From September 30–October 10, the US market (as measured by the Russell 3000 Index) fell 4.8%, resulting in many investors wondering what the future holds and if they should make changes to their portfolios. While it may be difficult to remain calm during a substantial market decline, it is important to remember that volatility is a normal part of investing.
The Importance of Beneficiary Designations
Imagine an ex-spouse receiving the benefits of your lifelong savings… That is exactly what happened to William Kennedy upon his passing. In the case of Kennedy Estate v. Plan Administrator for DuPont Savings and Investment Plan , the court ruled that Kennedy’s ex-wife rightly received the benefit of his $400,000 retirement savings even though the divorce papers waived his ex-wife of her interest in the plan benefits.
2018 Second Quarter Market Commentary
This report features world capital market performance and a timeline of events for the past quarter. It begins with a global overview, then features the returns of stock and bond asset classes in the US and international markets. The report also illustrates the impact of globally diversified portfolios and features a quarterly topic.
Investor Values
“Purpose of the margin of safety is to render the forecast unnecessary.” – Ben Graham
Wisconsin Child Tax Rebate
For families with children under age of 18 as of December 31, 2017, the sate of Wisconsin is giving parents $100 for each child.
Tuning out the Noise
If you are feeling uneasy about your investment performance during these periods of volatile market activity, watch this video, “Tuning Out the Noise”, to help remind you of the importance of remaining disciplined during uncertain times.
Tax Bunching
We Americans are a giving people. For 2016, $390 billion was donated to charity. Individuals (as opposed to foundations and corporations) donated $282 billion of the $390 billion (72%).
Now and Then
Markets have been up and down this year, which can be hard for many investors to live with. During periods like these, hearing stories about how other people deal with uncertainty can be helpful.
New Client Portal
Please read about our New Client Portal! The attached message was sent in Mid-March, with the New Client Portal emails sent a few days after that. If you have not established access to the New Client Portal and would like to do so, please contact our office.
Back to the January Start
The investing world always presents us with moments of “Firsts”. The news media is great at highlighting the first time the market did this or did that. However, they leave out much of the context.