“Happy Birthday”, says the doting parent, sliding a small box, neatly wrapped in colorful paper and a bow across the table to her teenaged son. He opens it, and his face brightens. It just as he’d hoped – it’s his new iPhone! And not one of those old-fashioned iPhone 6s, it’s the new iPhone X! […]
How and when to take Social Security benefits, especially for married couples, can be a confusing decision. In a way, that’s a good thing – and not just because it helps to keep financial advisors employed! In the 83 years since the Social Security Act was passed, changing demographics and fiscal realities have resulted in […]
Albert Einstein is credited, at least as far as folklore goes, with saying that compounding of interest is mankind’s most remarkable invention. I would be inclined to agree, but with the following modification: TAX-FREE compounding of interest is mankind’s most remarkable invention. Tax-free income is hard to come by, in a tax system where ALL […]
One of my favorite Will Rogers quotes is: “Don’t gamble; take all your savings and buy some good stock and hold it till it goes up, then sell it. If it don’t go up, don’t buy it.” Seems like sage advice to me, and it’s about as helpful as the canned response I give when […]
I had just finished delivering a seminar on tax code changes, and was approached by a few seminar participants who had questions. After a few good tax questions, a couple stepped up and asked: “Are you, or is your firm a FIDUCIARY?” It’s an interesting question, mostly because it gets asked so often lately (and […]
Global markets managed to shake off natural disasters and geopolitical sabre rattling, to post a third quarter with steady growth and low volatility. Generally, central bankers continued with relatively easy monetary policy, continuing to provide fuel for one of the longest global market expansions in history. Domestically, the S&P 500 gained 3.9%, bringing the 2017 […]
Quarterly Recap: Second quarter returns on major US stock indices were not as strong as the first quarter with the S&P 500 returning 3.1%, the Nasdaq Composite returning 3.9%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average returning 3.3%. First quarter financial results released during the second quarter showed strong corporate earnings results, with earnings among S&P […]
Dear Valued Client, Welcome to the 2nd Edition of PFA’s Year in Review. Last year’s inaugural missive was penned by Managing Partner Craig Joncas, and I was greatly looking forward to reading his thoughts on this year. However, in the year where things don’t necessarily turn out as you think they will, this task was […]
