Recovery Alphabet Soup After saying a collective “good riddance” to 2020 and moving forward into 2021 with renewed optimism, it might be worthwhile to take a peek backward, if we dare. Amidst the backdrop of a pandemic-impacted society and fractured political landscape, there were several positives in the financial world. Since dropping 34% between February 19 and March 23, the U.S. stock market went on to rise 68% and finish the year with a roughly 16% gain. Similar decline

The Fed Tosses Out a Lifeline In the third quarter of 2020, the market recovery continued unabated. Earlier this spring, the Federal Reserve made many decisions to try to address the economic impact of the COVID pandemic, most notably by lowering interest rates and establishing bond buying programs that essentially provide a government-backed guarantee for significant portions of the public bond market. With this decision, the Federal Reserve became the “buyer of last resort

"Nifty-Fifty" and the "Giant 5" - What's in a Name? You may notice there is a disconnect between the world we’re living in – where COVID-19 is escalating and our nation is still struggling with economic shutdowns and significant unemployment – and the stock market, which is up 43% from its low in March, and only down 5% from all-time highs in February 2020. You are likely wondering – How? Why? Those are great questions. A grand majority of companies that make up the stock

Time Marches On "There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen." ― Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Whether it be stock market losses, staggering pandemic unpreparedness, unparalleled increases in unemployment, and the near instant shuttering of businesses that took many years to build, March 2020 will go down for all of us as a period of weeks where decades happened. Markets – simply a reflection and collection of businesses, managerial decisions

You have likely heard about the new SECURE Act. What is it, what is changing, and why is it important? The Setting Every Community Up for...