Are Bonds Dead?

Dear clients and friends, October marked the third straight monthly drop for U.S. stocks where the Nasdaq and S&P 500 entered correction territory (down more than 10% from the most recent 52-week high). We mentioned last month that these corrections happen about every 16 months on average so this was not terribly unexpected. What is …

A Little History on Bull and Bear

Dear clients and friends, As we enter the last quarter of the year, volatility is picking up in both the stock and bond markets, primarily due to rising treasury yields and renewed concern about higher for longer rates of inflation and soaring national debt.  Historically, September is a difficult month for the stock market and …

Direct Indexing

Dear clients and friends, We hope each of you is enjoying the summer months and a more stable market environment. As we progress further into the second half of the year we wanted to provide a quick update on the markets as well as introduce a concept called "Direct Indexing" which is becoming a bigger …

Negative Interest Rates, the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

As of the writing of this post, we have negative interest rates in Germany, Switzerland, France, Japan, and the Netherlands. While this might seem highly unusual at first glance (and is in the government bond markets), by the end of this post you will see how prevalent this negative interest rate concept is not only …

Financial Planning – Take 2

One of the foundational principals of financial planning is selecting and prioritizing goals for your life. But all too often when I sit down with someone for the first time and ask them what goals they have, I get a slightly panicked stare in return and they are unable to answer the question. "A Wells …

The Price of This Home is $300,000, Can I Interest You in Paying $600,000 Instead?

Debt, we all love using it, but we all hate having it. I believe debt in and of itself is neither good nor bad. It's neutral. However, the use of debt can provide varying degrees of good or bad outcomes for people. As a financial advisor, I coach my clients to view debt as a tool …

How You Can Use a Credit Card to Generate Thousands of Dollars in Tax-Free Earnings

First off, this is not some gimmicky blog post trying to sell you a credit card or sign you up for any product. To further dispel that notion, rest assured I have no professional affiliation with any of the products mentioned below. I’m simply sharing a strategy that I use to effectively get paid for …