This week, a slew of economic reports, which included inflation data, employment figures and retail sales reports, continue to indicate that the Fed still has a way to go on its quest to tame inflation.

There are a myriad of important numbers related to personal financial and tax planning that change every year. To help ensure you are up to date with all and to hopefully simplify your individual financial planning efforts for the year ahead, we are sharing the 2023 Annual Limits Guide from the College for Financial Planning®, which outlines many of the most important numbers that may apply to you. 

In this video, Mary Lago, CFP®, CTFA, chair of our wealth management department, highlights changes for retirement savings and charitable gifting in regard to tax planning.

On December 23, 2022, Congress passed the SECURE Act 2.0. This new legislation builds off its predecessor to further improve the U.S. retirement system. Included in the provisions are changes to required minimum distributions (RMDs). Most notably, the new law further pushes back the age at which RMDs must begin. 

After being caught flat-footed by inflation last year, the Federal Reserve maintains a steely resolve to ensure that the beginnings of slowing inflation witnessed last fall continue in 2023. Following the stock market’s worst year since 2008 and the worst year ever for bonds, investors are hoping for better days in 2023.

One topic we are consistently asked about is the risk of another housing crisis. Housing is clearly softening in the wake of the increases in interest rates, causing mortgage rates to climb sharply this year and making home ownership unaffordable for many Americans.

It has been a very challenging year for the capital markets. Not only have stocks entered a bear market, but bonds are on pace to have their worst return in more than a century. Typically, bonds have a negative correlation with stocks, and, as such, tend to have strong returns when stocks decline. However, this is the first time in 52 years that stocks and bonds fell in the same year.

This week, all eyes were on the inflation report and the subsequent Federal Reserve announcement a day later. Since these were the last announcements of their kind for 2022, market participants were paying close attention, with the hope of gaining some insight into what the rest of the year might look like for markets. 

Mary Lago, CFP®, CTFA, discusses select charitable giving and tax planning strategies.

As investors handicap the most anticipated recession in history, fourth quarter equity returns are playing out as expected. Historically, the fourth quarter, specifically the month of December, delivers the best results for equity investors. While this quarter has continued the positive trend, December is not acting as planned.

Jerome Powell has the most difficult job in America. The Fed Chairman and the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee are tasked with lowering inflation and they primarily have only one blunt tool to accomplish this goal, adjusting interest rates.

Goldman Shelby Capital Management has been named by Portland Business Journal as a “Most Admired Company.”

For much of the prior decade, both savers and bond investors alike tolerated low yields and a modest total return. The Federal Reserve couldn’t achieve liftoff from their near-zero interest rate policy for over six years following the Great Financial Crisis. Their efforts to stimulate the U.S. economy with low rates and quantitative easing achieved about the same level of success as an attempt to ignite a pile of damp newspaper. Bonds’ greatest virtue during that decade may have been to provide a reliably unattractive foil for a strong stock market and expanding price-to-earnings multiples.

After the most aggressive tightening cycle in Federal Reserve history, we are beginning to see signs of a slowing economy and more mixed messaging from corporate America. While counterintuitive, stocks have rallied over 10% from their October lows as inflation looks to have peaked and third quarter earnings have come in better than feared.

Taxes … just the word alone increases blood pressure and elicits a fight-or-flight response. As such, most people outsource their tax preparation. Whether you manage your taxes or outsource the task, there is still a good amount of work we are all responsible for.

We have long observed that what matters most for investors is not the outcome of elections but rather what happens to the economy and earnings. That said, historical performance indicates that mid-term elections are clearing events - regardless of the partisan outcome. In each such event since World War II, stock prices have risen in the 12 months that followed. Although a handful of election results are still yet to be decided, the U.S. Congress appears to be headed for a split…

In recent months, investors have understandably been obsessing over the Fed and inflation. This week was action-packed for the markets, with the Fed meeting and October employment report taking place. Writing about the Fed has come to feel like Groundhog Day…

Have you ever looked at something you've had for a long time and thought to yourself “Do I still need this?” or "I paid a lot for this … do I keep it?" This happens frequently when evaluating life insurance purchased in prior years.