Portfolio goals

Tax Reform and Tax Preparation

As a new year approaches, many of us will reflect on the year that has passed. Personal and professional accomplishments may take center stage. We may take stock of any disappointments and recalibrate as 2019 approaches.

What is a yield curve, and why are stock investors interested in its shape?

Sometimes the best, most rigorously developed financial advice is so obvious, it’s become cliché. Yet, investors often end up abandoning this same advice when market turbulence is on the rise. Why the disconnect? Let’s take a look at five of the most familiar financial adages, and why they’re often much easier said than done.

What is it about the month of October? The stock market crash of 1929 ushered in the Great Depression.

Black Monday 1987, also October, was driven by computer trading and portfolio insurance, though an economic calamity did not ensue.

It’s almost Election Day in the US once again. For those who need a brief civics refresher, every two years the full US House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate are up for reelection.

Costs matter. Whether you’re buying a car or selecting an investment strategy, the costs you expect to pay are likely to be an important factor in making any major financial decision.

As of August 21, the longest-running S&P 500 rally (by some counts) was born out of “the ashes of the financial crisis.” Then came mid-September – ten years since the beginning of the financial crisis of 2008 – along with the usual flurry of “decade after” reflections.

As an investor, your happiness depends on having realistic expectations about returns and viewing market events in proper context. These two factors can drive your sense of financial well-being and influence your financial outcome.

The month of August marked an important milestone for the long-running bull market.

On August 22, the bull market, as measured by the S&P 500 Index, extended its run to 3,453 calendar days (CNBC, various sources), becoming the lengthiest bull market in history, or at least since WWII.

With school back in session in most of the country, many parents are likely thinking about how best to prepare for their children’s future college expenses.

Now is a good time to sharpen one’s pencil for a few important lessons before heading back into the investing classroom to tackle the issue.