We’re sure you saw the headlines.After hitting new highs last month, markets dropped dramatically, erasing months of gains.1 It feels like the sky is falling. Let’s take a step back and take a look at what’s going on. (Scroll to the end if you want our takeaways.) What’s behind the market drop? A couple of […]

How do you feel about the state of the economy? In more contemporary terms, what are your “vibes” telling you? Are you feeling confident and comfortable? Or are you feeling a nagging worry that things aren’t going well? If you’re experiencing a disconnect between official economic data and your personal perception, you’re not alone. This […]

We wanted to provide you with some essential information regarding the role and responsibilities associated with being named a Power of Attorney (POA).  This is a critical aspect of estate planning and can have significant implications for both you and the principal (the person who has granted you this authority). What is a Power of […]

Clouds may be gathering. Should investors be worried about a storm? Let’s look at some factors that could trigger a market selloff in the weeks or months ahead. (Note: we’re not saying a selloff is definitely going to happen—we want you to be prepared if it does.) Factor #1: Stocks are trading near record highs […]

After months of simmering inflation reports, it looks like inflation finally eased slightly in April.1 Are prices stabilizing? Can we breathe a sigh of relief? Let’s dig a little deeper. What’s inside the latest inflation report? Economists typically look at two major inflation gauges: the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Personal Consumption Expenditures Index […]

Is a zombie recession coming? (By that, we mean that renewed fears of a “hard landing” recession have emerged from the grave and are walking among us.)1 Many analysts were convinced that the U.S. economy could achieve a coveted “soft landing,” but they might be overly optimistic. Want to skip the economics? Scroll to the […]

New research has found a new “magic” retirement savings number. (We explain how inflation factors in below.) We say “magic” because if you put 10 people in a room, you’ll get 10 different opinions about how much you should save for retirement. And this estimate is no different. Northwestern surveyed 4,588 adults and found: The […]

The S&P 500 broke the 5,000 level recently for the first time in history as investors embraced euphoria and rallied.1 And then tumbled as investors got jittery.2 Then yo-yo’d a bit more. Fear and greed are the two halves of the investor psychology coin. When investors are feeling greedy and exuberant, they buy in the […]

It’s official. The bear market is behind us. The S&P 500 finally hit a new record for thefirst time since 2022. And then notched multiple higher highs in the days thatfollowed.1 That means it has passed the final bar to formalizethe bull market in stocks that started after the October 2022 market low.2 What’s a […]

How did 2023 go for you? Let’s take a moment to review some of the year’s major market and economic trends. (Before I sign off, I’ll also pass along a few thoughts about what 2024 could have in store.) AI became a major tech trend1 After ChatGPT launched in late 2022, the AI space race […]