Target Date funds have grown in popularity over the last decade especially inside employer benefit plans such as 401Ks. On the surface, they all seem to be exactly the same. First, you pick your fund based on your anticipated retirement date. Then you let the manager handle the rest – they utilize their glide path and make the portfolio more conservative as you approach retirement. While true, behind the scenes there are subtle differences that investors should be aware.
Read MoreBeacon recently hosted a live webinar for clients and friends where we discussed financial markets and year-end planning opportunities! Check out this webinar to get our take.
Read MoreInvesting is as much a psychological journey as it is a financial one. While market dynamics, economic indicators, and personal preferences play crucial roles in investment decisions, understanding and managing behavioral issues is equally important.
Read MoreYou can definitely make a difference is with your grandchildren’s personal financial education. Teaching kids early will build a lifetime of good financial habits. How can we help them develop good financial habits? By taking advantage of the fact that they really are already watching and learning from what we do and say.
Read MoreWe explore the four elements of an investor's risk profile - risk capacity, risk required, risk tolerance and risk perception. Understanding each type of risk is an essential element of building an investment portfolio that can both meet your specific investment needs, while allowing you to sleep easy during times of personal and financial stress.
Read MoreAsset "location" - which types of investments should be held in which accounts -is different based on your stage in life. An accumulator and a retiree should have a different investment strategy.
Read MoreShould your portfolio be invested in dividend paying stocks during retirement? This answer always varies, but for most the answer is NO! Let us explain…
Read MoreThis week we tackle a very important and popular question people are asking: "Is there a bubble in stocks or the stock market?" We also discuss various strategies you should take and questions you should ask yourself when feeling uncertain about the future of the stock market.
Read MoreWouldn’t it be awesome if you could invest your money and earn a consistent 0.85% every month (10.25% each year)? Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that stocks often move in abrupt bursts. These bursts of volatility can lead to high stress, doubts, or even unrealistic return expectations.
Read MoreIn today’s connected world, headline risk is everywhere! As harmless as headline risk may seem, it can represent a huge deterrent in making progress towards long term financial goals.
Read MoreAs the Covid-19 pandemic enters its 8 month, so many questions remain unanswered. How far are we from having a vaccine? Will there be an emergence of new Covid cases as the weather gets colder? Will states be able to effectively reopen local economies? Most importantly, when will things get back to normal? These unresolved questions all seem pretty important at the moment. However, will these temporary issues have a meaningful impact on a well-diversified, long term investment strategy?
Read MoreDoes who wins the election, Republican or Democrat, really have a bearing on stock market returns? Let's take a look at the data and find out.
Read MoreThere are a number of indexes that attempt to measure the performance of the financial markets and serve as a gauge of economic activity. The following are descriptions of several of the most common indexes.
Read MoreWho would have ever expected a rebound of historic proportions in stocks? However, since March 23rd—the height of pandemic uncertainty—major stock indexes have advanced nearly 40%!
Read MoreDoesn’t it seem like the stock market should be down more in 2020? This article takes a deeper dive into the numbers and it turns out that when using more diversified definition of “the market,” stocks have taken quite a hit this year.
Read MoreIt’s almost Election Day in the US once again. While the outcomes of the elections are uncertain, one thing we can count on is that plenty of opinions and prognostications will be floated in the days to come. In financial circles, this will almost assuredly include any potential for perceived impact on markets. But should long-term investors focus on midterm elections?
Read MoreYou will note in the table below that over the last year the S&P 500 (U.S. stocks) has outperformed its international counterpart by more than 22%! This disparity in performance becomes even more magnified when considering 10 year and 15 year performance numbers. In fact, U.S stocks have outpaced foreign stocks by about 2.5% annually for the last 15 years! So why is it important to take a global perspective when investing for the long term?
Read MoreWhat was going on in 1987 to cause such market uncertainty? Well, there were a number of things. Uncertainty in the Middle East. Oil price volatility related to an OPEC collapse. An economy that had expanded rapidly, but was now beginning to slow.
Read MoreMany of our clients have asked how what will happen to the stock market if Candidate(X) wins the election. Get a historical perspective of the impact an election may have on the stock market.
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