Tag: Investing
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Should Stock Buybacks Be Regulated?
Share buybacks have re-entered the news lately as part of the CHIPS Act. The CHIPS Act specifically bars any firms receiving government money from repurchasing shares for a number of years. The CHIPS Act is a piece of legislation that is part of the Biden administration’s initiative to restore microchip manufacturing in the US. All-in-all,…
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Everything You Need To Know About Target Date Funds
Target-date or lifecycle retirement funds have become increasingly popular over the past few years. These funds intend to help investors reach their retirement goals by automatically adjusting the allocation of assets over time. They are very much a “set it and forget it” approach to investing. What are Target Date Retirement Funds? Target date retirement…
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Bonds Are Back
Bonds have not been a thing for a minute now. They have been boring for my entire financial career, offering negligible returns. A quick Google search for “bonds” will bring results for James and Barry, not the $46 trillion fixed-income market. When bringing up bonds in meetings with clients and prospects the past few months…
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What. A. Year.
Financial markets are always a little weird. After all, financial markets reflect the behavior and sentiments of people, especially in the near term. Investors have experienced sentiment all over the place the past few years, from bleak circumstances to euphoric speculative nonsense, and back again. 2022 will probably go down as one of the market’s…
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Financial Planning and Advice for Millennials
Building wealth in your 20s and 30s looks different. The traditional financial service industry targets the retirement market, as that is typically the height of wealth for most families. Financial advisors usually attempt to get their investments and charge a percentage or sell annuities that generate commission-based and ongoing fees. Either way, financial services focus…
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Investors Should Worry More About Quantitative Tightening
There is a lot of negative sentiment in markets now, just as inflation pain and recession fears began to ebb. Despite zero evidence, many investors were banking on the FED pivoting from the aggressive rate hikes sooner rather than later. Some investors got ahead, bidding stocks off their June lows for a mid-summer rally in…
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What Exactly Is a Recession?
So, how are things going in the economy? Not great. But not terrible either. While the jobs market remains strong, the biggest concern for consumers and policymakers is inflation. The Fed is rapidly increasing rates to tame inflation. However, the Fed may not be able to do a lot to cure the supply chain issues…
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What A Year This Quarter Has Been
It has been a difficult quarter for investors. Major indexes entered bear territory (means down 20%). US treasuries, generally the safest of assets for when investors are scared, have had their worst year since the 70s (when interest rates go up, bonds go down). Commodities, which I generally say “they suck until they don’t,” have…
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The Economy: How Did We Get Here and Where Is It Going?
Markets have been getting a lot of attention lately beyond the financial media. The S&P 500 is down 21%, the tech-heavy NASDAQ 100 is off over 29%, and the smaller company-oriented Russell 2000 is down over 24% year to date. Investors have a lot of concerns over the economy right now: Investors are facing a…
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Technology Sector Continues Selloff as Stock Market Falls
Markets are down significantly to start the year. The most reliable producers of earnings growth have begun to falter. Indexes are experiencing a broad-based sell-off led by big tech companies. Amazon, one of the largest companies in the S&P 500, dropped 14% on Friday to the lowest level since June 2020. Amazon lost $206.2 billion…
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Politicians Can’t Do Much About High Oil Prices
The price of oil is surging, and so is the debate over what is causing the fastest runup in recent memory. As we approach the midterm elections, candidates and the broader media will continue to discuss gas prices and inflation. What has caused the surge in oil prices, and can policymakers do anything about it?…
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401(k) Down? Blame Facebook
Facebook (I still refuse to call it Meta) has had a rough few months. Its stock has fallen over 40% since November. That is a phenomenal drop, especially for a company in the top ten of the S&P 500 Index. The size of Facebook and its plummet have helped drag the S&P 500 Index down…
