♫ It’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world ♫ – Ray Davies, The Kinks Overall, 2022 was one of the worst years for investors. Bonds had stock sized losses and so did the S&P 500. Fortunately, some stock indices identified as bonds, suggesting a way to improve return reliability. Normally, 5-year Treasury Bonds… [Continue]
May 16, 2023 By
The Usual Bank Failures
Warren Buffet wrote, “It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked.” Sure enough, the recent pace of interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve has exposed a few wet noodles among the banks and real estate companies. The way things are heading, we soon may have enough for a… [Continue]
March 22, 2023 By
Live Event Recording: Tax Hazards of Retirement and Recent Tax Opportunities
In this video, we discuss three tax hazards in retirement and a way to address them. We also discuss useful items from the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the Secure Act 2.0 of 2022.
January 1, 2023 By
Why Inflation Reports are 6.5 Months Out of Date
The news has been all abuzz about inflation. But as is typical with news, the reports may be misleading. The reason is the inflation reports are 6.5 months out of date the day they are reported. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the November 2022 Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) one-year inflation rate dropped to… [Continue]
February 1, 2022 By
Preparing for Market Storms
The financial weather seems to be turning nasty and market storms are on the horizon. Inflation is blazing and the Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates. In January the ETF SPY (S&P 500 index) lost 9.2%, but then regained some back. Can anything be done to protect your portfolio? Well, yes, but perhaps… [Continue]
March 16, 2021 By
Two Critical Investment Lessons from 2020
Lesson 1 from 2020: The Power of Diversification The first investment lesson from 2020 is diversification. Everyone knows that it is important to diversify in order to stabilize your portfolio. In more technical speak, this means holding some assets that tend to zig when other holdings zag To accomplish this, many investors hold long-term bonds.… [Continue]
