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2024 Q3 Review and Outlook – The Fed Cuts, the Election Looms

Markets continued to rise in the third quarter as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) gained 5.8%. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) gained 5.3%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio recorded a 5.6% total return. Year to date, stocks returned 21.9%,…

The Fed Finally Cuts

By Doug Mewhirter Senior Vice President – Portfolio Manager On September 19th the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted to reduce the target interest rate by 50 basis points (a half of a percentage point). Although a rate cut was almost guaranteed, there was a lot of discussion and debate on the financial news…

2024 Q2 Review and Outlook – A Market of (One) Stock

Markets continued to rise in the second quarter as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) gained 4.4%. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) was flat, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio recorded a 2.6% total return. Year to date, stocks returned 15.2%,…

2024 Q1 Review and Outlook – To Cut or Not to Cut

Markets continued rising in the first quarter as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) gained 10.4%. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) declined 0.7%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio recorded a 5.9% total return. Not too shabby considering that the 10%…

2024 Tax Facts

Here is your quick reference guide to 2024 tax rates, college savings incentives, IRA and 401(k) contributions and more. Click on a link in the table below to jump to that section. Click here to download .pdf print-friendly version. Marrieds Filing Jointly or a Qualifying Widow(er) Alternative Minimum Tax Investments Heads of Households AMT Tax…

How We Measure Inflation in the United States

By Thomas N. Jamerson Vice President – Client Administration Inflation in the United States of America can be measured in a number of ways. Day to day, a consumer might measure it with his eyes and memory – grabbing a box of cereal at the grocery store and thinking to himself that “it cost half…

2023 Q4 Review and Outlook – The Dog That Didn’t Bark  

Markets finished the year with a powerful surge as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) gained 11.6% during the fourth quarter. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) increased 6.8%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio booked a 9.7% total return. For the…

Julianne Naff Recognized in The Roanoker with 40 Under 40 Award

We’re pleased to announce that Julianne Naff, Senior Vice President, Client Administration and Regional Manager West, has been recognized among the Top 40 Under 40 from The Roanoker magazine. Selected from a record number of submissions, Julianne stood out for her outstanding professional achievements, leadership skills and a high level of community involvement. We are…

2023 Q2 Review and Outlook – A Market of (Seven) Stocks

The positive momentum continued in the second quarter as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) gained 8.7%. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) lost 0.9%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio returned 4.8%.  Year-to-date (YTD), stocks returned 16.8%, bonds 2.3% and a…