Articles, Market Commentary
& More

As your individual and family circumstances change, you may find that you own an annuity or cash value life insurance policy that no longer suits your needs. Financial advisor Don Duncan reviews a few ways you can repurpose such assets to play a more efficient role in your financial plan.

Savant CEO Brent Brodeski wrote the opinion piece, “Rethinking top advisor lists: What metrics really matter,” for Financial-Planning.com. He offers insight into how top advisor lists can be misleading and suggests firms instead measure their success through revenue growth and their EBITDA “sweet spot.”

To highlight some of the key differences between an asset and stock sale, let’s review some important tax, business liability, and complexity considerations.

The difficulties of market timing have been well documented in financial literature. In addition to the challenge of deciding when to get into and out of the market, market timers must overcome the burden of higher costs due to more frequent trading as well as the tax implications of this trading. Making meaningful and correct […]

As more women work “side hustles” outside of their regular employment (e.g., Uber, Postmates, Task Rabbit, etc.), there is an opportunity for them to establish their own Solo 401(k) plan, defer taxable income, and save for retirement. A Solo 401(k) plan consists of an employer contribution and an employee contribution. This type of retirement savings plan […]

The yield curve inverted. So what? What does it mean, and what should you do? A yield curve is a plot of interest rates on bonds (typically U.S. Treasury bonds) of various maturity lengths. Some bonds mature in thirty days, some in three months, one year, two years, five years, ten years, on up to […]

Global stocks fell 6.0% during May which resulted in year‐to‐date returns now standing at 9.1%. China (‐13.1%) was among the worst performing markets during the month amid escalating trade tensions. Bonds were broadly positive with short‐term (+0.4%), intermediate‐term (+1.3%), TIPS (+1.7%), and international bonds (+1.5%) all posting gains for the month. Alternatives were down during […]

First quarter earnings for 2019 were inevitably going to draw a lot of attention in the wake of increased market volatility, ongoing trade tensions, and growing discussions about a potential earnings recession. Now that the results are in, let’s take a closer look at what the data shows.  The good news is that an earnings […]

Tech unicorns – start-up companies valued at over $1 billion such as Uber, Pinterest, Airbnb and Slack – have become some of the world’s most valuable start-ups over the past several years. While these companies and several others have grown rapidly, they have been primarily funded through venture capital and have remained privately held. Recent […]

Since childhood, many of us have set financial goals. Perhaps it was saving for our first bike or an ice cream treat, or simply enjoying our first taste of wealth as it accumulated in the piggy bank. Whether these actions were influenced by our parents attempting to teach responsibility or it turned out to be […]

Do you have a loved one who is disabled or who has special needs? Many times individuals with special needs rely on public benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, and other programs to help with living expenses. In order to retain eligibility for such benefits, the individual’s cash and investment assets may not […]

“What did the doctor say?” A diagnosis of a serious illness can be life changing. The need to understand treatment options and to receive medical care is often overwhelming. A new diagnosis can impact not only your day-to-day routine, but also the people who are close to you. Finances can also be impacted. In fact, […]