Although this year has felt spooky, the U.S. stock market rallied in October after enduring several straight months of losses, leading to optimism that the end of the bear market may be in sight. Here are 3 things you need to know: The S&P 500 ended the month up 8%. Ten of the 11 sectors of the S&P 500 rose during the month, with energy stocks leading the way higher.Gilts (a UK...
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager With all of the recent headlines in the news about mortgage rates increasing and waning home affordability, it seems daunting for the first-time home buyer. A 30-year fixed mortgage now exceeds 7%, a level that hasn’t been seen since 2008. That same 30-year fixed mortgage was around 3% just a year ago. The reality here is that you aren’t going...
How much "noise" is the media pushing out to us every day? And even more important, how often does this seemingly important "breaking news" that might impact markets today, actually have a long-lasting impact a long-term results? Find out more here and learn about recency bias, just one of the many biases and habits that lead to poor investing decisions. BFSG Shorts: Recency Bias Disclosure:...
By: Thomas Steffanci, PhD, Senior Portfolio Manager The Q3 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 2.6% was in line with the consensus. But it was anything but normal. The increase was entirely driven by a large increase in the trade balance. Net exports surged 2.8% due to a 1.6% increase in exports of energy commodities and military hardware, and a 1.2% decrease in imports. Inventory...
BFSG’s CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals, Michael Allbee, CFP® and Paul Horn, CFP®, CPWA®, were invited to be guest speakers for the “It’s Your Money!” workshop series. For the “Investment World” session, Mike and Paul focused on how the investment world gets compensated. Learn the differences between brokers versus advisors, what does the word “fiduciary” mean, how to find an advisor,...
Behavioral investing has quickly become one of the most important topics for individual investors, whether talking about their retirement accounts or brokerage accounts alike. This video discusses anchoring bias, just one of the many biases and habits that lead to poor investing decisions. BFSG Shorts: Anchoring Bias Disclosure: BFSG does not make any representations or warranties as to the...
Congrats to Tina Schackman, CFA®, CFP® for her selection as one of NAPA’s top women advisors for 2022! She’s been named to the “Captain” category – All-stars who are principals of their organization. We are so proud of you Tina! Click here to view the Top Women Advisors: Captains (2022) NAPA list. This year, as in years past, nominees—more than 500 of them—were asked to respond to a series of...
Medicare's Open Enrollment Period — which runs from October 15 through December 7 — is your annual opportunity to switch your current Medicare health and prescription drug plans to ones that better suit your needs. Just in time for Open Enrollment, 2023 Medicare premiums, deductibles, and other costs have been announced, and surprisingly, some of these costs are lower than they were last year....
If residents filing jointly made $500,000 or less in 2020, they could be eligible for a refund check of up to $1,050 with a dependent or up to $700 without a dependent. Here is a table outlining the exact amounts. Check it out to see if you’re eligible – if you are, California will be sending payments between October 2022 and January 2023! Disclosure: BFSG does not make any representations or...
October is the kickoff month for financial aid. That's when incoming and returning college students can start filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the next academic year. The FAFSA is a prerequisite for federal student loans, grants, and work-study, and may be required by colleges before they distribute their own institutional aid to students. How do I submit the...
By: Michael Allbee, CFP®, Senior Portfolio Manager There are many tax strategies available for business owners, but it requires proper planning throughout the year. Here are some things to consider as we approach the year-end to minimize your tax liability. Take advantage of the expiring “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (TCJA) bonus depreciation In 2017, the TCJA made it so business owners could...
We wrapped up September and boy was it one to remember but for all the wrong reasons. With fears of central bank over-tightening, the S&P 500 index dipped to a new 2022 low. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield surpassed 3.8%, marking the quickest re-rating in daily yields since 2009. A 60/40 balanced portfolio of U.S. stocks and U.S. bonds is now down -20.2% year-to-date through September 30th,...
September is National Preparedness Month, part of an effort by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to raise public awareness and inspire disaster readiness. Most communities could be impacted by some type of natural disaster, whether it's a wildfire, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, or flood. Here are some tips to help keep your family safe in an emergency and allow you to leave...
By: Paul Horn, CFP®, CPWA®, Senior Financial Planner Most people look forward to the day that they can have independence and no longer have to work 9 - 5. In my experience, while everyone wants to retire, most are truly not ready to retire. I am not referring to having the financial ability to retire but most are not emotionally ready for retirement. Retiring before you are emotionally ready...
By: Henry VanBuskirk, CFP®, Wealth Manager New parents in any country all share a common goal – to have their kids be better off than they were. In America, we colloquially call it ‘The American Dream’. In some respects, the dream is alive and well. In others (budgeting, debt management, and financial literacy in general) it looks more like ‘The American Nightmare’. My goal today is not to...
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