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Wealth Management Tips

Trade Notice: BlackRock Standard Model 3/17/2023

Seek to enhance the overall quality and resilience of the portfolio, cutting net exposure to stocks and credit amidst unusually elevated uncertainty

Trade Notice: BlackRock ESG Model 3/17/2023

Seek to enhance the overall quality and resilience of the portfolio, cutting net exposure to stocks and credit amidst unusually elevated uncertainty

February Market Commentary: Action and Reaction

February opened with a strong January employment number as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an increase of 467,000 jobs. Instead of reassuring markets after a rough ride in January, it only served to fuel speculation that a strong labor market would lead the Federal Reserve to be more aggressive with rate increases than previously indicated, in its attempts to control inflation.

Monroe Wealth Management Portfolio Allocations & Insights 7/21/22

Mixed economic data, an emboldened Fed hiking into a cyclical slowdown, and stock and bond markets that have ostensibly already priced in a lot of bad news (but with still-elevated analyst earnings expectations) provide conditions to blueprint both bull and bear arguments. We don’t have much confidence in which reality firmly takes hold from here and believe the market’s current price action represents more noise than signal.

Is Tax-Loss Harvesting Right for Your Portfolio?

Creating a well-diversified portfolio is the foundation of growing wealth. But there’s an aspect that may help increase your overall return – and it isn’t just an investment strategy. Being strategic about handling asset value declines is also a tax strategy. It can help you offset capital gains taxes resulting from managing your portfolio or taking income in retirement.

Tax-Planning-for-Business-Owners

Every stage brings different things to tackle, but they all have one thing in common – taxes. Business owners have unique tax advantages. The key to maximizing them is not leaving it until your annual meeting with your tax accountant. It means creating a multi-year strategy that works as your business grows and your profits, activities, plant and equipment, strategies, etc., evolve.

Are You Working Remote in a Different State? Do You Know the Tax Implications?

It’s been two and a half years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and most of the country is up and running: students have returned to classrooms, people are traveling for pleasure and business in record numbers, and spectators are back in the stands. However, one aspect of society has not fully returned to pre-pandemic normalcy: remote work. Shortly after the pandemic began, many employees moved from larger cities with higher rates of COVID to the suburbs or smaller towns in other states to lower their costs or purchase a larger home. However, many of these workers may not know the tax implications of working in a different state than their company’s headquarters.

Retiring in a Volatile Market: Control What You Can

Retirement during a volatile market is unsettling. Whether you are on the cusp or have already made the leap, a market downturn’s impact on your savings will be felt now and potentially for years to come. How do you keep your plan on track and your desired lifestyle in place?

July Market Commentary: Will the Fed’s Rate Resolve Lead to Recession?

After a barely positive May, June saw the bear market return across indices. We ended up with the worst first half performance since 1970. A mid-month surprise 75 basis point rate hike at the June FOMC meeting, followed by Fed Chairman Powell’s testimony to Congress in which he indicated aggressive rate increases at the July and September meetings, convinced markets that inflation is the priority for the Fed.

Mistakes are Expensive: A New Generation Embraces Financial Planning at the Mid-Stage

Financial planning has evolved beyond investing assets. The old model limited comprehensive planning to a wealthy few with high levels of manageable assets. For many people, their first engagement with a financial advisor was when they needed to create a retirement income plan.

The Pre-IPO Checklist for Employees

Working at a startup is rewarding for many reasons – building something from scratch, collaborating with colleagues to make an idea into reality, and potentially changing an industry or a market for the better.

Is a Self-Directed 401(k) Right for You?

Contributing regularly to a 401(k) plan is the foundation of retirement savings for many people. You determine the percentage of each paycheck you want to contribute, and you either select a target-date fund based on your expected year of retirement or pick from a relatively limited selection of mutual funds.

It’s Not About Inflation, It’s About Volatility

Inflation is driving the headlines and wreaking havoc on budgets. But for long-term investors – mostly everyone – short-term inflation isn’t the biggest risk to financial plans. Volatility is. It’s being fueled by the Federal Reserve’s efforts to balance bringing down inflation with keeping the economy out of recession.

Monroe Wealth Management Portfolio Allocations & Insights 5/18/22

While the synchronized drawdown in stocks and bonds has been unnerving, we expected an increase in volatility as the Fed’s hiking cycle commenced – consistent with historical norms.

Are Fed Actions Working? Parsing the New Data

After April’s downturn, the first two weeks of May have not seen substantial improvement. By Thursday, May 12, markets were dangerously close to bear territory. The Fed enacted a 50-basis point increase in the Fed funds rate at the May FOMC meeting, and we also now have April’s key data. In addition, Fed Chairman Powell sat for an interview in which he discussed his definition of a “soft landing” and what it will take to get there.

Changing Jobs: What Happens to Your 401(k)?

There’s a lot involved in moving to a new company, and normal for some to put some of the more tedious housekeeping items on the back burner. Besides all the job-related changes, you need to understand your new health insurance and set up your new 401(k) to continue your annual contribution.

March Market Commentary: In Like A Lamb, Out Like a Lion?

Ukraine’s fierce response to and subsequent repulsion of Russian troops surprised everyone, not least Vladimir Putin. As March came to a close, negotiations were beginning to be more realistic, and the evidence on the ground was that Russia was retreating and reassessing.

A Note on the Invasion of Ukraine

The news about the invasion of Ukraine is distressing on a humanitarian level and unsettling when thinking about the impact of increased volatility on investment portfolios.

Market Volatility is Rearing its Head. What to do? Stay the Course

It’s no secret that the past two years have been an interesting time to be investing in the market. It’s also no secret that the past 12 years have been Among the best years for investors to be consistently in the markets.

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