The Reflation Trade: What Is It?
January 14, 2021
As calendars have turned to 2021, headlines have trumpeted the “reflation trade.” This is not new. Talk of reflation is very common as markets rebound from a major pullback. Even so, it’s been a while since our last major downturn, which may beg the question, what is reflation, and what does the reflation trade mean […]
Top 3 Year-End Planning Tips for Lawyers
December 29, 2020
As I’ve spoken with many lawyers throughout 2020, I’ve been impressed by how resilient most law firms have been. Most lawyers have seen their firms hold steady, and some have even seen growth in 2020. I consider that an amazing testament to the long-established truth that nothing of any importance gets done without the input […]
Driving into the S&P – What Can We Observe from Tesla’s Addition?
December 23, 2020
Before the market opened up Monday, there was a splash. Tesla, a company worth more than $600B, was officially added as a behemoth to the famous index. And, behemoth is not overexaggerating. Keep in mind, the next largest car company by market cap is Toyota, with a market cap of a little over $210B. Ford, […]
The Return of Value
December 10, 2020
In what has been a turbulent year (to say the least), the one constant in the investing world seemed to be the continued outperformance of large growth stocks (and the big-name tech stocks specifically). Historically, research indicates value stocks have the highest returns, but the last 10 years have told a different story. In the […]
How to Lower Your Tax Bill With Deferred Compensation
December 1, 2020
Non-qualified deferred compensation plans are an area of increased activity, with year-end planning and tax uncertainty. Executives and key employees can take advantage of managing today’s still-low tax brackets while staging a custom payout plan in retirement at potentially lower rates. First, it’s important to understand how these plans work and what the pros and […]
The Election is Behind Us So Now What?
November 25, 2020
The dust has mostly settled on what was a long and contentious presidential election campaign. What remains to be seen is if there will be a unified or divided government come January 2021, depending upon the outcome of two Senate run-off races in Georgia. No Blue Wave in Washington Regardless of what happens in Georgia, […]
Are We in Another Tech Bubble?
November 12, 2020
Are we in a tech bubble? It’s hard to ignore that question when the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite is up 33% through November 9, besting the runner-up S&P 500 Index by over 20%. Tech companies are the perceived winners in a post-Covid world, resulting in soaring stock prices with no end in sight. It begs the […]
Hedging…Revisited
October 22, 2020
It has often been said that the market “climbs a wall of worry.” And arguably, there is a lot for US investors to worry about these days. Coronavirus cases are on the rise again, the economy is still struggling to emerge from recession, government stimulus talks have stalled, and the presidential election is in less […]
Retirement Benefits for Lawyers
October 20, 2020
I have the privilege of working with many law firm partners as clients. In my experience, law firms often have some of the best benefits for their partners and associates. I have also found that many times lawyers don’t take the time to fully comprehend all of their firm-provided benefits and how those benefits impact […]
Votes and Volatility Market Event
BDF hosted a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Apollo Lupescu, Vice President at Dimensional Fund Advisors, on Monday, October 12th to get his input on some of today’s hottest current events. The conversation sought to answer many questions that clients have been posing to us, including: What does the upcoming election mean for the market? Which […]
Volatility Ahead – Navigating Election Ups and Downs
October 8, 2020
The headlines keep rolling, both good and bad, at a seemingly alarming pace. However, that’s a reflection of what 2020 has become known for. Now, we sit just four weeks away from the elections. What’s in store for the investment world? The short answer: More of the same. And by the same, we mean volatility. […]
Investing in a Zero Rate Environment
September 24, 2020
In March, as the country shut down in the face of a global pandemic, the U.S. Federal Reserve dropped the Federal Funds Rate to zero in an attempt to stem the tide of economic damage the pandemic was wreaking. On September 16th, Fed Chairman Powell indicated the Federal Reserve was prepared to keep rates at […]