A Look Back Markets were up on Friday, but domestic stocks lost ground for the week as political turmoil and potential trade wars weighed on investors’ minds.[i] The S&P 500 dropped 1.24%, the Dow gave back 1.54%, and the NASDAQ decreased 1.04%.[ii] International stocks in the MSCI EAFE barely avoided losses with a 0.13% gain.[iii] […]

3 Reasons Annuities Make Sense for Retirement Right Now Annuities have been a hot commodity in recent years but can sometimes get a bad reputation. While annuities aren’t for everyone, there are situations where annuities may be the best option available, especially as you near retirement. Here’s three situations where annuities may work best.   […]

Goldilocks Returns Domestic stocks leapt ahead last week as the latest jobs report inspired renewed confidence in our economic standing. The S&P 500 added 3.54%, and the Dow gained 3.25%.[i] The NASDAQ erased its losses from February’s market correction to hit a new record close while growing 4.17% for the week.[ii] International stocks in the […]

5 Tax Changes You Need to Know for 2018 It’s that time of year—Uncle Sam is asking for money again. If you’ve kept up with the news, you probably know the tax laws have changed a bit. Here’s five important changes you should know before Tax Day. Standard deductions increase. If you’re married and filing […]

Volatile Markets Continue Volatility continued last week as markets posted their 1st weekly loss in 3 weeks.[i] Despite some recovery on Friday, the S&P 500 dropped 2.04%, the NASDAQ slipped 1.12%, and the Dow lost 3.05% for the week.[ii] Internationally, the MSCI EAFE fell 2.91%.[iii] Last week’s ups-and-downs began with continued questions over whether the […]

Best Reasons For Long Term Care? Not the most exciting topic, long-term care (LTC) is often avoided or overlooked by people when planning their retirement years. However, it can be one of the most important things to have later in life. Having an LTC policy in place can save your family a lot of time, […]

Weekly Market Insight – Interest Rates, Treasuries and Inflation Last week, the Presidents’ Day holiday meant markets were only open for 4 trading days, and during that time, we received comparatively few economic reports. Nonetheless, major domestic indexes showed considerable volatility and posted losses for 3 straight days. By Friday, however, stocks rebounded and ended […]

Should You Take Social Security Benefits at 62? It’s not for everyone. But, if it’s possible for you, there’s a few great reasons to start collecting Social Security once you hit the age of 62. Check out the reasons below and see if it seems right for you.   Reason #1: You may have to […]

Stocks Rebound Markets rebounded last week, posting sizable gains and moving back into positive territory for the year. All three domestic indexes experienced their largest weekly growth in years, despite losing some ground on Friday after news of additional indictments in the Russia investigation.[i] By markets’ close on February 16, the S&P 500 added 4.30%, […]

Special Update: Understanding Volatility After months of relative calm, market fluctuations are causing many investors to wonder what is happening to the economy. Last week, the S&P 500 lost 5.16%, the Dow dropped 5.21%, and the NASDAQ declined 5.06%. The MSCI EAFE also gave back 6.19%. These losses pushed all four indexes into negative territory […]