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Planning Newsletter - October 2024
  • Review your marginal tax brackets for ordinary income and capital gains rates to decide which account to withdraw from.

  • Don’t make the mistake of overfunding retirement accounts at the expense of your brokerage (taxable) accounts. It’s important to have non-retirement assets for flexible spending and savings goals. If you haven’t set up a taxable brokerage account, perhaps this is the next move to make for any money leftover that you haven’t found a home for

  • End of year provides you with the opportunity to think about managing liabilities. Consider the relative advantage to paying down debts with assets. What is the tax impact of doing so? Would it make a difference to your peace of mind?

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Investing Newsletter - July 2024

  • Cycles of US stock outperformance and underperformance vs. International stocks are normal.

  • The international equity outperformance from. 2000 to 2009 was especially painful for US investors because US stocks averaged negative returns for 10 years - now known as “The Lost Decade.”

  • Valuation measures such as price-to-earnings ratios lead some to believe that International stocks may outperform US stocks over the coming yearsmay outperform US stocks over the coming yearsmay outperform US stocks over the coming years

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Investing Newsletter - January 2024
  • In only six out of 97 years from 1926 to 2022 did the market have an annual return that came within two percentage points of the market’s long-term average returns of 10%.

  • It’s extremely important for investors to understand market volatility so they do not get too excited about a “good year” and too worried by a “bad year”.

  • The allure of trying to be in the market when it’s rising - and out of the market when its falling - is completely understandable. But timing decisions can often result in lower returns and increased stress.

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Market Review Q4 - 2023
  • The US equity market posted positive returns for the quarter and outperformed both non-US developed and emerging markets.

  • US real estate investment trusts outperformed non-US REITs during the quarter.

  • US government debt reached 121% of the value of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) last year. Many investors have expressed concern over the impact that servicing this level of debt could have on the stock market. But the historical data show little relation between the two.

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Investing Newsletter - July 2023
  • In the past century, there have been 15 recessions in the US. In 11 of those instances, stock returns were positive two years after the recession began.

  • Stock markets typically drop well before a recession is officially announced and then rebound before the recession is officially over.

  • Commit to holding onto your portfolio’s stock allocation for the long term and rebalancing it if markets drop due to a recession or any other event that may trigger a bear market

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Planning Newsletter - October 2022
  • Develop the habit of reviewing your estate planning documents and beneficiary designations on a regular basis. We recommend doing this at least every two to five years at a minimum and always after any significant life event.

  • Even a young adult should have the following estate planning documents: Advanced Health Care Directive, Financial Power of Attorney, Beneficiaries for accounts, Last Will and a Digital Will.

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