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,…

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…

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…

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…

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%,…

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…

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%,…

~ 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…

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%…

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…