Double digit declines are common and don’t usually mean a loss for the year. The average peak-to-trough pullback in a year is -13.8%. Thus far in 2018, global stocks are in 'correction' mode and down -10% from their peak.
For a number of investors, 2017 was a paradox. The harder they tried to enhance their results by paying close attention to current events, the more likely they failed to capture the rate of return the capital markets offered.
Unlike stocks or bonds, it is not clear that bitcoins offer investors positive expected returns. Unlike government bonds, they don’t provide clarity about future wealth. And, unlike holding cash in fiat currencies, they don’t provide the means to plan for a wide range of near-term known expenditures. Because bitcoin does not help achieve these goals, we believe that it does not warrant a place in a portfolio designed to meet one or more of such goals.
As 2017 draws to a close, it is time to consider year-end strategies and begin organizing your finances for the New Year. To help you get started, we've put together a list of key planning items to consider.
If you are considering year-end gifts to children or grandchildren this November or December, the IRS continues to allow gifts of up to $14,000 annually or $28,000 if given jointly with your spouse without triggering gift tax consequences.
Contributing to and investing in an HSA provides an efficient way to save for estimated retirement healthcare expenses while also minimizing the impact on other retirement savings, so those funds can be used for things you’d rather spend money on.
The US stock market has delivered an average annual return of around 10%. In most years, however, the return has been above or below the average, often by a significant amount. Understanding the range of potential outcomes can help investors stay disciplined and increase the odds of a successful investment experience in the long term.
Predicting future events correctly, or how the market will react to future events, is a difficult exercise. It is important to understand, however, that market volatility is a part of investing. To enjoy the benefit of higher potential returns, investors must be willing to accept increased uncertainty.
A massive data breach at Equifax, one of the nation's largest credit reporting companies, could raise the risk of identity theft for 143 million U.S. consumers.
As of Q2, these portfolios illustrate the performance of different global stock/bond mixes and highlight the benefits of diversification.