The election of 2020 is currently being advertised as one of the most historic elections. However, from our perspective, we see this election year as having many of the same attributes as past ones.
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We believe it is important to understand the underlying circumstances affecting the Markets—and how we are working through them, especially during these times of uncertainty, where the latest headlines could be contributing to our economic outlook.
The general interest in environmental, social, and governance focused (ESG) investing has recently increased in popularity. ESG investing, sometimes referred to as "socially responsible investing" (SRI) strategies, are used to evaluate the sustainability and responsibility of public companies, as well as their societal impact.
The year 2018 was the first year with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act tax rules in action. The results of these new tax rules were impactful for many households, especially when considering the deductions – standard vs. itemized. Fewer people itemized deductions in 2018. This bunching strategy of alternating between the standard deduction one year and itemizing the next, is designed to maximize the total tax deductions taken over a rolling 2-year period.
On Friday, December 20th, 2019, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, aka the “SECURE Act," was passed into law by Congress, tied to crucial legislation needed to keep the government funded and open. It was the most impactful piece of retirement legislation passed in the last ten years, and the implications of the Act are just now being parsed, interpreted, and understood by the financial services industry.
During this period, exposure to a sequence of return risk is a serious concern. With this risk, a series of negative returns early in your retirement while you are making withdrawals can have a devastating effect on your portfolio's ability to last through your retirement.
One of the most significant concerns expressed by many of our clients is the unknown cost of healthcare during retirement. In addition to the price of basic healthcare, it's the variable cost of long-term care, should the need arise, that can be difficult to plan for.
We’ve had a remarkable recovery since the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009. The markets have been on a bull run for over nine years now.
To obtain Social Security credits, the Social Security Administration reviews at the amount of money you earn from work on which you have paid Social Security payroll tax. You must work for at least ten years and earn a minimum of 40 credits. The earnings amount needed per credit in 2018 is $1320, and four is the maximum number of credits you can earn in one year.
The Amazon Effect is a term created to describe the ongoing evolution and disruption of retail markets, due to an increase in e-commerce. As Amazon has grown, its effect over a vast array of products, and both physical and online retail is astounding. The term itself, “Amazon Effect,” is an acknowledgment of Amazon's continuing domination of all facets of the retail environment.