Nicole Easton, Author at The Trust Company of Kansas

The Markets (as of market close May 12, 2023)

Stocks trended lower last week, with only the Nasdaq able to eke out a gain. Investors remained pensive as they await negotiations on the debt ceiling. With roughly 92% of the S&P 500 companies having reported first-quarter earnings thus far, results appear headed down 2.5% from last year. This follows a 4.6% drop in fourth-quarter […]

Fostering Growth at The Trust Company of Kansas

The Trust Company of Kansas (TCK) is pleased to announce the addition of four individuals to its team. Rebecca Burch – Trust AdministratorRebecca joined The Trust Company of Kansas Wichita office on February 16, 2023. Her background includes administrative experience in both RIA and bankruptcy trustee/attorney offices. She will be a great addition to our […]

What You Should Know About the Federal Reserve’s New Instant Payments System

The use of mobile payment apps and person-to-person (P2P) payments are more popular than ever, giving businesses and consumers the ability to send and receive money instantly. According to a recent study, the share of P2P payments made with mobile apps nearly doubled in one year, increasing from 15% in 2020 to 29% in 2021.1 In […]

The Markets (as of market close May 5, 2023)

Stocks closed last week generally lower, with only the Nasdaq eking out a minimal gain. A rally last Friday wasn’t enough to recoup losses experienced during the week. Investors had quite a bit to digest over the past week. The Federal Reserve hiked the federal funds rate 25 basis points and gave no clear indication […]

Rescuing America’s Safety Net

A March 2023 survey found that more than 90% of Americans worry about the Social Security program, and about half of those said they worry a great deal.1 A separate survey the same month found that more than 80% of Americans worry Medicare will not be able to provide the same level of benefits in the […]

The Markets (as of market close April 28, 2023)

Stocks ended the week higher as strong corporate earnings data helped offset worries of another round of interest rate hikes, following the Federal Reserve’s meeting this week. Each of the benchmark indexes listed here posted weekly gains, with the exception of the Russell 2000. Ten-year Treasury yields slipped on rising bond prices. Crude oil prices […]

SECURE 2.0 Helps Small Employers Help Their Employees

Approximately 78% of people who work for companies with fewer than 10 employees and about 65% of those who work for companies with 10 to 24 employees do not have access to a retirement plan at work.1 That’s unfortunate, because workers with a retirement plan are far more likely to save for retirement than those without […]

The Markets (as of market close April 21, 2023)

Stocks were relatively listless last week, with only the Russell 2000 posting a gain of 0.6%. The Nasdaq, the Dow, and the Global Dow fell between 0.2% and 0.4%, while the S&P 500 was nearly flat. Energy stocks were among the worst performing, with crude oil prices posting their poorest week in about a month. […]

The Markets (as of market close April 14, 2023)

Investors spent much of last week contemplating the impact of the latest inflation data and the first batch of first-quarter bank earnings. The process of disinflation continued, and retail sales softened in March, which are developments that could influence interest-rate decisions to be made by the Federal Reserve in the coming months. The stock market […]

SECURE 2.0 Adds New Early Withdrawal Exceptions

The SECURE 2.0 Act, passed as part of an omnibus spending bill in December 2022, added new exceptions to the 10% federal income tax penalty for early withdrawals from tax-advantaged retirement accounts. The Act also expanded an existing exception that applies specifically to employer plans. These exceptions are often called 72(t) exceptions, because they are […]