A, B, C, D, F, Institutional? There are many different share classes to choose from when investing in mutual funds. Understand the differences and discover which share class will work best for you.
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Does 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.
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In this episode of Finance In A Flash, Nick & Chip discuss one of the most used phrases in all of finance, "The Market". What are people actually referring to when they say things like; "The market is crashing today!", "The market is down 1000 points", or "Stocks are soaring!"? Nick and Chip unpack the different indexes people may be referring to when they mention "The Market" and why you shouldn't always correlate the performance of "The Market" with your overall portfolio.
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There 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.
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Let’s face it, seniors today are healthier, more active and are likely to have longer lives. So what are the financial implications for retirees who will likely live well into their 90s and possibly their 100s?
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With the passage of the CARES Act on March 27th, Congress eliminated IRA required minimum distributions (RMDs) for the year. This means that many taxpayers above the age of 72, or anyone who is taking inherited IRA distributions, will likely have quite a change in their taxable income in 2020. So, is it a good year to do a Roth Conversion instead?
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On this episode of Finance In A Flash, we conclude our series titled: Financial Planning Opportunities Amid Market downturns. Throughout the episode, we cover several planning techniques such as Roth Conversions, Refinancing your mortgage, and reevaluating your budget, especially if you are in the distribution phase.
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Who 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%!
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On this episode of Finance In A Flash we continue our series on Financial Planning Opportunities Amid Market Downturns by covering Tax-Loss Harvesting. We go through the details of Tax-Loss Harvesting and the benefits of using this strategy during times when your investments have losses.
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Do you know the factors to consider when establishing an emergency savings account? How much cash is it appropriate to keep on hand in short term savings and money markets? Before we address the question, it is important to understand the important role cash plays in an overall financial plan.
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This web presentation discusses the importance of an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) when managing client portfolios.
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We at Beacon Financial Strategies, believe that rebalancing is an integral component of the investment management process. In this presentation, Chip Hymiller, AIF®,CFP® explains the concept of rebalancing and discusses the advantages of implementing a portfolio rebalancing strategy.
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Doesn’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.
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Stocks are declining just about everyday. It seems like investors would be much better off just selling their stock positions and waiting until things stabilize and there is more certainty. This web presentation addresses the logistics behind this decision and identifies a common scenario that can play out when making this type of portfolio adjustment.
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This webinar provides a historical perspective to recent stock market declines related to COVID-19. It also provides some financial planning opportunities and ideas to explore in the future.
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With the Coronavirus causing disruption and uncertainty around the world. Chip Hymiller explains why keeping your perspective and staying calm during this time is so important to achieving your financial goals.
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A question we often get is “How much can I withdraw from my accounts during retirement and not deplete them?” That question coupled with the ideal stock/bond mix makes for an interesting discussion on how probable your retirement goals are.
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While both mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs) can be effective tools when creating a diversified portfolio, it is important to understand attributes of each of these investment options.
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Is retirement on your horizon? Have you thought about what it will take to be prepared financially to retire? This article provides a number of common financial decision points and action items that you may need to evaluate during your “pre-retirement” period.
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