this development. As shown in the graphic below, the national average per gallon of regular […]

A client asked for a debrief on the Federal Reserve’s actions. Here we go! What happened at the meeting? On July 27, 2022, the US Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) once again raised the Fed Funds Rate by 75 basis points. The Federal Funds Rate now ranges from 2.25-2.5%, up from near zero in March. This […]

It’s easy to get stuck on the headlines these days – especially when it comes to inflation. Turn on the tv, listen to a podcast, open your email – and odds are you will see some sort of jarring financial headline concerning inflation. Even a drive past the gas station can bring the topic front […]