Many of us look forward to summertime as an opportunity to relax and perhaps distance ourselves from some of the chaos of daily life. However, if you tend to keep a close eye on your investment portfolio, these past few months have been especially stressful. Financial markets have taken a significant tumble from post-pandemic highs, […]
Investment Strategy During an Election Year
Investment Management‘This is the most important election of our lifetime’ are words we have heard every four years for as long as I can remember. This year is no different. Although most investors get anxious in an election year, the reality is that the fact that it is an election year does not matter as much […]
Stocks: What to Know About Growth vs. Value
Investment ManagementThere are two fundamental styles of investing in stocks. One is growth and the other is value. All investors want to make the right choice when investing their money or their client’s money, and knowing when and how to invest in each style is key. If you are curious about the details of growth vs. […]
New IRA Rules and What They Mean to You
Investment Management, Retirement PlanningThe end of 2019 brought a big change to retirement accounts. Late December, Congress passed the SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) Act, which aims to assist in helping people save more money for retirement and have a longer time to do so. The act went into effect this past January, so it […]
5 Important Retirement Planning Age Milestones
Investment Management, Retirement PlanningRemember the excitement of turning 16 so you can get your driver’s license? And 21 to be a legal adult? Important birth dates don’t end there. As you head toward retirement, consider the following dates as they may be critical in ensuring your financial plan’s success: Age 55: Possible Penalty Free Withdrawals from Your 401(k) If […]
Women and Finances: Empowering Women to Take Control of Their Finances
Investment ManagementTaking control of your financial future requires the same tenacity and determination that women give to other areas of their lives. For 28 years, I have been advising clients about financial planning decisions. I was trained and worked on a team with our founder, Bill Few, a pioneer in the Pittsburgh financial planning community. During […]
Interest Rates – How Low Can They Go?
Investment ManagementInterest Rates – How Low Can They Go? According to Bloomberg data, the world’s stockpile of negative-yielding debt nearly tripled in size from just a year ago. This phenomenon was born of unorthodox monetary policy carried out by central banks – namely, those in Europe first and then Japan – in the hope of boosting […]
Superstition – Stock Market and Investing
Investment ManagementStock Market and Investing Superstition The opening lyrics to the Stevie Wonder song “Superstition” from 1973 are: Very superstitious, writing’s on the wall Very superstitious, ladders bout’ to fall Thirteen-month-old baby, broke the lookin’ glass Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past When you believe in things that you don’t understand […]
Bonds in a Rising Interest Rate Environment
Investment ManagementReShelle Barrett, CFP® Most investors believe that owning bonds means an investment with low or no risk. However, bond investments are inherently exposed to certain risks including interest rate risk. And according to most recent comments by the Federal Reserve Board, there is likely at least one interest rate increase on the agenda for this […]
1st Quarter Update for 2015
In the News, Investment Management, Market UpdateThree Strikes and You’re Out? I recall the wisdom relayed to me by a prominent weatherman for one of the local TV stations. He told me that no matter how hard he worked on his forecast or how strong his convictions were about the computer forecast, “I always stick my head outside and look at […]
