Articles, Market Commentary
& More

It is that time of year again when parents find themselves becoming empty nesters as their kids head off to college. It is a time full of important, and not important, decisions to be made. Picking out the right towels, bedding, computer, books, clothes, and mini-fridge can quickly become overwhelming. However, there is a lot […]

Global stocks are up double digits year-to-date (16.1%) with the most strength coming from U.S. stocks and REITs. With a flight to quality taking place, intermediate-term bonds have also rallied in 2019 (+6.1%), driving yields lower. Unemployment is at a half century low (3.6%). The length of current U.S. economic expansion is 120 months — the longest expansion on record. There […]

Many of us are used to seeing the value and price movement of an index quoted in points. Headlines about the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the S&P 500 often reference how many points the index gained or lost during the day. You are not alone if you only vaguely understand what these points mean […]

As summer comes winding to an end, many families are preparing to send their children off to college. For a first year college student this is often a very exciting time in their life with the opportunity and freedom to live on their own for the first time. However, with great freedom comes great financial […]

Less than a year ago, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) was on a path of raising short-term interest rates, also known as the Fed Funds rate, which is the rate at which banks lend reserves overnight. That came to an end in December 2018 with rates at 2.5%. Last week, the Fed made an “about […]

Kicking off the third quarter, U.S. stocks continued their rally with a slight tick upward, while international stocks gave back some of the gains made in the first half of the year. Bonds were mostly flat in July with the exception of international bonds. Despite mixed returns across asset classes, managed futures led alternatives as […]

With the 2018 tax year closed, most taxpayers saw a decrease in their refunds, and some even owed taxes when they usually receive refunds.  This was due to the adjusted withholding tables that came into effect in February 2018, lowering the amount of taxes taken out of taxpayers’ paychecks.  Since less tax was paid throughout […]

“I just got my annual bonus – let’s go on vacation!” “It was so obvious that the dotcom and housing bubbles would cause bear markets. Everyone saw that coming!” “Based on that information, let’s adjust our expectations a bit higher – but still consider our original estimate.” “Those sound like good changes to our financial […]

It was hard to go wrong in June! Every major asset class rose during the month to round out the second quarter. Global stocks rebounded in June, gaining 6.4% – now having risen 16.1% in 2019. Bonds, led by international bonds (+1.7%), were broadly positive as well due to falling interest rates. While mixed on […]

What is Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation or NQDC? Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation, or NQDC, is compensation that has been earned by an employee but has not yet been transferred from the employer to the employee. Because the employer still has ownership of the compensation, it is not included in the employee’s earned income and therefore is not […]

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.”