Q2 Quarterly Market Snapshot In the U.S. Q2 was off to a rough start, with high inflation data bringing the U.S. stock market down 5.6% from highs in March. But, the tides shifted quickly as inflation data improved and companies posted strong Q1 earnings, leading to 3.22% gains for the quarter in the U.S. stock market. Artificial intelligence (AI) and tech dominated the headlines and drove much of the growth in the U.S. stock market. Continued signs of easing inflation led to

2024 Q1 Quarterly Market Review Q1 Quarterly Market Snapshot The first quarter of 2024 saw gains across U.S., international, and emerging market stocks,  and down markets in global real estate and U.S. bonds. Perhaps most significantly, inflation numbers have continued to be sticky and come in higher than expected, which has reduced the outlook for interest rate cuts this year. Coming into 2024, five rate cuts were expected, beginning in March. After last week's inflation rep

2023 Market Snapshot While the year began with fears of a looming recession, 2023 defied expectations with one of the best years for stock market performance in the last decade. As we entered the year, the Federal Reserve continued to aggressively raise interest rates to fight high inflation, but the economy remained resilient, inflation eased, and both U.S. and global stocks and bonds ended with a positive Q4. A few interesting data points: After posting double-digit losses

2023 Q1 Market Snapshot The first quarter of 2023 brought single-digit gains in both stock and bond markets, but it was still a bumpy ride for investors. Inflation was stickier than expected, which perpetuated the uncertainty around what to expect from the Federal Reserve and interest rates. In March, concerns shifted from inflation to liquidity issues at regional banks nearly overnight with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank . The Fed's response helped assuage concerns of w

Every few years there seems to be a new market crisis. We had the real estate meltdown of 2008-2009, the coronavirus pandemic, and now the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. Each situation had a different catalyst and required a new approach from the government. During times like this it’s normal to wonder what went wrong and how you as an investor can avoid these situations. For now, we want to share a bit about Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and what happened over the past week, as w

The latest round of retirement system legislation was just passed, and the SECURE 2.0 Act is now in effect. Here is a quick snapshot of the most notable changes:  Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)  Beginning January 1, 2023, the age at which people must start taking required minimum distributions from pre-tax retirement accounts increased from 72 to 73. SECURE Act 2.0 also includes a provision to increase the starting age to 75 in 2033 (anyone born in 1960 or later).  Ple

2022 Q4 Market Snapshot Macroeconomic forces were a dominant factor in the stock market volatility of 2022. Central to everything was stubbornly high inflation and the Fed's unprecedented response of aggressive interest rate hikes. Inflation was fueled by a number of factors, including global impacts of Russia's attack on Ukraine, a strong U.S. economy, and ongoing supply chain challenges. As a result, inflation persisted at higher levels longer than most investors (and the F

The year continues to be marked by volatility in both the stock and bond markets. The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to disrupt global markets and inflation is significant and stubborn both in the U.S. and around the world. In the U.S., the Federal Reserve's no-holds-barred approach to increasing the Federal Funds rate still has investors concerned about the possibility of recession.Inflation will need to start coming down quickly for markets to begin turning around. I

Saving for College: What You Need To Know   Recent data shows that a bachelor’s degree increases income 86% compared with a high school diploma. But it doesn't come cheap - the average cost of college in the United States is $35,331 per student per year, including books, supplies, and daily living expenses. Multiplied by four years per child, this is one of the largest expenses a family will incur. As with pursuing any financial goal (new car, travel, new job, retirement, etc

2022 Q2 Market Snapshot A bumpy first quarter of 2022 turned into a volatile first half of the year, both in stock and bond markets. The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to disrupt global markets, impacting global energy and food security. Domestically, what started as uncertainty about Fed policy responses to persistently high inflation evolved into concern about aggressive Fed rate increases leading the U.S. economy into a recession. A few interesting data points from