A Return to the Fundamentals
April 26, 2018
To say the least, the first quarter of 2018 was a bumpy ride. We started off great, hitting an all-time high on the S&P 500 on January 26th. Then volatility kicked in, which included dips that bottomed out almost 8% off that high in the next few weeks alone. The months of February and March […]
Working Wealthy – Spring into Retirement?
April 24, 2018
Spring is nearly upon us in Chicago. It’s a welcome time of year considering the cold, hard winter. All of a sudden, we’ll start to see some green buds, blue skies and balmy temps in the 40s. It is also the time of year that reminds me what little credence is given to the transition […]
First Comes Love, Then Comes a Millennial Prenup?
April 17, 2018
I now pronounce you husband and wife…with a prenuptial agreement. (Wouldn’t it be great if that was announced at the ceremony?!) Though prenups were once thought to be reserved for the rich and famous, studies show that millennials are increasingly signing on the dotted line. The “four Ds” below point to a few reasons millennials […]
Face-to-Face with the Fed
April 12, 2018
The new head of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, recently made his first public speech as Fed chair, which happened to be in Chicago. We were part of hearing that message directly. One warning: if you ever watch a Fed chair talk, don’t expect a riveting presentation. The statements are carefully prepared and delivered in […]
Spring Cleaning Your File Cabinets
April 3, 2018
With warmer weather, more sunshine, and opening day baseball (Go White Sox!) on the horizon, I was feeling ambitious last weekend and decided to get a jump start on my Spring cleaning. As I sifted through file cabinets I was shocked as to how many statements, bills, and receipts can pile up over 12 months, […]
Stress Testing as a Risk Management Tool for Financial Professionals
March 27, 2018
Heads or Tails In 1979, two behavioral economists, Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, ran a famous experiment to understand how averse to loss humans truly are. The experiment involved the ultimate game of chance, flipping a coin. The two economists simply asked their subject if they would accept certain terms of a bet based on […]
Goldilocks and the Three Inflations
March 22, 2018
Goldilocks stumbled across a house in the woods with bowls of porridge left on the table. She tasted each one and found the first too hot, the second too cold, and the third just right. In today’s economy markets are hoping inflation is that third bowl of porridge and can be ‘just right.’ Over the […]
3 Reasons to Change Your Estate Plan After the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
March 13, 2018
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 created many planning opportunities. The Act raised the per person estate tax exemption to $11,200,000. Therefore, the estate tax will apply to very few people – that is until at least December 31, 2025, which is when the new law “sunsets.” Estate planning has changed to focus […]
Rising Interest Rates and Bonds – It’s Not All Bad
March 8, 2018
You might be looking at your bonds, wondering why in the world they are negative. Well, in bond investing, one of the biggest factors that impacts the price of bonds is interest rates. When rates go up, bond prices go down. This is something you may have heard before. In recent weeks, bond yields spiked […]
Two Ways to Still Improve Your 2017 Taxes
March 6, 2018
Although most of the significant tax saving opportunities needed to be done prior to December 31, 2016, there are still several tax beneficial contributions that can be implemented before April 15th to ease your tax burden. Listed below are a couple items you should consider when preparing your taxes: Make an IRA Contribution – You […]
Working Wealthy – Unlucky or Unprepared?
February 27, 2018
This January that peculiar little light lit up on my dashboard and, sure enough, my driver’s side rear tire was flat. Fortunately, when this happened I was only blocks away from a gas station. I was in luck! The gas station had an air pump (and it was working), but that’s where the good news […]
Geopolitics Take Center Stage in 2018
February 22, 2018
January started with a bang. The stock market continued its seemingly non-stop ascent, leading many to two rather divergent thoughts; 1) This thing has to end, and 2) Let’s get in! As February rolled in, another feeling that thankfully has been missing for several years greeted us once again. The feeling of risk. February marked […]