With 2021 coming to a close, and major tax code changes being debated in Washington, now is an opportune time to evaluate three powerful tax strategies, which could be advantageous to you. As an enrolled agent (licensed by the IRS), I’ve spent a good amount of time studying the U.S. tax code, evaluating the … Continue reading Three Powerful Tax Strategies to Evaluate Now
It was a volatile third quarter for credit markets. Interest rates continued to experience significant volatility in the third quarter with the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond beginning the quarter at 1.49%, dropping to 1.19% by early August and then rallying to close the quarter at 1.52%. This tug-of-war was due to several ongoing issues … Continue reading Credit Markets: An Interest Rate Tug-of-War
How have our portfolios defended against recent inflation? Is inflation or disinflation in our future? Recent inflation headlines have been startling: “Lumber prices spike to an all-time high,” “Oil prices double over the past year,” “Copper hits a 20-year high”. These quotes have caused many to believe a new cycle of rising inflation is upon … Continue reading Which Flation Is In Our Future?
Through the first half of 2021, Natural Resources and Real Estate are amongst the best performing asset classes – we’ll look at what drove this performance and offer an outlook for the second half. Thinking back to 2020 and everything that transpired in financial markets, amongst the most incredible developments was not only the speed … Continue reading Forgotten to Favored
For retirees, choosing the most optimal pension option deserves a rigorous analysis. For many employees in the public and private sector who are facing the prospects of an imminent retirement, the decision of how to take their pension is rife with uncertainty. On its head, the two most basic pension payout options are relatively simple … Continue reading To Annuitize or Not, That Is the Question
Bond investors are not too concerned about a persistent increase in inflation. Much ink has been spilled over the past quarter on inflation, which has clearly made a resurgence as the economy has begun to recover and strengthen. But there is an ongoing debate as to whether the current inflationary forces will be a short-term … Continue reading Credit Markets: Transitory or Non-Transitory Inflation?
Recently, it seems like every day we read a headline about a new SPAC, crypto coin, NFT, or IPO that doubles in value in practically minutes. Many of these “investments” have no actual revenue, and little or no use. These headlines are reminiscent of the Internet Bubble that burst in 2000. What is causing this … Continue reading SPACs, CRYPTOs, NFTs, and IPOs: 2000 Déjà Vu and What They Mean for Your Portfolio
The equity market is not the only thing hitting an all-time high. US federal debt held by the public ended 2020 at $21 trillion, up from $9 trillion at the end of 2010. The Congressional Budget Office’s baseline projection for federal debt released in February 2021 incorporated the major Coronavirus-related relief bills – the $2 … Continue reading Let’s Get Fiscal
While I could say that this past year has been a rollercoaster, that doesn’t quite capture the true depth and range of emotions experienced over the last 13 months. A global pandemic, lockdowns, social distancing, working from home while also (for many) helping our children with school from home and not to mention the whiplash-inducing … Continue reading A Look in the Rearview Mirror
Bond yields rose dramatically in the first quarter as investors began pricing in the likelihood of the strongest economic growth in the U.S. and globally in decades and corresponding inflation concerns. The rapid rise in interest rates led to bonds being the only asset class in negative territory on a total return basis during the … Continue reading Credit Markets: Strong Economic Growth and Inflation Ahead
