Monthly Market Commentary: February 2024 Recap … [Read more...]
Financial Planning Items to Confirm on Leap Year
Helping navigate record-high stock markets to achieve long-term objectives Every four years, we encounter an extra day appended to our calendar, known as February 29th. This phenomenon, termed a Leap Year, has been a part of human timekeeping traditions for centuries. The concept of a Leap Year originated from the need to synchronize the human-made Gregorian calendar with the astronomical year, which is determined by the Earth's revolutions around the sun. Historical Origins The idea of … [Read more...]
January’s Market Returns
January's Market Returns & Yearly Performance … [Read more...]
Taxation of Investments
It's nice to own stocks, bonds, and other investments. Nice, that is, until it's time to fill out your federal income tax return. At that point, you may be left scratching your head. Just how do you report your investments and how are they taxed? Is it ordinary income or a capital gain? To determine how an investment vehicle is taxed in a given year, first ask yourself what went on with the investment that year. Did it generate interest income? If so, the income is probably considered … [Read more...]
5 Retirement Concerns Too Often Overlooked
Baby boomers entering their “second acts” should think about these matters. Retirement is undeniably a major life and financial transition. Even so, baby boomers can run the risk of growing nonchalant about some of the financial challenges that retirement poses, for not all are immediately obvious. In looking forward to their “second acts,” boomers may overlook a few matters that a thorough retirement strategy needs to address. RMDs. The Internal Revenue Service directs seniors to withdraw … [Read more...]
Handling Market Volatility
Conventional wisdom says that what goes up, must come down. But even if you view market volatility as a normal occurrence, it can be tough to handle when it's your money at stake. Though there's no foolproof way to handle the ups and downs of the stock market, the following common sense tips can help. Don't put your eggs all in one basket Diversifying your investment portfolio is one of the key ways you can handle market volatility. Because asset classes often perform differently under … [Read more...]
The Behavior Gap and Your Financial Health
How might it affect you? “It turns out my job was not to find great investments but to help create great investors,” writes Carl Richards, author of “The Behavior Gap.” From increasing our budget mindfulness to taking a steadier approach to investing, Richards has drawn attention to how our unexamined behaviors and emotions can be to our detriment when it comes to living a happy and financially sound life. In many cases, we make poor financial decisions when experiencing panic or anxiety due … [Read more...]