Blog
September 2023 Monthly Outlook - Seasonally Weak Period
August was a down month overall for stocks, but after falling almost 5% in the early part of the month, stocks rallied into month end and finished down only 1.6% (S&P 500). Bonds also saw declines during August as interest rates...
Read MoreIdentity Protection How-To: Freezing your Credit
Freezing your credit is an important element of identity protection: if your credit is frozen, new accounts can’t be opened in your name. This is an important tool at your disposal; should a bad actor try to open a line of credit...
Read MoreBlue (Super) Moon, You Saw Me Standing Alone
The end of August will see a rare meteorological event: a blue supermoon. Supermoons occur when the moon is full during its closest point in its rotation around Earth. Its closer proximity to us makes it pop during its travel across...
Read MoreBiden’s Student Debt Plan, Explained
The Supreme Court struck down Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, but relief may be on the horizon for qualified borrowers: Biden has launched an income-driven repayment plan that borrowers can begin submitting applications...
Read MoreAugust 2023 Monthly Outlook - Return to the Scene of the Crime?
July saw a continuation of the solid uptrend we have seen in the stock market since March. Inflation continues to cool, albeit still too high. Interest rates have stabilized around 4% on 10 year US Treasury. The...
Read MoreShow All
July 2023 Monthly Outlook - Taking a Breather
Hi folks,I hope all is well by you. This month’s outlook is later than usual because I took a breather (a few days off around July 4th). Interestingly, the financial markets did the same.June was a positive month for...
Read MoreJune 2023 Monthly Outlook - Lack of Participation
Well it looks like we will avert a debit limit crisis and potential default on US government debt. That is a huge relief.May was a flat month in the financial markets with stocks gaining 0.25% while interest rates rose 0.08%...
Read MoreCredit Report Reminder
With Memorial Day behind us, summer is now in full swing. It’s a perfect time to check your credit report.The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide credit reporting companies —...
Read MoreMay 2023 Monthly Outlook - What We Are Watching Now
April was a volatile month, starting strong with a run towards 4,200 on the S&P 500 but then pulling back to end virtually right where it started. This was disappointing because (1) April is usually a strong month seasonally and...
Read MoreApril 2023 Monthly Outlook - Crisis Averted
March was a crazy month, here the potential for another banking crisis came out of nowhere, and created tremendous volatility in the markets.Three banks failed and were taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)...
Read MoreMarket Outlook Webinar - April 13th
With all the uncertainty in the economy and the volatility in the financial markets I arranged for a presentation by a couple of experts from Fidelity Investments. Please join Directional Wealth Management for a 2023 2nd quarter...
Read MoreBanks and the Financial Markets
Folks,I’m sure you have seen/read/heard about the recent events in the banking sector. Over the last several days, a number of banks have collapsed and been taken over by the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)...
Read MoreMarch 2023 Monthly Outlook - Trend Change?
I titled this month’s report the same as last month’s – Trend Change?I’m doing that because while we saw a break of the downtrend from 2022 in January 2023, we are now testing whether that change is sustainable...
Read MoreFebruary 2023 Monthly Outlook - Trend Change?
January 2023 was a very strong month in financial markets. Interest rates came down, which fueled a nice bounce in stock values. Most importantly, the stock market, as measured by the S&P 500, finally broke the downtrend it...
Read MoreDebt Ceiling
Folks,I hope all is well.I’m sure many of you have seen the headlines “US officially hits debt ceiling”. I want to share a little perspective with you.Yes the country has hit its current debt ceiling. This...
Read MoreSpring 2023 Credit Report Reminder
Happy winter! With the holidays in the rearview mirror, we’re all working on our resolutions and waiting patiently for spring. Whatever you’re doing to beat the winter blues, we recommend you check your credit report too...
Read MoreJanuary 2023 Monthly Outlook
Wow, what a year! 2022 was a rough year for the markets. The S&P 500 was down 19.4%, the worst yearly decline since 2008. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was down 33%, the worst decline since the dot-com bubble way back in 2001...
Read MoreStudent Debt Relief Update
The Department of Education has extended the student loan repayment pause which was set to expire at the end of 2022. There will be 3 possible scenarios on which repayments will begin; 60 days after debt cancellation, 60 days after the...
Read MoreDecember 2022 - Monthly Outlook - Current Market Status
November was a positive month in the financial markets, with both stocks and bonds gaining in value as interest rates declined. On the final day of the month, stocks (basis S&P 500) finally eclipsed it’s downtrend line...
Read MoreNovember 2022 Monthly Outlook - 'Tis the Season'
Halloween just passed and I saw holiday decorations already going up. It also ‘Tis the season’ for the best returns in financial markets. As the chart below shows, November and December have a history of positive...
Read MoreKeep more of your money in 2023
Folks,Another piece of good news from the federal government this week.The new income tax brackets and standard deductions have come out and they have increased to account for inflation. The higher standard deduction will help to...
Read MoreA Bit of Good News
Folks,In the midst of all the negative news about the economy and the market, we got a bit of good news on October 13th.The Social Security Administration announced that the cost-of-living adjustment for 2023 will be 8.7%, the...
Read MoreOctober 2022 Monthly Report - Sometimes It Stinks To Be Right
In my September 2022 Monthly Outlook, I included this chart and highlighted my concern that we might retest the June low in stocks (3,636 on S&P 500). Well it turned out I was right as stocks fell hard and ended September at 3,585 on...
Read MoreSeptember 2022 - Monthly Outlook - Bear Market Rally?
In my August Monthly Outlook I stated that I was skeptical of the strong rally we saw in the stock market during July. That rally continued almost unabated during August. Right up until 8/15 when stocks hit their 200 day...
Read MoreAugust 2022 Monthly Outlook - Optimism
The end of July finished quite strong with a great deal of optimism. Optimism in the Fed’s ability to handle inflation, optimism in the long-term picture for technology stocks, and optimism in the equity markets to rally in...
Read MoreJuly 2022 Monthly Outlook - "Dazed and Confused"
“Been dazed and confused for so long, it’s not true...Lotsa people talkin’, few of them know...Don’t know where you’re going, only know just where you’ve been…” - Dazed and Confused, Led...
Read MoreJune 2022 Monthly Outlook - Fools Rush In?
Folks,I hope everyone is well and gearing up for some summer fun. My oldest granddaughter, Isys, will be visiting for a few weeks this summer and interning in my office.Our transition to Kestra is proceeding apace, and most of...
Read More
February 2022 Monthly Outlook - Dead Cat Bounce or Time to Pounce?
Read More