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Over the past few years, investors have experienced an array of different emotions and market behaviors. One trend that many have noticed lately is U.S. stock market outperformance compared to international markets. Over the past five years, the IA SBBI U.S. Large Stock Index has outperformed the MSCI EAFE Index (large cap international stock index) […]

The last month of the year was positive for global stocks (+3.5%), closing +26.4% for the year. U.S. bonds gained slightly throughout the month, pushing year-end gains to +6.8% for U.S. intermediate term and +3.1% for short-term bonds. Alternative asset classes were mixed with commodities posting gains of 5.0% for the month, while managed futures […]

Do you hear what I hear??? It’s new legislation coming out of Washington this Christmas season!  Heading into the New Year the Federal Government has just released legislation that will have far reaching implications for nearly all individuals.  You may have heard rumblings of something called the SECURE Act throughout the year.  It passed with […]

Savant CEO Brent Brodeski wrote the opinion piece, “Vanquish the morale-killing element in your RIA,” for Financial-Planning.com. He reviews how RIAs can improve team morale and productivity.

You may have spent the last 30 years (or more) working tirelessly and are now beginning to realize that retirement is staring you right in the face. All those years of saving, putting your kids through college, and delaying traveling with your spouse are now over (oh wait – maybe that’s just me and my […]

Slow Down and Pay Attention We all have hectic lives. From caring for young children, to helping our aging parents, along with balancing a busy career and community commitments, it seems that there is never enough time. However, when it comes to your financial security, it is important to slow down and think about what […]

The second month of the fourth quarter was positive for global stocks (+2.5%), which have now gained 22.0% year-to-date. U.S. bonds remained flat throughout the month holding onto year-to-date gains of 6.7% for U.S. intermediate-term and 2.9% for short-term bonds.  Alternative asset classes (REITs, Commodities, and Managed Futures) all posted losses for the month. Economy […]

With numerous major brokerage/custody firms (including TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, and Fidelity) recently eliminating commissions for trading stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), now is a great time to be an investor. While explicit trading costs seem to be going away across the industry (via commission-free trading), it’s still important for investors to understand the implicit […]

In 1954, renowned management consultant Peter Drucker wrote a book called The Practice of Management, in which he introduced a process known as management by objectives (MBO). MBO was a simple yet groundbreaking way for business managers to define and convey specific objectives to the organization’s team members, as well as to prioritize these objectives […]

The investment industry and academia largely ignore tax implications and instead focus on return and risk. One of our key maxims at Savant is tax-efficient investing. We believe incorporating tax ramifications is the critical third leg to the investment management stool (risk, return, and taxes). As we approach the end of 2019, it’s relevant to discuss […]

Did you know there are 47.5 million people around the world living with dementia? Of those, 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia. Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. Although dementia mainly affects older people, it is not a normal part of aging. Over 16 million people in the U.S. care […]

From Hong Kong to New York, stock markets were slammed by a wave of fears about slowing growth, trade wars, and higher interest rates. Even though markets enjoyed a sweet Halloween rebound, the S&P 500 lost nearly 7% in October, its worst month since September 2011. The pain spread to overseas markets, which were already […]