This article is original content written by Manchester, CT Financial Advisor Thomas Scanlon, CFP®, CPA The rates of return on cash (checking, savings, and money market) are very close to zero. This begs the question, “Why have any…
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Patience Pays Dividends
For months prior to the presidential election, investors remained in a holding pattern, poised to see how the domestic and global markets would react. Many international markets saw pullbacks, but U.S. stock markets surprised to the upside, rewarding investors after…
Tagged with: Consumer Confidence, DJIA, Economy, Federal Reserve, Federal Reserve Board, GDP, NASDAQ, Presidential Election, S&P 500, Stock Market
The Last Mortgage Refinance
I know it’s not breaking news that mortgage rates are low. They are very low in fact. At the last Federal Open Market Committee (“FOMC”) meeting in September they elected to keep the Federal Funds Rate unchanged. The FOMC…
Tagged with: Congress, Fed, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Federal Open Market Committee, Federal Reserve, Federal Reserve Board, FOMC, Freddie Mac, Great Recession 2008-2009, HELOC, Home Equity Line of Credit, Home Mortgage, Home Refinance, Income Tax Deduction, Itemized Deductions, Mortgage, Mortgage Interest, Mortgage Rates, PMI, Points, Presidental Election, Private Mortgage Insurance, Refinance, Standard Deduction, Tax Deduction, TRID, U. S. Treasury Securities, W-2
4 Easy Steps to Stay Retired
You have reached the holy grail (for some) and retired. Congratulations! You are in the Land of No Alarm Clocks. Now you can do (almost) whatever you want to do. You’ve worked your whole life to…
Tagged with: 401(K) Plan, 529 College Savings Plan, 529 Plan, Bank of Japan, Budget, Cash Reserve Fund, College, Connecticut, Connecticut Income Tax, CT, ECB, European Central Bank, Fed, Federal Reserve, Federal Reserve Board, Great Reccession 2008-2009, Income Tax, Individual Retirement Account, Interest Rates, Investment Portfolio, IRA, Living Expenses, Medical Bills, Medicare Tax, Money Market Account, Negative Interest Rates, New England, New Hampshire, Portfolio, Rainy Day Fund, Retire, Retirees, Retirement, Retirement Plan, Roth IRA, S & P 500 Index, Savers, Social Security, Social Security Tax, Starbucks, Swiss National Bank, The College Board
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics
I took a statistics class back in college. Like many of my other subjects I didn’t do that well in it. I did, however, gain a deeper understanding of what average meant and still continue to aspire to get up…
Tagged with: Affordable Care Act, Al Capone, BLS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Chicago, CHINA, College, College Tuition, Core Inflation, Energy Costs, Federal Reserve, Food Costs, Great Recession 2008-2009, Health Savings Accounts, Higher Education, HSA's, Income Taxes, Inflation Rate, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, Janet Yellen, Labor Force Participation Rate, LFR, Medical Expenses, Obama Care, Statistics, The Fed, U-3, U-6, Unemployment Rate
Third Quarter Marked by Mixed Data and Volatility
Last quarter, many investors watched closely as the Greek debt drama played out on a global stage. Three months later, investors once again are warily watching how international economic conditions impact domestic markets. Headwinds include worries over slower growth in…
Tagged with: Biotech, commodities, Consumer Confidence, DJIA, Federal Reserve, GDP, Greek Debt, Homeowners, MCSI, NASDAQ
Market Volatility Spikes Amid Global Economic Concerns
Equity markets suffered their worst week since 2011 for the week ending August 21, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down more than 1,000 points and the S&P 500 down 5.7%. Put into the context of the bull market of the…
Tagged with: Bull Market, CHINA, Dow Jones, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Equity Markets, Fed, Federal Reserve, Greece, Inflation, Interest Rates, S & P 500, U. S. Equities
The Second Half of the Year Holds Promise
August 5, 2015 The Second Half of the Year Holds Promise The S&P 500 has been at a virtual standstill thus far this year, trading in a narrow range. July was not much different. The almost 2% rise…
Average Joe’s
The movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story came out in 2004. It’s a story about gym owner Peter Lafleur (Vince Vaughn) trying to save his gym. The gym is very behind on its bank loan and Peter is concerned it…
Greek Drama Plays Out on Global Stage
The second quarter ended with all eyes on Greece after the country failed to reach an agreement with its creditors. The impasse resulted in shuttered banks and imposed capital controls, at least until a July 5 referendum on whether…
Tagged with: CHINA, DJIA, Dow Jones, EAFE, Europe, EuroZone, Federal Reserve, Financial Plan, GDP, Greece, Greek Crisis, IMF, International Monetary Fund, MSCI EAFE, NASDAQ, Puerto Rico, S&P 500
