Category: Weekly Investment Update

Are you or is a loved one getting tired of spending the time and energy it takes to keep up with what seems to be the constant changes in life? Coping with the changes in markets and rates of return, income tax rates and reporting, retirement plan distribution rules, health care options, etc. can be […]

An important deadline is approaching for those who turned age 70-1/2 in 2016 and elected to postpone taking their first required minimum distribution (RMD) in 2016. Those deferred, first year distributions must be taken by April 1, 2017.  Since April 1 is a Saturday this year, make sure you take your distributions on or before […]

If you made a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA to a charity be sure to let your tax preparer know about it. The IRS Form 1099-R you receive from your IRA trustee or custodian reports the full amount of any IRA distributions made as normal distributions. The form does not specify amounts distributed […]

In financial planning and investment management, process is far more important than product. There are no good rules of thumb when it comes to managing wealth. Every individual has various traits, family situations, educational and work experience and goals which, when taken as a whole, make each of us unique. There is no formula for […]

Market Fluctuation Due to multiple requests, we are going to rerun some market statistics we previously provided in our Weekly Updates. The first chart shows the frequency of historical market declines. Such declines are normal occurrences in public markets. So, when is the next correction going to begin? No one can consistently predict the start, […]

Rule Number 1 A frequently repeated piece of advice from Warren Buffett is, “Rule Number 1: Never lose money. Rule Number 2: Never forget Rule Number 1.” As simple and useless as this piece of advice sounds, it points out an important money management and personal management starting point for every investor. It directs attention […]

From Warren Buffett’s Letter to Shareholders in 2010: Throughout my lifetime, politicians and pundits have constantly moaned about terrifying problems facing America. Yet our citizens now live an astonishing six times better than when I was born. The prophets of doom have overlooked the all-important factor that is certain: Human potential is far from exhausted, […]

Wall Street analysts and media are rightfully criticized for putting too much emphasis on quarterly earnings. What investors want is for managements to build the value of their businesses over time. One quarter’s results are seldom make-or-break events. Earnings, however, are what ultimately determine stock prices so without putting too much emphasis on a single […]

Accumulating wealth for retirement involves more than investment returns. Much of one’s good work in this area can be lost if the account owner does not understand rules for retirement accounts spelled out in the tax code. The penalties are steep. Chris English begins an explanation of these concerns in his piece, Q & A […]

BTN Research recently pointed out the worst day for the S&P 500 last year generated a loss of 3.6% which was a greater loss than the worst year for the bond market at any time over the last 40 years (1977 -2016). That statistic points out the usefulness of an allocation to fixed income categories […]