Let’s talk a little about famous last words. On Nov. 8, 2007, then-Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told lawmakers that the U.S. economy did not appear headed for recession. One month later, the Great Recession of the 21st century began.1 So, on Sept. 6 of this year, when Fed Chair Jerome Powell announced that he…
Index mutual funds are investment vehicles comprising stocks from a wide variety of companies and track the performance of a specific index, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Investors are able to spread their assets across many different investments with the convenience of one fund, which can help protect them from market volatility. Index…
There is one predominant reason why retirement portfolio design must be approached differently today than in previous years: There is an infant alive in this world, right now, who is expected to reach age 200.1 That’s the prediction from demographers researching life expectancy trends, according to Olivia Mitchell, a business economics and public policy professor…
In our personal lives, we have a conscience that keeps us from doing not-so-nice things. Sometimes we even get a creepy-crawly feeling when we think someone may be up to no good. Fortunately, there also are some common red flags that warn us about things we should avoid when investing. For example, it’s usually not…
Kiplinger recently noted that the U.S. stock market appeared more resilient than ever, having bounced back from a devastating end of 2018. Employment remains relatively steady, inflation flat and the Fed has indicated reticence to increasing interest rates through the end of the year. In fact, the only headwinds for the rest of the year…
Between 1926 and 2018, the S&P 500 experienced double-digit annual losses only 11 times. Not only did the market recover, but the index has never permanently lost ground in any rolling 15-year period during that timeframe.1 While past performance is no guarantee of future results, that bit of history is good for stock investors to…
As many baby boomers near retirement, some new facts are coming into focus. According to the latest Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on retirement security, 29 percent of households aged 55 and older have no savings set aside for retirement and no pension. If that doesn’t change, they’ll be relying solely on Social Security during…
Companies Creating Vertical Investing Opportunities, Others Investing in Communities There is a new trend toward investing in American initiatives that aligns with the president’s focus on making the country great. Initiatives are cropping up to help create the potential for novel investment opportunities. Some of these investments are being created by companies that themselves enjoy…
March 9, 2019, marked the 10th anniversary of the current bull market, the longest-running in U.S. history. In that decade, the market more than quadrupled, and when you factor in dividends, it’s up fivefold.1 The short-term spikes over the past few years coupled with corporate share buybacks have served to keep performance humming. As we…
The first quarter of 2019 proved to be a strong one. The S&P 500 posted a 13.1% gain (the highest quarterly gain since 2009), the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 11.15% and the Nasdaq increased by 16.5%. Bond investors in both developed and emerging markets saw three consecutive months of positive returns. Oil prices…
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