If you only look at the headlines these days, you might be compelled to think that the best of all plans, financial and otherwise, is to dig a really big hole and hide.
Unfortunately, good planning requires that we look to the facts and avoid the noise. It’s a truism that “bad news sells newspapers.” However, in spite of the headlines, it is important for us to be making our financial and retirement decisions with data based on facts, and not the headline of the day. Take Social Security for example. Read more.Read More
A recent headline read that the Dow Jones Industrial average posted its first eight quarter win in 20 years. It is rare to go two years straight without a negative quarter, and the question on many minds has been, “When will the equity markets experience a correction?” A correction is often defined as decline of 10 to 20%. Trying to predict the next decline is notoriously hard (some might say a fool’s errand), and back in April we discussed four economic areas that affect the velocity of money. Read more.Read More
In response to the data breach Equifax, one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies, recently announced, REDW Stanley is sharing some helpful tips. Although your data might not be at risk, here are some actions you can take to be proactive regarding your financial data. Read more.Read More
Many investors, including some of REDW Stanley’s clients, are a bit uncomfortable with the present state of the stock market. They feel that valuations are too high, that the extended life of the recovery is undeserved, and that, any day now, the other shoe is going to drop (meaning the market will experience a correction – which, incidentally, is a normal part of an economic cycle). What can we, as your financial partner, do to help improve your comfort level? Read more.Read More
Perhaps one of the most common comparisons is the one comparing investing to gambling. The similarities are undeniable. You can lose all your money or end up with a great deal of money. Even the indicators of success and language are similar. We talk about being up or being down, being in the red or being in the black, the big loss or the big win. Both utilize statistics and we talk about the odds of certain outcomes. However, there are major, fundamental differences that we will explore. Read more.Read More
Recently, I read an article on retirement income planning that focused on the “best” combination of investments for a couple approaching retirement. The authors proposed that three hypothetical investors set out on their retirement journey with a healthy pot of money in the cookie jar and $24,000 of annual Social Security benefits as foundational income. The analysis then proceeded to look at three different ways to invest the nest egg to allow for the most flexibility in retirement.
I am quite sure that some investors are drawn to the mechanics of portfolio management and asset allocation while others are quite content to hire professionals to manage their accounts. But let’s compare this approach to retirement income planning with three different families that are about to go on an extended vacation, car and trailer included. Read more.Read More
One of the first actions taken by the new Administration was to rescind the new fiduciary rule for retirement accounts that was to be phased in beginning April 10, 2017, with final implementation by January 1, 2018. The rule was designed to ensure that recommendations by financial advisors were made in the best interests of their clients without any conflicts of interest.
That new fiduciary rule was years in development. The Department of Labor proposed the rule on April 20, 2015, announced the final rule on April 6, 2016, and formally published the rule on April 8, 2016. You may be wondering if rescinding the rule will impact your retirement accounts with REDW Stanley. Read more.Read More
President Trump certainly elicits strong emotions from a large percentage of the population. In the days following the election, many equity markets went up in value. Generally, the policies of the new President were viewed as positive for economic growth. As economic data continued to improve since November of 2016 both domestically and globally, capital markets continued to improve. With the new Congress, we have begun to learn that legislative change does not necessarily go easily.
Politics, policies, and economic growth certainly intersect, and it is easy to allow one’s political leanings to overly influence investing decisions or outlook. What then are the broad principles that should be used in evaluating policies? Read more.Read More
We’ve recently had a number of REDW Stanley clients object to our established process for wiring money—calling it “convoluted” or “so not a part of the 21st century” because it’s still largely paper- and people-based. But while I do agree the process may seem overly complicated or outdated, there are very good reasons why this is so—and they all have to do with protecting our clients. Read more.Read More
For our entire history as a nation we have debated the question, “How much authority should be centralized?” This discussion is not limited to the US, but is global in nature. After the 2008 crisis, many argued that economic decision-making needed to be increasingly regulated and centralized.
As the recovery that started in 2009 failed to reach historic averages, questions arose over whether or not the amount of regulation and centralization was too much. In 2016, two events demonstrated the level of discontent with the “new normal.” Read more.Read More
