Market Commentary

Market Commentary: Markets Start the New Year Strong Despite the Chaos in Washington

The vivid pictures and appalling actions in Washington, D.C., Wednesday captured the attention of the globe, but not the interest of markets. The Democratic sweep in the Georgia Senate races didn’t attract a lot of interest from investors either. Neither were markets fazed by the first loss of jobs in a monthly employment report since the recovery began.

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Help Improve Your Financial Plan This Year with These One-time Adjustments

It’s no secret that many people do not keep their New Year’s resolutions. Every year around this time, gym memberships go up and personal planners fly off the shelves. A few weeks later, the planner gets left on the train and the gym, well, it’s just so far out of the way! New Year’s resolutions have a whopping shelf life of about a month, and only 20% or so make it further.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: S&P 500 Finishes the Year at a Record High, Unemployment Numbers Decrease Slowly

The S&P 500 wrapped up a surprising year with another strong week. The index of large-cap stocks, including dividends, climbed 1.5% and finished 18.4% higher for the year. Figure 1 shows the performance of the S&P 500, ex-dividends, in 2020 and just how far stocks have roared back from their lows.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: Trump Signs New Stimulus Package as Vaccine Distribution Continues

The new stimulus package approved by the House and Senate was signed by President Trump Sunday night. The president had proposed upping the aid to individuals to $2,000 after the bipartisan agreement had been reached. Garnering support for that proposal would likely have proven difficult and economic urgency made signing the bill the logical choice. The need for additional support was evidenced by a 1.2% decline in disposable income (Figure 1).

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17 Things You Need to Know About the New Stimulus Package

Congress passed the new $900 billion economic relief and spending bill on Monday. While most of the focus has been on a second round of relief payments to most Americans, there is plenty more in the 5,000-plus pages of the stimulus package.

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How to Make Sense of Retirement and Estate Finance

Retirement is far off until it isn’t. This chapter of life can sneak up on just about anyone, and we do ourselves a favor to be as prepared as we can. Like anything involving the government, finances can be confusing, with different tax treatments, contribution limits, beneficiary rules and more.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: New Support Package to Provide Assistance to Individuals, Businesses and More

The economic slowdown continues. Initial jobless claims climbed 885,000 last week. In the face of additional restrictions and heightened health risks, consumers have scaled back activity. Retail and food service sales dipped 1.1% last month (Figure 1).

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: First Vaccines Roll Out as Unemployment Claims Remain High

Initial jobless claims reached an 11-week high based on data reported last week. More than 850,000 workers filed initial unemployment claims (Figure 1). While processing delays around the Thanksgiving holiday affected the data, even after adjusting for the break it appears the economic lull continues.

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Estate Planning for the Family Farm and Your Legacy

As a financial advisor who’s spent her career in the midwest, I’ve worked with more farm families than I can count. From buying new expensive equipment to riding out the drought years, there can be millions in play even on small family operations. Estate planning – splitting up the land between the kids – can be one of the most complex parts of the journey.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: S&P 500 Gains Nearly 11% Last Month After Promising Vaccine News

November turned out to be a month full of news. A surge of COVID-19 cases, the presidential election, vaccine announcements, and slowing economic growth all moved markets. The November employment report provided additional evidence economic growth is decelerating. The economy generated 245,000 new jobs, missing expectations of 463,000 (Figure 1). Unemployment inched lower to 6.7% supported by the slow job growth and more people leaving the labor force.

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