Our Weekend Word

We spend a fair amount of our time as financial planners meeting with portfolio managers, analysts, and company representatives to make sure that we are consistently monitoring the products we use.   The one thing we continually hear is critical to their stock selection is clean balance sheets, but if that’s the case how can some of the world’s most reputable brands waste thousands if not millions of dollars every year.

We’re midway through July and despite the pandemic college tuition payments are creeping up quickly.  College is becoming an insurmountable and somewhat terrifying expense for many these days, but there are a few savings vehicles that can help us battle its high costs with the power of tax deferred growth. 

June usually marks the height of the spring real estate market—it’s National Homeownership Month, after all. But this June hasn’t been typical. With job loss numbers in the tens of millions, the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has put home ownership at risk, with many struggling to make mortgage or rent payments.

There is one unexpected bright spot, though: Interest rates have dipped to historic lows. 

Looking back at the tail end of 2019, you could not help but think the biggest disruption in 2020 was likely going to be the presidential election.  In 2016, when we first started the Weekend Word, it was all we could find to write about.  Here we are four short years later on the precipice of the election and it is almost an afterthought with all that is going on.  The markets might not feel the same way though.

While the sentiment of ESG investing is good, naturally Wall St. saw an opportunity to make money and started slapping the ESG acronym on anything they could get their hands on. In 2017 40 new ESG funds hit the market and that number has increased since. The current issue with ESG is that there is really no definition of what an ESG fund has to do to use those letters.

With COVID-19 causing an unprecedented increase in unemployment insurance claims over the past few months, reports of identity theft are rising. 

Man, it has been a crazy year and I for one look forward to 2021, being right around the corner… wait what? It’s only June!?  That is more than your average years’ worth packed into the last six months.

For parents, deciding how much to save for retirement versus what to set aside for a child’s education can be a difficult balancing act. 

Hi all, hopefully you are safe and healthy during this challenging time.
We wanted to take a second to try and compile a quick list of links that might be helpful and alleviate some stress while you’re stuck at home.