Our Weekend Word

What Now

2018 has been a confusing year for investors and the month of October pretty much summed it up. We’re up, we’re down, we’re sideways. The S&P is at new highs, wait, no, it’s a correction. The economy is good, the FED is nuts. Who knows what to believe.

In times like this, the place we look for solace is the bond market. We’ve written many pieces about bonds being “smarter” than stocks. And we say this because bonds behave in a much more technical nature than stocks. They are obligations of the companies or governments that issue them and their returns can actually be calculated for a given scenario. Their pricing is primarily affected by interest rates and credit quality.

Close to Home

Dear Readers,

This week we want to take the time to acknowledge and remember the victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue shootings. In the past years we’ve seen hate manifest itself in many areas of our country and now Pittsburgh is added to the list of communities tasked with dealing with tragedy on a personal level.

What Could Take the Market Back Up?

We have spent the past couple of days worrying about the market dropping. Indeed, today we have a further decline. This volatility isn’t unexpected, certainly. But the further down we go, the more worried we should be—and the more inevitable further declines look.

Given all the bad news out there, further drops do seem reasonable. We have the U.S. midterms, Chinese slowdown, Saudi Arabia, Italy and Brexit, the Fed raising rates, and on and on. It seems, all of a sudden, the bad news has become overwhelming. In the face of such turmoil, what could take the market back up?

5 IRA Misconceptions and How You Can Make the More Informed Choice

Some IRA planning and investment strategies may appear easy to execute, but errors can lead to unexpected taxes or penalties, loss of the IRA’s tax-exempt status, and even disinherited beneficiaries. Where can things go wrong? Here are five common IRA misconceptions, as well as tips for making a more informed choice.

Where are my All-Time-Highs?

With the S&P crossing the 2900 mark, it’s back in all time high territory, but many investors aren’t experiencing anywhere near the 7.2% return the S&P has posted this year.

Top 4 Exceptions to the 10-Percent Early Distribution Penalty

Generally, the IRS will impose a 10-percent early distribution penalty if you withdraw assets from your traditional IRA before the age of 59½. Here are four of the most important exceptions to this penalty.

Cash is King

2018 has been an interesting year for global markets thus far. We’ve seen declines in almost every foreign index while getting relatively good economic data from our developed friends from across the pond. What gives? Are Trump’s tariff talks really hurting businesses around the world?

Matching Student Loans

A little while back we wrote a Word about the impact of rising interest rates on areas that people wouldn’t necessarily think of.  In that we detailed the state of consumer debt in the United States and I don’t think it would be a surprise for anyone to hear that the bulk of that debt resides in student loans.  It is no secret that student loans are a problem that both citizens and politicians are struggling to find a solution to, but a recent IRS ruling might have laid the ground work for a potential fix.

Crises of Years Past

One thing we can all agree on as investors is everyone loves a good crisis. They get the blood pumping and keep you on your toes. I’m kidding of course, but that’s what you’d think if you watched the news. With this years’ fresh batch of trade wars, political scandals, and elections playing out as we speak, we felt it would be interesting to revisit some of our woes and worries of old and see what came of them.

Protecting Inheritances for Married Children

Statistics suggest that a high percentage of marriages will end in divorce. Although you may not be concerned about your own marriage, are you worried about protecting the assets of your married children?

Everything may be rosy now, but it’s not uncommon for people’s perspectives (and personalities) to change during a divorce. If that happens, what do you want for your children’s inheritance? Would you continue to provide some level of financial support to your child’s ex-spouse once he or she is no longer part of the family? Or would you prefer to omit this support for your former son- or daughter-in-law? If you wish to protect your child’s inheritance, several planning options are available.