Articles, Market Commentary
& More

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 […]

The first month of the fourth quarter was positive for global stocks (+2.8%), which have now gained +19.1% year‐to‐date. Although US large cap (+2.2%) and small cap (+2.6%) had moderate gains within the month, their year‐to‐date returns are strong at +23.2% and +17.2%. Bonds are all up with their year‐to‐date numbers coming in at +9.1% […]

Politics and religion. Two of the most commonly debated subjects. So why bring one of them up? With impeachment rumors flooding the headlines, it’s pertinent to address the political questions surrounding the dinner table. Will this disturb my investments? Should I pull my portfolio out of the market?   The impeachment proceedings of 1974 and […]

Who Wins, Who Loses Under the Recent Tax Cuts In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to French scientist Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, concerned that he had not heard from Le Roy since the beginning of the French Revolution. The letter asks about Le Roy’s health and events in Paris over the past year, whilst Franklin […]

The final month of the third quarter was positive for global stocks (+2.1%), which are now up 15.9% year-to-date. Bonds (-0.4%), on the other hand, fell slightly as yields ended the month on a higher note. Year-to-date, however, bonds have benefited from price appreciation and have returns of +6.4% (U.S.) and +10.0% (international). Alternative asset classes, […]