Blog

Weekly Market Insights: Plenty of Treats for Wall Street This Week

Genay Airey* ChFC, RICP

Monday, October 31, 2022

Stocks overcame poor earnings results from some of America’s largest companies to post gains last week as investors cheered positive earnings surprises, easing inflation and a rebound in economic growth.The Dow Jones Industrial...

Weekly Market Insights: Wall Street Flips the Script & Enjoys a Rally.

Genay Airey* ChFC, RICP

Monday, October 24, 2022

A positive start to a new earnings season and late-week hopes for a near-term easing in Fed rate hikes lifted investors’ spirits and powered stocks to gains for the week.The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 4.89%, while the...

Weekly Market Insights: Volatility Reigns; Inflation Remains Unchecked.

Genay Airey* ChFC, RICP

Monday, October 17, 2022

Stocks were mixed last week amid wide intra- and inter-day price swings, as technology shares bore the brunt of the downdraft.The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.15% for the week. Meanwhile, the Standard & Poor’s 500...

Weekly Market Insights: Boost Early in Week Keeps Markets Ahead

Genay Airey* ChFC, RICP

Monday, October 10, 2022

A powerful two-day stock rebound cemented a positive week for investors as a new trading month began.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.99%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 added 1.51%. The Nasdaq Composite index increased 0...

Weekly Market Insights: U.S. and U.K. See Financial Turbulence

Genay Airey* ChFC, RICP

Monday, October 3, 2022

Rising recession fears and uncertainty in the bond and currency markets sent stocks to new 2022 lows last week.The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 2.92%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 slumped 2.91%. The Nasdaq Composite...

Weekly Market Insights: Fallout From Powell Comments Continues

Genay Airey* ChFC, RICP

Monday, September 26, 2022

Last week, Fed Chair Powell said the U.S. would not tame inflation without economic pain. This week heightened recession fears and sent stocks broadly lower.The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 4.00%, while the Standard &...

Weekly Market Insights: White Hot Inflation Report Alarms Investors

Genay Airey* ChFC, RICP

Monday, September 19, 2022

A hotter-than-expected inflation report sent stocks sharply lower last week as investors faced the prospect of more aggressive interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve for perhaps a longer period.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell...

Weekly Market Insights: Markets Upbeat, Despite Gloomy Inflation Talk

Genay Airey* ChFC, RICP

Monday, September 12, 2022

In a holiday-shortened week of trading, stocks posted healthy gains despite more tough talk on monetary policy from Fed officials.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.66%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 gained 3.65%. The...

Weekly Market Insights: Markets Sag, Job Numbers Soar

Genay Airey* ChFC, RICP

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

The overhang of Fed Chair Powell’s Jackson Hole speech the previous week carried over into last week as investors recalibrated stock valuations amid a seemingly more assertive monetary policy stance.The Dow Jones Industrial...

Weekly Market Insights: Powell comments spur sell-off on Wall Street

Genay Airey*, ChFC, RICP

Monday, August 29, 2022

A comprehensive sell-off on Friday following comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell drove stocks to losses for the week.The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 4.22%, while the Standard & Poor's 500 dropped 4.04%. The Nasdaq Composite...

Weekly Market Insights: Markets Tap Brakes, But Hold Fast Against Downbeat News

Genay Airey*, ChFC, RICP

Monday, August 22, 2022

Stocks tumbled on Friday, sending stocks to a weekly loss after an otherwise quiet August week of trading.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped -0.16%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 1.21%. The Nasdaq Composite index...

Weekly Market Insights: Stocks Have Warmer Week as Inflation Cools

Genay Airey*, ChFC, RICP

Monday, August 15, 2022

An improving inflation outlook buoyed investors’ spirits last week, helping lift stocks to solid gains.The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 2.92%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 3.26%. The Nasdaq Composite index...

Weekly Market Insights: Mixed Week For Markets; Jobs On The Rise

Genay Airey*, ChFC, RICP

Monday, August 8, 2022

Stocks turned in a mixed performance last week as investors struggled with headlines suggesting that the Fed was unlikely to soon ease up on its current monetary tightening policy.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.13%, while...

Weekly Market Insights: Markets Rally; Earnings Better Than Expected

Genay Airey*, ChFC, RICP

Monday, August 1, 2022

Undaunted by another Fed rate hike and news of a contracting economy, the stock market rallied last week on better-than-expected corporate earnings.The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 2.97%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500...

Weekly Market Insights: Markets React to Dim Forecast, 2Q Reports

Genay Airey*, ChFC, RICP

Monday, July 25, 2022

Stocks rallied last week as investor spirits lifted thanks to a better-than-expected start to the second-quarter earnings season.The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.95%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 added 2.55%. The...

Weekly Market Insights: Friday Rally Stems Week of Losses

Genay Airey*, ChFC, RICP

Monday, July 18, 2022

A record-high inflation report, the prospects of a more aggressive Fed, and growing recession fears sent stocks lower– though losses were pared by a Friday rally.The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.16%, while the Standard...

Most likely, you’ve heard what’s brewing in Washington, D.C., called by one of these names.The Build Back Better Act. Or the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill. Or the Jobs and Economic Recovery Plan for Working...

