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Archive for the ‘Investment Commentary’ Category
Estate Planning For Cryptocurrency
Digital currencies (or cryptocurrencies) such as bitcoin are not just a fad. They are resources with potentially significant value, which is why the IRS is increasingly focusing enforcement efforts on collecting data in this area. In 2014 the IRS ruled that cryptocurrency is “property” rather than currency. Accordingly, cryptocurrency is subject to capital gains tax…
2021 Q3 Review and Outlook – Inflation, Stagflation or Neither?
The well-stimulated economy continued to power along in the third quarter of 2021, but the S&P 500 SPDR ETF (SPY) barely squeaked out a 0.6% gain. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) was flat (-0.01% return), and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio gained 0.3%. Year to date,…
2021 Q1 Review and Outlook: “I believe that markets will fluctuate.”
The U.S. stock market continued to climb out of and above the hole it dug in 2020, with the S&P 500 SPDR ETF (SPY) gaining 6.4% in the 1st quarter. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) declined 3.4%, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio gained 2.5%. For…
Ask a Trust Officer: Roth IRA versus Traditional IRA
DEAR TRUST OFFICER: I have $6,000 to put into an IRA before I file my tax return for 2020. Which is better, the traditional IRA or the Roth IRA? — TARDY SAVER DEAR TARDY: There is no simple answer to your question, unfortunately. Do you qualify for the tax deduction for the contribution…
2020 Q4 Review and Outlook: A Very Good/Very Bad Year
Imagine two archivists sifting through old stock charts 1,000 years from now and saying to each other “2020 must have been a great year!” The U.S. stock market finished a very bad year on a very strong note, with the S&P 500 SPDR ETF (SPY) gaining 12.1% in the 4th quarter. The U.S. bond market (as measured…
Annuities: Approach with Caution (Free Dinners Aren’t Free)
Have you ever received a mailer about a “free dinner” at a local restaurant? All you must do to earn your $50 steak and $12 glass of cabernet sauvignon is listen to a “financial advisor” give you a pitch about “strategies to protect your nest-egg,” or “how to ensure a stress-free retirement in these turbulent…
2020 Q3 Review and Outlook
Keep Your Politics Out Of Your Portfolio The stock market had a decent 3rd quarter, with the S&P 500 SPDR ETF (SPY) gaining 9.0%. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) eked out a 0.4% gain, and a 60% stock/40% bond portfolio gained 5.6%. Despite 2020 being…2020, investors…
Managing Your Assets in Turbulent Times
Have questions or concerns about your assets during this volatile market environment? This brochure offers context for the current situation, with informed observations on how we may help you to respond to it.
2020 Q2 Review and Outlook
The Nike Swoosh or the Square Root? The U.S. stock market’s trend in the second quarter of 2020 was a mirror image of the first quarter’s, with the S&P 500 SPDR ETF (SPY) gaining 20.2% vs. a 19.5% drop in 1Q. The U.S. bond market (as measured by the US Aggregate Bond ETF – AGG) gained 3.1% (matching…
2020 Q1 Review and Outlook
“There are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen.” This quote (by Vladimir Lenin of all people) pretty much sums up the first quarter of 2020, as governments around the world instituted draconian methods to slow the pace of the spread of the Coronavirus (a.k.a. COVID-19). These actions are in essence…