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Yes, that is Pease, not peace. Donald Pease was a Congressman from Ohio who inserted a “stealth tax” into the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1990. The purpose of this Pease limitation was to raise revenue by limiting itemized deductions for high income earners. The limitation kicked in at a certain level of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). […]

You may have heard that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act raised the shared Federal Estate Tax Exemption level to over $22 million for a married couple. It is estimated that this increase will reduce the number of estates subject to Federal Estate Tax in 2018 from 5,500 to only 1,700, which represents approximately only […]

Global stocks (-1.9%) finished the month down amidst rising geopolitical tensions and fears over a trade war. The S&P 500 (-2.5%) struggled while small and small value stocks had positive returns in March, up 1.3% and 1.4%, respectively. International stocks fell across the board. Bonds produced low stable returns – led by international bonds, up […]

On Saturday Night Live in the late 1970s, Gilda Radner did a series of comedic vignettes as Roseanne Roseannadanna, who gave rambling answers to viewer questions. At some point in each one, she would say, “Well, Jane, it just goes to show you, it’s always something — if it ain’t one thing, it’s another.” In the 30+ […]

Global stocks (-4.2%) recorded their first month of losses in over a year. U.S. and international stocks were down across the board with U.S. large value stocks (-5.0%) the worst performing of the group. February also saw Jerome Powell sworn in as Chairman of the Federal Reserve replacing outgoing Chairwoman Janet Yellen. Solid economic data […]

February saw the return of volatility in stocks after an unusually calm 2017. Global stocks had their worst month since January 2016, the S&P 500 experienced its worst single trading day since 2011, and the VIX hit its highest levels since August 2015. Although these events made plenty of headlines, what they actually mean for […]

Home ownership has changed from the way it used to work for prior generations. Fifty years ago, many people bought a home and stayed in it for 30 years or longer. Far fewer take that approach today. As a result, many past “rules of thumb” need to be reevaluated. The answer to “How should I […]

One of the top concerns for Americans in their 60s is how to pay for retirement. To enter retirement with confidence, consider a plan that addresses these five key areas.  #1: Forecast Your Cost of Living If you’re approaching retirement, your first focus should be gaining a clear understanding of your current expenses and how […]

Global stocks (+5.4%) continued to push forward to start off the new year. All U.S. and international equity asset classes increased in the month of January – largely attributed to higher than expected corporate earnings and positive economic data. On Feb. 5, Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen will be replaced by Jerome Powell. Analysts expect […]

A moderate pickup in U.S. inflation is beginning to resonate with markets in 2018. As underlying inflation data has begun to pick up, market-based inflation expectations have approached 2%, nearing levels not seen since mid-2014. Recent year-over-year inflation measures such as core CPI (consumer price index) and core PCE (personal consumption expenditure) have nudged modestly […]

The U.S. stock market has delivered an average annual return of around 10% since 1926.1 But short-term results may vary, and in any given period stock returns can be positive, negative, or flat. When setting expectations, it’s helpful to see the range of outcomes experienced by investors historically. For example, how often have the stock market’s […]

A Smooth Ride to the Top Stock market volatility has been historically low: standard deviation of S&P 500 Index daily returns was 0.42% in 2017, the lowest since 1965 2017 was the only year that the MSCI All Country World Stock Index (IMI) posted a gain in every month Over a year since the S&P […]