Rising and Falling Rates in Relation to Real Estate Prices

“A 1% decline in real interest rates should lead to a spike in home prices in certain cities in the U.S. ranging from 19% to 33%.” -Bloomberg (Feb...

Chart of the Day

Russia vs. USA

It’s been a long slow slog for Russia. Seeing investors saying “let’s buy the dip.” But before that, Russia has some serious structural problems they..

Father and daughter putting money into a pink piggy bank

Community Bank

Financial Literacy for Children Starts at Home: How to Talk to Your Child About Money

Most parents dread having “the talk” with their kids. The talk generally refers to the birds and the bees, but there are other subjects parents might..

Chart of the Day

5% Pullbacks and Russia

Since 1927, the S&P 500 has experienced a pullback of five percent approximately every 70 trading days (about every 3 ½ months.)

Chart of the Day

Cooling of Housing Market

Three charts from an article in Bloomberg that shows the housing market may be cooling from higher rates, higher prices (making homes less..

Chart of the Day

Zero Real Rates

Yes, rates have climbed from their lows, but let’s hope we don’t look back on this and think that locking in a zero real return (1) for 30 years was..

Chart of the Day

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Continue to Grow

Lower cost, increased liquidity, better transparency, greater tax efficiencies, often more diversified, and for indexed ETFs there is no “drift” of..

Market Update

October Investment Update

After declining in September, the equity market is now celebrating the economic recovery from the COVID virus and solid growth in U.S. corporate..

Retirement

The 4 Best Places to Retire in Florida

Year after year, Florida’s population continues to grow. Many people moving to the Sunshine State are retirees relocating for the reason behind the..

Market Update

2021 Year-End Market Review

The equity markets ended the year with strong performance despite the uncertainty about the new variant of COVID and the Federal Reserve’s..

Older woman in an apron looking at a laptop

Security and Fraud Prevention Online Banking

6 Cybersecurity Business Ideas to Protect Against Email Compromise

Companies of all sizes are being targeted by criminals through business email compromise scams. In these scams, cybercriminals gain access to an..

image of a screen that implies the stock market numbers

Market Update Economy

November 2021 Market Update

The better-than-expected third-quarter corporate earnings reports were evidence of a broad-based economic recovery causing investor psychology to..

Man smiling over his shoulder and holding hands with someone off screen

Estate Planning

A Beginner's Guide to Understanding a Living Trust

One of the most common misconceptions about trusts is that they’re only for individuals of high net worth with substantial estates. While it is true..

Older woman looking concerned at her phone

Security and Fraud Prevention

Want to Save $1,170? Hang Up.

During the pandemic, my phone was ringing off the hook, as many fraudsters took advantage of our isolation. They knew we were lonely, stuck at home..

Young woman helping older man navigate laptop

Managing your Wealth Retirement

Take a Strategic Approach to Your Retirement Planning Today

Thinking about retirement? The average retirement age in the United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, is 63 for women and 65 for men...

On Our Minds

List Grid

Chart of the Day, Managing your Wealth

02/23/22

Rising and Falling Rates in Relation to Real Estate Prices

“A 1% decline in real interest rates should lead to a spike in home prices in certain cities in the U.S. ranging from 19% to 33%.” -Bloomberg (Feb. 23, 2022)

Chart of the Day

02/22/22

It’s been a long slow slog for Russia. Seeing investors saying “let’s buy the dip.” But before that, Russia has some serious structural problems they need to overcome to become a good long term investment.

Community Bank

02/17/22

Financial Literacy for Children Starts at Home: How to Talk to Your Child About Money

Most parents dread having “the talk” with their kids. The talk generally refers to the birds and the bees, but there are other subjects parents might shy away from, such as the existence of Santa Claus (yes, Virginia, he’s real) or finances.

Chart of the Day

02/17/22

5% Pullbacks and Russia

Since 1927, the S&P 500 has experienced a pullback of five percent approximately every 70 trading days (about every 3 ½ months.)

Chart of the Day

02/10/22

Cooling of Housing Market

Three charts from an article in Bloomberg that shows the housing market may be cooling from higher rates, higher prices (making homes less affordable), and builders starting to ramp up supply.

