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2025 Review and Outlook, Q1: The Tariff Tantrum
The market stumbled out of the gate in 2025 as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) fell 4.6% during the first quarter. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) gained 2.4%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio declined 1.8%. In April, stocks fell…
2025 Q1 Review and Outlook – The Tariff Tantrum
The market stumbled out of the gate in 2025 as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) fell 4.6% during the first quarter. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) gained 2.4%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio declined 1.8%. In April, stocks fell…
“Every Storm Runs out of Rain”
As you all know by now, this past week, President Trump announced sweeping tariffs that mark a significant shift in global trade policy. These tariffs were much worse than many expected. President Trump introduced a baseline 10% tariff on all imports along with reciprocal tariffs targeting countries with perceived barriers to U.S. trade. These measures,…
Chart Watch
Countries Impacted Most by Tariffs With all the recent volatility concerning tariffs, we believe it is useful to separate what is known and what is unknown. After all, we can’t predict the future. There is a great deal of uncertainty as to what a final tariff structure would look like and more importantly what the…
Tax Facts 2025
Here is your quick reference guide to 2025 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 for a printer-friendly version. Marrieds Filing Jointly or a Qualifying Widow(er) Alternative Minimum Tax Investments Heads of Households AMT Tax…
2024 Q4 Review and Outlook – The Stopped Clocks Start Chiming
Markets recorded a fabulous 2024 as stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 SPDR ETF – SPY) gained 24.5%. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) gained 0.7%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio recorded a 15% total return. The last decade was equally impressive as stocks earned…
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%,…
Your Asset Allocation Depends On Your Financial Plan (and not the other way around)
~ Douglas R. Mewhirter, CFA, Senior Vice President – Portfolio Manager One of the most common questions an investor will ask an advisor is “how much of my money should I have in stocks vs. bonds?” From an investing point of view, that is one of the most important questions you need to ask. Stocks have earned the…