The most recent stats on corporate dividends suggest that global companies are bullish on the world’s economic recovery.Dividends paid to investors are on track to hit $1.4 trillion this year and are expected to stretch even...

Plan for tomorrow, today.That seems like sensible advice, doesn't it? Yet a surprising number of people leave no estate plan in place for their survivors. It makes a certain amount of sense. Nobody likes talking about death. But this...

401(k) Millionaires

Georgene Collins MBA, PhD, RICP®

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Your workplace retirement account can play a critical role in your overall retirement strategy. However, some have gone further with the accounts than others, especially recently.CNBC reported on findings that place 401(k) accounts at...

CARING FOR AGING PARENTS

Georgene Collins MBA, PhD, RICP®

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Thanks to healthier lifestyles and advances in modern medicine, the worldwide population over age 60 is growing. The United Nations estimates that by 2050 the number of people aged 60 and older will have more than doubled.¹ As our...

PROBLEMS WITH PROBATE

Georgene Collins MBA, PhD, RICP®

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Probate is the legal process that wraps up a person’s legal and financial affairs after their death. During the probate process, a person’s property is identified, catalogued, and appraised. In addition, probate makes...

Have you ever heard the Wall Street expression, "markets climb a wall of worry?" It's the idea that financial markets are constantly on edge. Traders fret about how long a market rally can continue before it runs into trouble. Worry...

Oil Prices Hit Six-Year High

Georgene Collins MBA, PhD, RICP®

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

On July 6, oil prices reached a six-year high of $76.98 a barrel. This benchmark came as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies failed to reach an agreement regarding an increase in production.1This...

HELPFUL RETIREMENT STRATEGIES FOR WOMEN

Georgene Collins MBA, PhD, RICP®

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Preparing for retirement can look a little different for women than it does for men. Although stereotypes are changing, women are still more likely to serve as caretakers than men are, meaning they accumulate less income and benefits...

A 6.1% Bump in Social Security?

Georgene Collins MBA, PhD, RICP®

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

The news keeps getting better for Social Security recipients. It's now projected that benefits will increase 6.1% in 2022, up from the 4.7% forecast just two months ago. That would be the most significant increase since 1983.1,2...

With all the attention given to inflation, stock prices, and job reports, it’s been easy to overlook the remarkable move in the bond market during the past few months. The yield on the 10-year treasury closed at 1.37% on Friday,...

Conducting Your Mid-Year Financial Checkup

Georgene Collins MBA, PhD, RICP®

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

With June officially behind us, it’s time to face the facts: we’re headed toward the second half of 2021. While there’s still plenty of time to enjoy the rest of summer, we encourage you to slow down and check up on...

Economic Lessons from Used-Car Inflation

Georgene Collins MBA, PhD, RICP®

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Inflation is defined as the general upward price movement of goods and services in an economy. The key word is “general.” Inflation tends to be uneven and affects the price of some items more than others. If you’ve...

Recently, you may have seen a number of major cryptocurrencies fall thanks to a continuing sell-off that began the week of June 20th. In fact, over $250 billion was lost in the crypto market alone.1 It may be tempting to view this as...

At its June meeting, the Federal Reserve confirmed what many of us have suspected for some time: prices are rising. In fact, prices are climbing faster than many expected. In response, the Fed raised its inflation expectation to 3.4%,...

Recently, you may have seen headlines regarding the Securing a Strong Retirement Act, also referred to as the second version of the SECURE Act, or SECURE Act 2.0.As the bill moves from the House of Representatives to the Senate, many...

If there is a "silver lining" to all the inflation talk, it may be that Social Security benefits are expected to see a larger-than-normal increase in 2022.Preliminary estimates call for a 4.7% cost-of-living increase (COLA) in Social...

As our nation continues to recover from the effects of COVID-19, one economic trend has been capturing news attention as of late. Consumer prices are rising amidst economic recovery. In fact, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.8%...

Inflation can be a scary word for people who are retired. It’s code for “prices are going up, but my income may stay the same.”The most recent reading on consumer prices put inflation back into the conversation. The...

Since the 1980s, unemployment rates have trended higher amongst men than women during a recession. In previous periods of economic downturn, this made sense. Male-dominated industries, like construction and finance, were typically...

What does it mean when two of the most powerful voices in American financial life seem to be saying two different things?In one corner, we have the “Oracle of Omaha,” investor Warren Buffett. As one of the nation’s...

We’re living longer. Are we investing wiser? As our generation faces its golden years, we’re learning more and more about trends in aging and trends in investing. With a significant portion of the population maturing and...

Now and again, the price action on Wall Street can surprise even the most seasoned investors. Look no further than when President Biden in late April proposed an increase in the tax on capital gains to 39.6% from 20% for those...

Investors looking for "green shoots" to confirm that the economy is on the mend have seen plenty of examples in recent weeks. Retail sales rose 9.8% in March, the largest monthly gain since May 2020. It's important to remember that...

It can be exhausting trying to keep up with the whims of Wall Street. Lately, the financial markets have been fixated on federal taxes and what may be proposed on Capitol Hill in the weeks and months ahead. Wall Street’s focus...

Among the many changes arising from the pandemic, one of the most noticeable was a change in American spending habits.A survey released in March 2021 by Pew Research shows that Americans have increasingly chosen to put away what extra...