August 2019 Update: Tariffs and Market Movements
Anybody who reads the headlines knows by now that the markets plunged on Monday August 5th. The S&P 500 fell 2.98% and is down 5.83% over the past five days. In the bigger picture, this is a pretty modest drop for a market that was up 17% so far this year. Some...
2019 Mid-year market Update: The Climb Continues
How to make sense out of the recent market behavior? We experienced a painful decline in the last month of 2018 before the markets took a sharp (and unexpected) about-face and delivered the biggest one-quarter gain since the third quarter of 2009. The surprise...
I sold my business and I STILL can’t retire??!
Written by: Kirk Licata, CFP® Having been raised in a family whose livelihood depended upon a small business, I know from personal experience the extent to which the successes or failures of such a business can become integrated into an individual or family’s...
Why We LOVE LOVE HSAs
By: Michael Lipsey, CFP®, AIF® Imagine that you can deposit money into an account that: Gives you a tax deduction May reduce your FICA (Social Security) taxes Grows tax free and may generate tax free distributions Might be set up with money from your employer Can...
2019 First Quarter Investment Market Report: Will the Party Continue?
The long, painful market decline in the last month of 2018 seemed to promise more of the same for the new year of 2019, but at the end of the first quarter, the results couldn't have been more different. The U.S. market, measured by a variety of indices, posted its...
Are you aware of the biggest change to small business taxation in decades?
By: Kirk Licata, CFP® As small business owners across the country begin gearing up for their annual pilgrimage to their accountant’s offices, there is a new deduction that could have a major impact on their wallets: the qualified business income deduction. As a...
2018 Year-End Report: The Bear Emerges
This was the year the long, seemingly endless bull market came to a crashing halt--and U.S. investors finally, for the first time since 2008, experienced the normal definition of a bear market (down 20% from the S&P 500's all-time high on September 20). The...
Making the Most of a Legacy
By: Kirk Licata, CFP® Seven in ten people who suddenly receive a large sum of money will spend it all within just a few years.1 An inheritance, an employee bonus, lottery winnings – all are typically quickly spent. According to psychologists and behavioral finance...
Another Spooky October
The U.S. stock market suffered through its second correction of the year, and if you’re the kind of person who likes to worry, then October gave you plenty of cause. When the markets are dropping, the financial media needs to find a narrative. You hear all sorts of...
It’s 2:00 AM in Tibet
By: Doug Stefanini I have recently been reflecting on how technology has changed our day-to-day lives by uniting people and places that before were isolated and disparate. Maybe we have become too dependent on technology, but, at times, it is a wonder to behold. Nine...