Why Business Cycles Matter in Financial Planning

Business cycles play a significant role in financial planning. Why? Because they are inevitable and have distinct phases, as I discuss below. Understandably, I have received many calls from clients concerned with the recent stock market decline.  The post-election rally has “round-tripped” and then some.  The uncertainties of the times have given many investors a…

Tech Sector Underperformance and Concentration Risk

Investor concerns over the recent underperformance of technology stocks have raised questions about concentration risk and the broader market. Strong returns among artificial intelligence stocks have supported portfolios over the past few years. At the same time, they have raised questions about the sustainability of the market rally. Concerns for tech stocks primarily include concentration…

How to Invest for Retirement Amid Market Uncertainty

Investing for retirement can be nerve-racking especially when the news cycle seems fixated on amplifying market turmoil. As an investor, you may be concerned when the onus is increasingly on you the individual investor to plan for retirement. Increased Market Uncertainty From President Biden’s announcement that he will not be seeking re-election, to a rotation…

How Earnings Can Guide Investors in Difficult Markets

Earnings play an important role in guiding investors, particularly during difficult markets. With markets nervous about stubborn inflation, a gradually slowing labor market, and the timing of the first Fed rate cut, investors are more focused on this corporate earnings season than usual. This is because while the economy has avoided a “hard landing” corporate…

What Do Baseball and Investing Have in Common?

Would you combine baseball and investing in one sentence? We would, and here’s why. I invite you to reach out with your financial questions so we can discuss them. I am using new retirement planning tools to assist clients in framing their investment path to retirement. What Makes Baseball Stand Out? Focus on the Long…

Assessing 2023 & Looking Forward to 2024

2023 was a difficult year for investors but as we take a breath and after assessing 2023, it can best be summarized as The Bard wrote, “All’s well that ends well.” Bears Controlled the 2023 Narrative In 2023, the Bears controlled the narrative – inflation and interest rates were going to move unstoppably higher, recession…

What Determines Stock Prices?

There are two forces investors need to understand when determining the path of stock prices. The first is the Fed and the second is corporate earnings.  >> To subscribe to this monthly newsletter, click on Subscribe! Earnings, Interest Rates, and Stock Prices Stock prices are a function, among other items, of their estimated future earnings discounted…

The Renewable Energy Investment Landscape

It would be an understatement to say that investors in the renewable energy space have been frustrated.  After a strong run in 2020, shares in renewable energy companies have been in a steep bear market. To illustrate, the Invesco Solar ETF (symbol: TAN) was down 25% in 2021 and was down another 25% to the…

China: Of Great Interest to Investors

What do you know about China from an investor’s perspective? After all, China is one of the world’s largest economies. China and Emerging Market Indices As one of the world’s largest economies, China is of great interest to investors.  China makes up a dominant weighting in most emerging market indices.  Examples iShare, EEM and FXI…

Why Staying Invested Is So Important For the Long Run

Do you believe in staying invested, regardless of the market’s ups and downs? We hope you do. We’ll explain why in this article so you feel more confident about the benefits of being and staying invested for the long run. Long-Term Investing Tips Odds in an Investor’s Favor The most important concept for investors to…