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 [...]
Financial Planning - The Big Picture for You and Your Family Do you picture yourself owning a new home...starting a business... or retiring comfortably? These are a few of the financial goals that may be important to you, and each comes with a price tag. That's where financial planning comes in. Financial planning is [...]
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 [...]
Erick, can I contribute to my 401k AND a Roth IRA? Yes, tax payers can max out their contributions to both 401ks and Roth IRAs, assuming their income threshold is below the amount that would prohibit contributing to the Roth. Filing Status 2022 or 2023 Income range Maximum Annual Contribution Married filing jointly [...]
After investing for 40 years, many people are tired and worn out from stock market “corrections”. They just don’t want to worry anymore. Some lucky people (teachers, firefighters, and police) have pensions that guarantee them income for life. What about the rest of us? Fortunately, we have options to consider. Did you know there [...]
Earnings Season Ends With a Whimper - Where will stock market go from here? Mixed results from mostly retailers, pushed S&P 500 earnings growth down from 6.4% to 6.3% last week, though that growth rate is still 2.2 percentage points above the June 30 estimate. Energy, healthcare, and utilities have produced the biggest upside [...]
Investors cheered the two better-than-expected inflation reports last week, pushing the S&P 500 to 16% above its June 16 low and only 11% below its all-time high. After this rebound, the key question investors are asking is whether this is a bear market rally that will soon fizzle or the start of a new [...]
Having a strategy to protect your assets is essential to long term financial success. You’ve worked hard to build your nest egg. But what if a life event caused you to deplete your savings so you could no longer afford to live how you wanted? "Erick, we did it! We’re DONE!” My clients were nearing [...]
Municipal Bonds Offer Compelling Value Over Corporate Credit The national municipal market has been under the same price pressures as the fixed coupon taxable markets this year as markets have aggressively repriced faster interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve (Fed). Adding to these price pressures however has been the liquidation of nearly 5% [...]