Chart of the Day

02/7/22

Zero Real Rates

Yes, rates have climbed from their lows, but let’s hope we don’t look back on this and think that locking in a zero real return (1) for 30 years was a good investment at the time.

Chart of the Day

01/29/22

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Continue to Grow

Lower cost, increased liquidity, better transparency, greater tax efficiencies, often more diversified, and for indexed ETFs there is no “drift” of the types of investments they make.

Market Update

01/14/22

October Investment Update

After declining in September, the equity market is now celebrating the economic recovery from the COVID virus and solid growth in U.S. corporate earnings. The S&P 500 Index is now up 22% for the year and is poised to move higher as economic growth is only hindered by distribution bottlenecks in imported and manufactured goods. The goods inventory scarcity is likely to be temporary, and it should take four to six months to normalize the distribution from ships to ports, trucks, trains and stores. The decline in inventories has caused price hikes in goods and services, yet consumers have registered higher confidence levels, are consuming and traveling more, and are returning to work. Job availability remains high, yet some Americans are choosing retirement, self-employment or part-time work rather than a return to the office.

Retirement

01/6/22

The 4 Best Places to Retire in Florida

Year after year, Florida’s population continues to grow. Many people moving to the Sunshine State are retirees relocating for the reason behind the state’s nickname: There are over 230 days of sunshine a year, and even in the coldest months, the average daily temperature is 70 degrees or higher. The temperature rarely gets below 50 degrees.

Market Update

01/4/22

2021 Year-End Market Review

The equity markets ended the year with strong performance despite the uncertainty about the new variant of COVID and the Federal Reserve’s announcement about tapering bond purchases and raising interest rates. Omicron is spreading quickly, but the mutation seems less severe and has a significantly lower mortality rate. As viruses mutate, they generally weaken, and the equity market is anticipating that corporate revenues and earnings will not be impaired by government-imposed lockdowns.

Security and Fraud Prevention, Online Banking

12/15/21

6 Cybersecurity Business Ideas to Protect Against Email Compromise

Companies of all sizes are being targeted by criminals through business email compromise scams. In these scams, cybercriminals gain access to an employee’s legitimate business email through social engineering or computer intrusion. The criminal then impersonates the employee often a senior executive or someone who can authorize payments and instructs others to transfer funds on their behalf. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, over $10 billion has been lost by victims in the U.S. due to these scams.

Market Update, Economy

12/2/21

November 2021 Market Update

The better-than-expected third-quarter corporate earnings reports were evidence of a broad-based economic recovery causing investor psychology to improve and funds to flow from bonds into stocks. This has since reversed as the uncertainty of the spread and severity of COVID mutation Omicron remains unknown. The concern is that the supply chain of parts and goods produced in emerging markets may slow and deter global economic growth.

Estate Planning

12/1/21

A Beginner's Guide to Understanding a Living Trust

One of the most common misconceptions about trusts is that they’re only for individuals of high net worth with substantial estates. While it is true that anyone with significant wealth should consider a trust, those of more modest means can benefit from asset protection and other features offered with a trust.

Security and Fraud Prevention

11/26/21

Want to Save $1,170? Hang Up.

During the pandemic, my phone was ringing off the hook, as many fraudsters took advantage of our isolation. They knew we were lonely, stuck at home with only a few ways to communicate with others, so why not take advantage of that good ole’ telephone when everyone is afraid of hackers on the internet?

In fact, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) received about 1.25 million phone fraud complaints in 2020, and the hackers and scammers don’t seem to be showing down this year.

Managing your Wealth, Retirement

11/17/21

Take a Strategic Approach to Your Retirement Planning Today

Thinking about retirement? The average retirement age in the United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, is 63 for women and 65 for men. While you may not actually retire until your late 60s or 70s, you should start thinking about it as soon as you start working. Some experts suggest you start saving in your 20s, when you begin earning paychecks, because the sooner you begin saving, the more time your money has to grow.

Blog

Your WeeklyFinancial Forecast

Stay informed with sound financial know-how

On Our Minds

Subscribe to Our Blog

Subscribe to Our Blog

Your Weekly
Financial Forecast