Volatility has returned right on queue as U.S. equity markets continue to pull back from overbought levels. The recent jump in interest rates has proven to be too much too fast for stocks to absorb, especially for the heavyweight and longer-duration technology sector. Deteriorating economic conditions in China and weak seasonal trends have been [...]
Get informed on the SECURE 2.0 Act The SECURE 2.0 Act is a bipartisan comprehensive retirement legislation signed into law on December 29, 2022. Here are some interesting takeaways that might impact you: Required minimum distribution (RMD) age increases from 72 to 73 The age 72 trigger for taking RMDs is raised to age [...]
Here are some of my favorite financial and lifestyle tips as you start the year Knowledge is Retirement Power Especially When You're Traveling Looking to see more of the world during retirement? Some countries have created visa policies designed specifically for retirees. These retirement visa programs may also provide special benefits and incentives to [...]
Besides slowing the economy, higher rates affect your personal finances. Unless you live on another planet, you are fully aware of this thing called inflation — whether you’re at the grocery store, a gas station, buying clothes online, hiring a contractor or doing almost any other thing that requires spending money for something. Earlier [...]
Investors often talk about how earnings drive stock prices. But that begs the question how so many strategists and pundits expect earnings to fall in 2023 and stocks to rise? That’s our view in LPL Research. Let’s look at the histories of earnings growth and price performance for the S&P 500 Index on a [...]
We received our final reading on Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation for 2022 this morning, which gave us the inflation numbers for December 2022. Helped by declining energy prices, the index fell 0.1% in December, in line with economists’ consensus expectation and the largest monthly decline since April 2020. Consumer inflation advanced less than [...]
Capital Gains Tax Overview (for all investors) As an investor, you may be impacted by capital gains if you sell your investment – whether at a gain or loss. Understanding capital gains may help with your overall investment strategy and the potential to preserve your wealth. Below are a few insights into capital gains [...]
Do we have a Santa Claus rally in the making? The midterms produced mixed government, which we see as supportive to stocks due to political gridlock reducing the policy uncertainty that can weigh on market sentiment. We are also moving into a stage of the presidential cycle that has been historically supportive. Year three [...]
Do Rising Interest Rates Impact US Debt? Congress—and in particular, the House of Representatives—is invested with the “power of the purse”; the ability to tax and spend public money for the national government. And spend they have. Total outstanding government debt currently stands at just over $31 trillion and that number will likely increase, regardless [...]
In the last several weeks, we have continued to face elevated uncertainty in financial markets due to high inflation and rising interest rates, and we thought it was an important time to take stock with the final quarter of 2022 just ahead. It has been a difficult year, not only for investors but also [...]
