The $1.4 trillion spending package enacted on December 20, 2019, included the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, which had overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives in the spring of 2019, but then subsequently stalled in the Senate. The SECURE Act represents the most sweeping set of changes to retirement legislation in […]
Read MoreMonth: January 2020
Weekly Update as of market close January 24, 2020
Last week proved to be a tough one for the market as each of the benchmark indexes listed here lost value. Concern over the possible spread of the coronavirus from China apparently provided the impetus for investors to pull away from stocks. Long-term bond prices soared, pushing yields 15 basis points lower. The price of […]
Read MoreWhat Will You Pay for Medicare in 2020?
Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts change annually. Here’s a look at some of the costs that will apply in 2020 if you’re enrolled in Original Medicare Part A and Part B. Medicare Part B premiums According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), most people with Medicare who receive Social Security benefits […]
Read MoreWeekly Update as of market close January 17, 2020
Each of the benchmark indexes listed here enjoyed strong gains last week, led by the Russell 2000, which climbed 2.53% to push its year-to-date gains to nearly 2.0%. The Dow has posted weekly gains for five of the last six weeks, the S&P 500 advanced for the second consecutive week, and the Nasdaq has risen […]
Read MoreTRACED Act Offers Consumers Additional Protections Against Robocalls
Whether at home, work or on a cell phone, it’s a scenario many Americans have found themselves in: answering a phone call only to find out it’s from an unwanted robocaller. In fact, the number of unwanted robocalls in this country has skyrocketed in recent years. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ranks unwanted robocalls highest […]
Read MoreWeekly Update as of market close January 10, 2020
Last Friday’s jobs report was a mixed bag of information. While 145,000 new jobs were added and the unemployment rate remained at 3.5%, wage growth was tepid in December to cap off a year of only moderate wage growth. This information, coupled with news that the Senate would receive the articles of impeachment this week, […]
Read MoreTwo Trade Agreements Offer Optimism, But Uncertainty Remains
On December 13, 2019, the United States and China announced a “phase one” trade agreement just before new tariffs were scheduled to go into effect.1 Six days later, the House of Representatives passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in an overwhelming bipartisan vote, virtually assuring enactment of the long-awaited replacement to the North American Free […]
Read MoreExpectation
On a day to day basis, perceptions, expectations and the anxiety these produce determine the direction of stock prices. These daily emotional swings are ultimately supplanted by the underlying valuations of businesses. The underlying valuations of businesses are based on revenue and earnings. Bloomberg recently released the 2020 and 2021 consensus growth rate projections for […]
Read MoreReviewing Wills and Trusts: What Planners Should Look For
Everyone should have an estate plan which has a will, a trust, or both. Although estate plans have a way of being dismissed once created, they cannot be filed away until needed. A regular review is required. The answers to the following questions may suggest redrafting is in order. Is the estate plan still tax […]
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