If you’ve listened to the news the past two years, you may have heard speculation on when the next recession will be. Commentators are looking for signs as to when the recession will start and making predictions for how it will impact the markets. Since recessions are notoriously hard to forecast, that means a lot
Within the first 24-48 hours Call your advisor, regardless of where or how the breach occurred, so he/she can watch for any suspicious activity in your accounts and collaborate with you on extra precautions to take in verifying your identity prior to any fund transfers. Call the Social Security Administration’s fraud hotline at 800-269-0271 if
Déjà Vu All Over Again Investment fads are nothing new. When selecting strategies for their portfolios, investors are often tempted to seek out the latest and greatest investment opportunities. Over the years, these approaches have sought to capitalize on developments such as the perceived relative strength of particular geographic regions, technological changes in the economy,
After a historically calm stock market in 2017, volatility returned in 2018. In helping clients build financial plans, we start by understanding their goals and objectives. Putting this information together, along with your personal risk tolerance, helps us arrive at our recommended allocation to stocks and bonds. Foundational in all of this planning are the
Life Change Reviews An extremely important component of owning a life insurance policy is periodically reviewing the coverage to make sure it is addressing your current needs. All too often, people’s lives change while their life insurance coverage remains the same — periodic reviews will ensure that your coverage is meeting your current goals. Some
As 2019 approaches, volatility has returned to the stock markets. With that volatility comes a feeling of insecurity as investors watch their statement values go up and down. During these times, the conventional wisdom is that diversification can help smooth out the ride. However, US stocks have outperformed non-US stocks in recent years. For the
There have been a lot of articles written this year about maximizing your tax benefits around charitable gifting, and while we encourage you to read them and discuss different strategies with your tax advisor to see what works best for you, this is more of a grasshopper and the ant story. For those who need
Summertime is back upon us and brings with it a break from school for families, summer vacations, and generally a more relaxed pace of life. The stock market has gotten off to a volatile start this summer. Market volatility can lead to rebalancing of an investment portfolio, which may, however, lead to tax consequences from
by Jim Parker, Dimensional Fund Advisors Embarking on a financial plan is like sailing around the world. The voyage won’t always go to plan, and there’ll be rough seas. But the odds of reaching your destination increase greatly if you are prepared, flexible, patient, and well-advised. A mistake many inexperienced sailors make is not having
Many taxpayers around the country have given to charity for years and the tax deduction associated with those donations was an added bonus. However, with the sweeping new tax law changes that took effect in January 2018, some taxpayers may no longer receive a tax benefit for donations. The new standard deduction is $24,000 for
