April 2025 Market Summary Domestic Stock Indices Mixed, Inflation Sets Record Low, Mid-Term Treasury Yields Fall Equities U.S. indices posted mixed results in April largely due to gains in the technology sector with tough quarters for some large-cap blue-chip companies. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.88%, the S&P 500 slipped 0.68%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 3.08% due to significant losses […]

Private Equity What is private equity? Like stock shares, private equity represents an ownership interest in a company. However, unlike stocks, private equity investments are not listed or traded on a public market or exchange (though some firms that specialize in making private equity investments are publicly traded). Private equity firms are not necessarily required […]

Test Your Knowledge of Financial Basics How well do you understand personal finance? The following brief quiz can help you gauge your knowledge of a few basics. In the answer section, you’ll find details to help you learn more. Questions 1. How much should you set aside in liquid, low-risk savings in case of emergencies? […]

New Tariffs Drive Market Volatility At 4:00 p.m. on April 2, 2025, President Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imported goods that were significantly larger and different in structure than expected. The announcement was carefully timed to coincide with the close of the New York Stock Exchange to avoid immediate market volatility. But over the next […]

March 2025 Market Summary After the First Quarter, the Score is… The first quarter has concluded – and it saw equities decline. Dow Jones: -1.27% S&P 500: -4.59% Nasdaq: -10.42% This is only the seventh Q1 since 2000 where all three major U.S. indices posted negative Q1 returns. The worst Q1 in this 26-year timespan […]

What Happened to the Magnificent Seven Stocks? The Magnificent Seven stocks–Alphabet, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, NVIDIA, and Tesla–have carried U.S. indices higher. Between 2023 and 2024, these seven names rose 156.1% as a collective, compared to 25.16% for the remaining 493 names and 57.88% for the S&P 500 index overall. However, this cohort has […]

Cash Balance Plan What is a cash balance plan? A cash balance plan is a qualified employer-sponsored retirement plan that has become increasingly common in recent years as an alternative to (or replacement of) the traditional defined benefit pension plan. Though it is technically a form of defined benefit plan, the cash balance plan is […]

Alternatives are the “It” Investment: What to know before you dive in. Alternative investments aren’t so “alternative” anymore. Once the rarefied domain of institutional investors and some sophisticated individuals, alts—from hedge funds to private credit to cryptocurrency—have increasingly pushed their way into the investment portfolios of wealthy people. They’re now hitting the mass market, too. […]

February 2025 Market Summary U.S. Stock Indices Post Modest Declines, Employment Situation Improves, and the Median Home Price Slides Further The Not-so-Magnificent Seven The Magnificent Seven stocks––Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT), NVIDIA (NVDA), and Tesla (TSLA)–lifted the market higher in 2023 and 2024, combining for a 156.1% return over […]

Why Treasury Yield Are Rising in February 2025? In February, Treasury yields have experienced an upward trajectory as investors respond to higher-than-anticipated inflation data and concerns over proposed U.S. import tariffs. The 10-year Treasury yield, a critical benchmark for fixed-income investors, has risen to 4.56%, reflecting market adjustments to these economic indicators. Let’s dive into some key […]