Insights + Resources

Epic Insights

Stocks Gain Tremendously Since 2009

Jan 24, 2020

Where were you on March 9, 2009? Do you remember the headwinds hitting Wall Street stocks then? When the closing bell rang at the New York Stock Exchange that Monday afternoon, it marked the end of another down day for stocks. Just hours earlier, the Wall Street Journal had asked: “How Low Can Stocks Go?”¹

The Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index answered that question by sinking to 676.53, even with mergers and acquisitions making headlines. The index was under 700 for the first time since 1996. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled to a closing low of 6,547.05.²

To quote Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” It was the bottom of the bear market – and it was also the best time, in a generation, to buy stocks.² (more…)

Tags: financial advisor, Investment Planning, Investment Portfolio, Investments, retirement

The Secure Act

Jan 17, 2020

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act is now law. With it, comes some of the biggest changes to retirement savings law in recent years. While the new rules don’t appear to amount to a massive upheaval, the SECURE Act will require a change in strategy for many Americans. For others, it may reveal new opportunities. (more…)

Tags: Employee Benefit Planning, Investment Planning, retirement, Retirement Planning, Retirement Tax Savings, Secure Act

Buy Sell Agreements for Businesses

Jan 15, 2020

For most, creating an estate strategy is important to make sure your loved ones are taken care of after you’re gone. But it may be just as important to have an estate strategy for your business. Whether you’re a sole proprietor who will be passing on your business to your heirs or your business partners will take over for you, having a buy-sell agreement in place might ensure that your business legacy continues to live on. (more…)

2019 IRA Deadlines Are Approaching

Jan 13, 2020

Financially, many of us associate April with taxes – but we should also associate April with important IRA deadlines.

April 1, 2020 is the deadline to take your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from certain individual retirement accounts.

April 15, 2020 is the deadline for making annual contributions to a traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and certain other retirement accounts.¹ (more…)

Healthcare Costs are Cutting into Retirement Preparations

Jan 10, 2020

 

You may have seen this statistic before or one resembling it: the average 65-year-old retiring couple can now expect to pay more than $250,000 in healthcare costs during the rest of their lives.

In fact, Fidelity Investments now projects this cost at $285,000. The effort to prepare for these potential expenses is changing the big picture of retirement planning.¹

(more…)

Tags: Employee Benefit Planning, Health Care Needs, Health Care Savings, retirement, Retirement Planning

Why DIY Investment Management Is Such a Risk

Jan 8, 2020

If you ever have the inkling to manage your investments on your own, that inkling is worth reconsidering. Do-it-yourself investment management can be a bad idea for the retail investor for myriad reasons.

Getting caught up in the moment.When you are watching your investments day to day, you can lose a sense of historical perspective. This may be especially true in longstanding bull markets, in which investors are sometimes lulled into assuming that the big indices will move in only one direction. (more…)

Tags: financial advisor charlotte nc, Investment Planning

Earnings for All Seasons

Jan 6, 2020

While nature offers four seasons, Wall Street offers only one – four times a year. It’s called “earnings season,” and it can move the markets. So, what is earnings season, and why is it important?

Earnings season is the month of the year that follows each calendar quarter-end month (January, April, July, and October). It is the time during which many public companies release quarterly earnings reports. Some public companies report earnings at other times during the year, but many are on the calendar year that ends December 31. (more…)

Tags: financial advisor charlotte nc, Financial Help, Investing

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