Market Commentary

Market Commentary: Markets Start the New Year Strong Despite the Chaos in Washington

The vivid pictures and appalling actions in Washington, D.C., Wednesday captured the attention of the globe, but not the interest of markets. The Democratic sweep in the Georgia Senate races didn’t attract a lot of interest from investors either. Neither were markets fazed by the first loss of jobs in a monthly employment report since the recovery began.

Monthly Newsletters

Help Improve Your Financial Plan This Year with These One-time Adjustments

It’s no secret that many people do not keep their New Year’s resolutions. Every year around this time, gym memberships go up and personal planners fly off the shelves. A few weeks later, the planner gets left on the train and the gym, well, it’s just so far out of the way! New Year’s resolutions have a whopping shelf life of about a month, and only 20% or so make it further.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: S&P 500 Finishes the Year at a Record High, Unemployment Numbers Decrease Slowly

The S&P 500 wrapped up a surprising year with another strong week. The index of large-cap stocks, including dividends, climbed 1.5% and finished 18.4% higher for the year. Figure 1 shows the performance of the S&P 500, ex-dividends, in 2020 and just how far stocks have roared back from their lows.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: Trump Signs New Stimulus Package as Vaccine Distribution Continues

The new stimulus package approved by the House and Senate was signed by President Trump Sunday night. The president had proposed upping the aid to individuals to $2,000 after the bipartisan agreement had been reached. Garnering support for that proposal would likely have proven difficult and economic urgency made signing the bill the logical choice. The need for additional support was evidenced by a 1.2% decline in disposable income (Figure 1).

Blog

17 Things You Need to Know About the New Stimulus Package

Congress passed the new $900 billion economic relief and spending bill on Monday. While most of the focus has been on a second round of relief payments to most Americans, there is plenty more in the 5,000-plus pages of the stimulus package.

Blog

How to Make Sense of Retirement and Estate Finance

Retirement is far off until it isn’t. This chapter of life can sneak up on just about anyone, and we do ourselves a favor to be as prepared as we can. Like anything involving the government, finances can be confusing, with different tax treatments, contribution limits, beneficiary rules and more.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: New Support Package to Provide Assistance to Individuals, Businesses and More

The economic slowdown continues. Initial jobless claims climbed 885,000 last week. In the face of additional restrictions and heightened health risks, consumers have scaled back activity. Retail and food service sales dipped 1.1% last month (Figure 1).

News

Debra Taylor Receives the Women’s Choice Award® 2021 for Providing Exemplary Financial Services to Women

WomenCertified Inc., home of the Women’s Choice Award identifies Financial Advisors and Firms based on rigorous research focused on 17 points of objective criteria, in addition to references of validation from the advisor’s peers and/or superiors. As such, it is an honor to announce that Debra Taylor has earned the Women’s Choice Award 2021, demonstrating a strong commitment to providing exemplary services for female clientele.

News

Debra Taylor, CPA/PFS, JD, CDFA, Wealth Advisor, Receives the 2021 Five Star Award® for Providing Outstanding Service

Debra Taylor’s was named a Five Star award winner for 2021 in December 2020. By earning this honor, Debra has shown an outstanding commitment to clients.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: First Vaccines Roll Out as Unemployment Claims Remain High

Initial jobless claims reached an 11-week high based on data reported last week. More than 850,000 workers filed initial unemployment claims (Figure 1). While processing delays around the Thanksgiving holiday affected the data, even after adjusting for the break it appears the economic lull continues.

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