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Summary of the Fed’s Statement: As expected, rates were held steady and the Fed reaffirmed its dovish forward guidance. The statement was largely unchanged from the June edition, acknowledging the pick-up in economic activity but noting “The path of the economy will depend significantly on the course of the virus.” Powell repeated this point in his post-statement press conference, pointing to high-frequency data which indicated slowing growth as virus cases spike. The Fed will continue QE asset purchases of Treasury and mortgage bonds at least at the current pace. Notably, Fed officials did not adopt forward guidance linking any future…

Background 2019 closed out another year of US equity (S&P 500) outperformance vs. its non-US counterpart, (MSCI ACWI ex US). In fact, the S&P 500 has outperformed the MSCI ACWI ex US index in eight of the last ten calendar years. This persistence may lead investors to question the relevance of maintaining a globally diversified equity portfolio. Notwithstanding this recent US outperformance, there are multiple factors to consider, including similar extended periods of non-US equity outperformance in the past, differences in sector compositions within the indexes, the impact of the US dollar, and narrow leadership within the US markets. Recent…

Please find the next blog in our monthly series that provides a review of the prior month’s market data, the state of the economy, and the global financial markets. Global Economy: Economic data is reflecting a recovery from the pandemic lows, supporting continued risk-asset strength. Nonetheless global optimism may be fading. With virus cases still rising in many regions worldwide, including a significant growth in the US, volatility re-emerged in June. The bull case rests on the efficacy of fiscal and monetary policy support, the economic recovery maintaining momentum, the avoidance of further “second wave” infections, and the ability of…

This is our next blog in a series about how to plan and care for our aging loved ones. In this article we discuss the emotional and social aspects of our capital and the legacy we wish to pass onto future generations. Our clients and their parents have spent most of their life accumulating wealth and want to retain as much as possible to pass onto future generations in a tax efficient manner. When one hears estate planning, this is generally what they think of – the financial side. We obviously know the importance and spend a good amount of…

This is our next blog in a series about how to plan and care for our aging loved ones. In this article, we list and briefly describe the legal documents that you should have for your senior loved ones. As always, we recommend having them in place well before they are needed. Legal Documents: Advance Health Care Directive – Also known as a living will, this provides instructions on what kind of medical treatment is wanted, or not wanted, if our loved ones become ill or incapacitated. Durable Financial Power of Attorney – This document names someone responsible for asset…

Please find the next blog in our monthly series that provides a review of the prior month’s market data, the state of the economy, and the global financial markets. Global Economy: While economic data continues to reflect the extreme impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, global markets remained tilted toward optimism in May. With a sense of hope in gradual re-openings and underlying trends, volatility continued its decline and investors re-risked portfolios despite pressured US-China relations and evidence of social turmoil. The bull case rests on the efficacy of fiscal and monetary policy support, the pace of economic recovery mimicking that…

Please find the next blog in our monthly series that provides a review of the prior month’s market data, the state of the economy, and the global financial markets. Global Economy: Relative to the historic second half of March, markets appeared comparatively calm throughout April. Alongside that reduction in volatility was a very strong comeback in markets across the risk spectrum, with US equities generally leading the way. The tidal wave of COVID-19 infections that started in China continues to roll through the US and other countries while an undercurrent of optimism is helping to buoy the markets. Uncertainties around…

According to a 2019 Senate committee report, older adults lose an estimated $2.9 billion each year to financial scams. Law enforcement struggles to fight these scams because they are being executed from foreign call centers beyond their scope. From the report, the most common scam involved individuals impersonating someone from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) attempting to con seniors by telling them they owe money trying to get personal and financial information. Other prevalent scams this report mentions are robocalls, sweepstakes and lottery scams, computer tech-support scams, elder financial abuse, grandparent scams, romance scams, Social Security impersonations, impending lawsuit scams…

The situation with COVID 19 evolves daily. Recent reports indicate that many business are set to re-open in the next couple weeks. As this happens we think it is critical to remind our clients, friends, and family over the age of 70 just how risky the health situation remains. As I’m sure we have all seen in the news, people over the age of 70 are the most at risk for having complications from the virus. From the data so far, we know this age group makes up the largest percentage requiring hospitalization, being admitted to the intensive care unit and those…

Business owners are visionaries. They possess the ability to see a future they want, define a plan to get there, and gather the necessary resources. Currently, we are all in a time where this is being challenged. During this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic time, we believe business owners will define themselves by how they respond to this adversity. We believe stage one is play defense and protect what you can. Our thoughts and advice are: Conserve Cash         Accounts receivable management – You need to be on the phone with people who owe you money now. Collect as much as you can…