MARKET COMMENTARY

Read monthly updates on economic events and market trends

Ryan Redfern

Chartered Market Technician® (CMT®)

Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®)

INVESTMENT RESEARCH

Learn more about active management form the author of “Why Bad Things Happen to Good investments”

Will Hepburn

Vice President of Investment Research

BEHAVIORAL FINANCE

Discover how your values influence your financial behavior

Phil Lebkuecher

Behavioral Financial Advisor (BFA)

PERSONAL FINANCE

Take the fear out of finance by understanding how personal decisions affect long-term goals

Laura Redfern

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) Professional

Certified Financial Transitionist®

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Blog

May 2024 Market Commentary

May 2024 Market Commentary

While the market is looking good so far year-to-date, most of that “goodness” happened in January and February, and now the market has been sideways (hasn’t really made any progress) since mid-March.  April gave us a classic 5% pullback in the S&P 500, and May...

Does Saying “I Do” Mean Combining Your Finances?

Does Saying “I Do” Mean Combining Your Finances?

Did you know that June is traditionally the most popular month for weddings?  May also makes the list, so I wanted to celebrate this season of love and commitment by dusting off a blog post from a few years ago.  It’s still highly relevant and I still get asked this...

The Camel’s Nose

The Camel’s Nose

Artificial Intelligence, or AI as it is called, is all the rage these days.  I agree with those who say it may be the biggest technological advancement of our lives, transformative in the way electrification was 125 years ago or the advent of computers in the mid-20th...

Key Signs of Bad Financial Advice

Key Signs of Bad Financial Advice

First, let’s define “bad financial advice” as advice that promotes the interest of the person selling the financial advice and/or products, rather than YOUR best interest.  Sometimes it’s not clear what the motives behind financial advice really are.  So how do you...

April 2024 Market Commentary

April 2024 Market Commentary

We are finally seeing the small pull-back or “correction” in the broad markets that we had been expecting since the year began.  So far, the S&P 500 has had a fairly classic 5% pullback that started right as the month began and lasted until the 19th.  What has to...

5 Things to Do if You Win the Lottery

5 Things to Do if You Win the Lottery

Every week, people play the lottery hoping that a big win will solve all of their problems. But sudden money is trickier than that. It comes with both new opportunities and new problems. And a whole lot of new territory for you to navigate, often in public. Here are 5...

Thoughts on Inflation, Interest Rates, and Regional Banks

Thoughts on Inflation, Interest Rates, and Regional Banks

Make Money with Postage!  Talk about inflation!  The U.S. Postal Service’s proposed new price for first class stamps starting in July is 73 cents. That’s up 8% from the stamp’s current price of 68 cents and 32% more than the 2020 price of 55 cents.   If you want to...

The Magic Number

The Magic Number

I recently spoke on our monthly webinar about how there really is no “magic” number that can be calculated to ensure a comfortable retirement.  Rather than chase a fictious amount, I suggested that investors should focus on accumulating funds in assets like 401(k)s...

March 2024 Market Commentary

March 2024 Market Commentary

We are now 25% through 2024 and it has been a pleasant surprise so far, especially after the higher volatility market we’ve seen over the past couple of years.  A calm market tends to slowly grind up.  And as we’ve observed before, the upward movement in this market...

IRS Scams – Don’t Fall for Them!

IRS Scams – Don’t Fall for Them!

During tax season, taxpayers (meaning, most of us!) are often bombarded with documents and overwhelmed by a load of information. This creates an environment where scammers can easily step in and take advantage of even the most diligent. Tax season scams are becoming...

Are We in a Stock Market Bubble?

Are We in a Stock Market Bubble?

Ray Dalio is a hedge fund manager that I really appreciate for his Zen-like ability to cut through the noise of the marketplace and make his decision making so clear.  The following are excerpts from his recent paper on how he determines if we are in a stock market...

What Investors Can Learn from Athletes

What Investors Can Learn from Athletes

Nick Saban, recently retired football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide said, “If you want to be good, you don’t really have a lot of choices.” He was referring to the choice to either be disciplined or not when it comes to a specific process that leads to success.  ...