Market Update – A Deeper Dive Into the Carry Trade
Aug 14, 2024
What Happened?
In short, the recent sell-off was underpinned by three primary factors, including: 1) overbought conditions coming into August — especially in big tech; 2) waning confidence for a soft landing due to last week’s weak Institute of Supply Management (ISM) manufacturing and employment data; and 3) the rapid unwinding of the crowded yen carry trade.
Tags: Current Events
Market Update – More Pullback Perspective
Aug 9, 2024
This latest bout of market volatility has been unsettling, especially after such a calm 2023 and 2024 for stocks. However, with the benefit of some historical perspective, volatility of this magnitude is quite common.
Tags: Current Events, financial advisor, financial advisor charlotte nc, Investment Portfolio, Stock Market
Market Update – Perspectives on Market Volatility
Aug 7, 2024
Stocks must have gotten the memo that August tends to be weak historically. July, the eighth positive month in the past nine, was quickly forgotten as the beginning of August greeted us with a selloff. The primary catalyst was August 2’s weaker-than-expected employment report, which ignited concern that the U.S. economy could tip into recession. Several additional factors exacerbated the selling pressure: (more…)
Tags: charlotte NC, Current Events, Investing, Investment Planning
What is Critical Illness Insurance
Aug 5, 2024
Ever hear of critical illness insurance? This isn’t standard-issue disability insurance, but a cousin of sorts. With people living longer, it is a risk management option entering more people’s lives. (more…)
Tags: Health Care Needs, Insurance, Long-Term Care Planning
Understanding Risk
Jul 31, 2024
Few terms in personal finance are as important, or used as frequently, as “risk.” Nevertheless, few terms are as imprecisely defined. Generally, when financial advisors or the media talk about investment risk, their focus is on the historical price volatility of the asset or investment under discussion.Tags: charlotte NC, financial advisor, financial advisor charlotte nc, Financial Help, Financial Planner Charlotte NC, Retirement Planning, Risk Management
Market Update – Assessing the Technical Damange
Jul 26, 2024
Key Takeaways
- Volatility came back with a vengeance this week as selling pressure in the mega cap space dragged down the broader market. Counterbalancing weakness in these heavyweight names poses a challenge for the rest of the market.
- Overbought conditions can also be blamed for the recent weakness. The S&P 500 reached a 14.9% premium to its 200-day moving average (dma) last week, marking the highest level since 2011. Historical comparisons point to momentum continuing over the next year, but not on a linear path.
- Technically, the S&P 500 violated a short-term uptrend yesterday as momentum indicators turned bearish. While there is a growing risk the current pullback continues lower, there is plenty of support before the longer-term uptrend is challenged. Furthermore, longer-term breadth metrics and overall market leadership remain bullish.
Tags: Current Events, Investing, Investment Portfolio
Retirement Plans for Small Businesses
Jul 17, 2024
As a business owner, you should carefully consider the advantages of establishing an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Generally, you’re allowed certain tax benefits for establishing an employer-sponsored retirement plan, including a tax credit for establishing the plan and a deduction for contributions you make. In return, however, you’re required to include certain employees in the plan, and to give a portion of the contributions you make to those participating employees. Nevertheless, a retirement plan can provide you with a tax-advantaged method to save funds for your own retirement, while providing your employees with a powerful and appreciated benefit.Tags: financial advisor charlotte nc, Financial Planning, Personal Finance, retirement, tax guide, Wealth Building
Market Performance is a Tale of Haves & Have-Nots
Jul 15, 2024
The S&P 500 strung together 37 record highs this year aboard an 18.1% rally, as of July 10. The advance has largely been powered by a handful of mega cap names tied to technology and/or artificial intelligence. In fact, six stocks — NVIDIA (NVDA), Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Meta (META), and Alphabet (GOOG/L) — are responsible for nearly two-thirds of the S&P 500’s total return this year. As highlighted in the chart below, the Magnificent Seven, which adds Tesla (TSLA) to the aforementioned six stocks, is up 51% on an equal weight basis. Without these seven stocks, the S&P 493 (ex Magnificent Seven) would only be up 8.3%.
Tags: Current Events, Investing, Investment Planning
Retirement Wellness
Jul 5, 2024
How healthy a retirement do you think you will have? If you can stay active as a senior and curb or avoid certain habits, you could potentially reduce one type of retirement expense.
Each year, Fidelity Investments presents an analysis of retiree health care costs. In 2023, Fidelity projected that the average 65-year-old couple would spend around $285,000 on health care during retirement, including about $11,000 in the first year. Both projections took Medicare benefits into account. (more…)
Tags: charlotte NC, financial advisor, Retirement Planning
Sneak Peek into Second Half Seasonality of Stocks
Jul 1, 2024
Key Takeaways
- Stocks are heading into the second half with impressive momentum. Historically, a strong first half tends to be followed by above-average second-half returns.
- Perhaps unsurprisingly, 1995 had the highest correlation to 2024 (based on first-half progressions) — a year that included a soft landing, the launch of the internet, and extremely low volatility.
- Despite the bullish precedence from a positive first half, bull markets are not linear. The maximum drawdown for the S&P 500 during the second half has averaged -10.3% since 1950. However, seasonality data suggests dips should be bought in the second half.
- Technically, the S&P 500 remains in a bull market and above its long-term uptrend, but overbought conditions — especially in technology and semiconductors — and notable divergences in market breadth point to a potential short-term pause or pullback in this rally.
More Insights
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A successful investor maximizes gain and minimizes loss. Though there can be no guarantee that any investment strategy will be successful and all investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, here are six basic principles that may help you invest more successfully.
Mar 31, 2025
Losing a spouse is a stressful transition. And the added pressure of having to settle the estate and organize finances can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make dealing with these matters less difficult.
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Families are one of the great joys in life, and part of the love you show to your family is making sure that their basic needs are met. While that’s only to be expected from birth through the high school years, many households are helping their adult children well into their twenties and beyond at … Continue reading “Retirement and Adult Children”
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Life insurance can be an excellent tool for charitable giving. Not only does life insurance allow you to make a substantial gift to charity at relatively little cost to you, but you may also benefit from tax rules that apply to gifts of life insurance.
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