Retirement is sometimes defined in terms of what one is leaving behind—a career, difficult clients, job stress, the daily commute, the grind. But for retirement to be fully satisfying, according to many experts, one needs to retire to something, not just from something. Defining that “to” and giving it a tryout is what we mean […]
Read MoreMonth: April 2017
Secular Bull Market?
While the press has featured warnings of current stock market overvaluation, Stephen Auth of Federated Investors, makes the case for buying any dips in this secular bull market. Three of the points he makes are noted below while his full Market Memo can be found here. … the market continues to look relatively inexpensive if […]
Read More401(k) Protection Programs
DEAR TRUST OFFICER: When I retire in about a year, I’m expecting a six-figure distribution from my employer’s 401(k) plan. The success of my retirement turns on what I do with this money, and I’m more than a little unsettled by the prospect. What should I do to keep my all my options open? —LOOKING […]
Read MorePrices Are Driven By Earnings
The rally in stocks has taken a breather ahead of the release of first quarter earnings which will be in full swing beginning this week. FactSet’s latest expectations are for the S&P calendar year to have a revenue growth of 5.3% and the calendar year to have an earnings growth of 9.8%. At some point, […]
Read MoreNew perspectives on revocable living trusts
One of the most useful and flexible wealth management tools is the revocable living trust. Traditionally, we like to point to three basic benefits that these trusts offer. Professional asset management. After studying your goals and circumstances, our asset-management specialists will map out a diversified investment program appropriate to your requirements. Our objective is not […]
Read MoreThe Necessity of Diversification
Diversification has been viewed as a necessary process for reducing risk. A recent study provides proof which shows diversification is also responsible for increasing returns. Morningstar’s John Rekenthaler, vice president of research, explored a recently published study by Arizona State University’s Hendrik Bessembinder titled “Do Stocks Outperform Treasury Bills?” The finding: “Most common stocks do […]
Read MoreFirst Quarter Recap
The Federal Reserve raised the target rate for Federal Funds from a range of 0.50-0.75% to 0.75-1.00% at its March 15 FOMC meeting. Market interest rates as measured by U.S. Treasuries were mixed. During the quarter, the yield on the 13-Week T-Bill rose from 0.48% to 0.74% but the yields on the 10-Year Treasury and […]
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