Beginning in December 2016, the U.S. Federal Reserve (the Fed) had been gradually ratcheting up the federal funds rate, until it reached its December 2018 level of 2.25–2.50%. Effective August 1, 2019, that changed: The Fed lowered the federal funds rate by a quarter point, to 2.20–2.25%. Even though the announcement was not a huge […]
The New York Times Article, “Investors Are Usually Wrong. I’m One of Them” does a great job supporting Sax Wealth Advisors’ philosophy about not trying to outsmart the markets. Give it a read here: https://www.saxwa.com/app/uploads/Investors-Are-Usually-Wrong.pdf
Written by: Kyle R. Stawicki, ChFC® A quick online search for “Dow rallies 500 points” yields a cascade of news stories with similar titles, as does a similar search for “Dow drops 500 points.” These types of headlines may make little sense to some investors, given that a “point” for the Dow and what it […]
Asset allocation. It’s so ingrained in how we manage our clients’ investment portfolios, we talk about it all the time. But what is it? What are assets, and what happens when you allocate them? Asset Allocation: A Classy Subject Big picture, an asset is anything beneficial you have or have coming to you. For […]
Sometimes the best, most rigorously developed financial advice is so obvious, it’s become cliché. And yet, investors often end up abandoning this same advice when market turbulence is on the rise. Why the disconnect? Let’s take a look at five of the most familiar financial adages, and why they’re often much easier said than done. […]
From March 2009 through September 2018 — a period encompassing almost 10 years and the aftermath of the Great Financial Crisis — the world’s stock markets performed exceedingly well. Over this period, the global stock market was up 14.3 percent per year while the S&P 500 was up 17.9 percent per year. This means that […]
Now that the 2017 tax season is a wrap for most Americans, it’s time to start contemplating how the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) will impact your current and future tax plans. One of the frequently asked questions we’ve been fielding is on charitable giving: How can you keep giving, and get a […]
As the calendar approaches year-end, it’s important to begin thinking about and planning for personal income taxes, related year-end income (or expense) and the correlating deadline events. One deadline that is quickly approaching applies to retirement accounts: required minimum distributions or RMDs. If you’re a tax filer over the age of 70½ or turning 70½ […]
Here at Sax Wealth Advisors, we try to keep the financial jargon to a minimum. But even where we may succeed, you’re likely to encounter references elsewhere that can turn valuable information into mumbo-jumbo yet to be translated. Consider us your interpreter. Today, we’ll explore correlation, and why it matters to investing. Correlation, Defined […]
