Blog
Quarterly Economic Update Second Quarter 2024
Equity and bond markets began the second quarter of 2024 with a rough start, thanks to the Federal Reserve’s decision not to reduce interest rates due to stubbornly high inflation rates. However, during the quarter, strong performances from companies tied to...
Converting 529 Plans to Roth IRA
A significant benefit has come to fruition on December 29, 2022. President Biden signed the “Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023”, which included the “SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022”. Well, now, starting from January 1, 2024, any remaining funds in a 529 account can be...
Common Investing Mistakes
Whether someone has $50,000 or $5,000,000 to invest, there are several investment pitfalls that any investor can fall into. One of our goals as financial professionals is to help clients avoid these pitfalls, which could be very costly. We have come across many...
Using ROTH and Traditional IRAs as Strategies for Building Your Retirement in 2024
Everyone saving for retirement knows being proactive is very important. Having healthy retirement savings can help you live comfortably in your golden years. As stewards of our clients’ wealth, we get great satisfaction helping parents and grandparents contribute to...
Research
Finding Value Among the Muni Market Malaise | Weekly Market Commentary | May 5, 2025
The municipal bond market faced significant volatility in April, driven by spillovers from a turbulent Treasury market. Treasury yields were pressured higher by rising inflation expectations; the Federal Reserve’s cautious policy stance, reduced foreign demand; hedge fund deleveraging, portfolio shifts toward cash, and structural illiquidity.
Softer Tone on China Is Encouraging, but Some Caution Still Advised | Weekly Market Commentary | April 28, 2025
The softer tone toward China from the White House, President Trump’s pledge not to fire Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome (Jay) Powell, and renewed optimism about Fed rate cuts all helped drive a strong market rebound last week.
Revising Our S&P 500 Target Amid a Storm of Uncertainty | Weekly Market Commentary | April 21, 2025
With little visibility into where tariff rates shake out and the effects on earnings, it’s hard to have much conviction in a year-end S&P 500 target. Given the high degree of uncertainty, we use scenarios and a wider range to get more comfortable with our target and to increase our odds of accuracy (though we recognize these targets are more art than science).
Decent Chance Stock Market Bottom Is in but Far From Certain | Weekly Market Commentary | April 14, 2025
This week was one of the most volatile weeks in the history of the stock market. That excludes the historic two-day decline on Thursday and Friday the week before (April 3–4). The S&P 500 dropped 1.6% on Tuesday, April 8, surged 9.5% on Wednesday, April 9 (the third biggest up day since 1950), fell 3.5% on Thursday, April 10, and jumped 1.8% on Friday, April 11. The S&P 500 ended up nearly 6% for the week.