The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act waives required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement accounts for 2020.
Update: Required Minimum Distributions Are Waived for 2020
A Shifting Narrative
Preliminary June manufacturing activity gauges pointing to continued progress in re-opening the economy have given way to rising concerns about a resurgence of coronavirus.
Wealth Management Webinar Recording: Strategies for Now and Later
On June 22, members of our wealth management team revisited timely strategies regarding retirement, charitable and estate planning.
Resolving the Dichotomy
Many investors are puzzled by the apparent disconnect between the U.S. stock market and an economy that remains in recession with an unemployment rate last seen in the Great Depression.
Hosfield Appears on Medford's KDRV
Chief Investment Officer, George Hosfield, CFA, appeared on Medford’s KDRV segment, “Money Alert” on June 12, 2020.
Stubbed Toe
In recent months, stocks have experienced an impressive rally, resulting in many commentators and analysts creating new and unusual analogies. This week, our favorite is “the market’s new coffee table.”
Investment Strategy Webinar Recording: Post-COVID Sector Outlook
On Wednesday, June 10, our Chief Investment Officer, George Hosfield, CFA, and our investment team analysts Ralph Cole, CFA, Brad Houle, CFA, Peter Jones, CFA, Shawn Narancich, CFA, and Jason Norris, CFA, gave a webinar where they discussed our sector-specific outlook in a post-COVID world.
A Message from Ferguson Wellman and West Bearing
Today, Ferguson Wellman and our division, West Bearing Investments, are making a public statement about our position on racism and our commitment to racial diversity within our company.
The Great Disconnect
There has been a decade's worth of world events in the last three months. An oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia, growing tension and trade disputes with China, a global pandemic and this week the worst domestic civil unrest in a generation.
Down in a Hole
Thursday’s unemployment claims continued to paint a dismal picture in the jobs market, where roughly 2.1 million people filed for initial claims last week, which brings the total over the last two months to roughly 40 million.
We Need a Reason to Celebrate … How About National 529 Day?
With the COVID-19 pandemic creating slight confusion on what day it is, much less what month we are in, some of us may not have seen National 529 Day on our calendars.
Baby Steps
All 50 states have now taken steps to re-open according to the Wall Street Journal. While still devastating in magnitude, many high-frequency and leading economic indicators may be past their “worst-ever” levels, showing slight improvement from their recent and historic lows.
Simple, Powerful Steps to Take Before Your Estate Planning Meeting
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there seems to be a rush on clients seeking estate planning advice. There is certainly no replacement for personal advice from qualified counsel, but there are a few things you can do in the interim.
Webinar Video: Q3 Mid-Quarter Strategy Update
George Hosfield, CFA, chief investment officer, and Brad Houle, CFA, head of fixed income, gave a mid-quarter strategy update on May 19, 2020. To view this webinar, click the image below.
Opening for Business
Following a stimulus-induced surge from March lows, blue-chip stocks that had mounted over a 30-percent advance have consolidated gains so far in May.
A Lost Decade
This morning, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released unemployment statistics capturing the full effects of shelter-in-place mandates: in April, over 20 million jobs were lost, the highest monthly loss on record. This resulted in an unemployment rate of 14.7 percent, the highest since the Great Depression when unemployment was above 25 percent.
"The Bad News Won't Stop but the Markets Keep Rising"
“The Bad News Won’t Stop, but Markets Keep Rising,” read the headline of the business section of the NY Times this week. I have received many questions from many clients and friends over the past couple of weeks regarding this notion.
The Return of $1 Gas?
On Monday, for the first time ever, the price of oil contracts for future delivery fell below $0 to -$37.63 per barrel. While financial markets have adapted to the unfortunate reality of negative interest rates, a negative price for a physical commodity is another issue.
A New Outlook on Earth Day
Wednesday, April 22, is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. In 1970, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson and activist Denis Hayes launched a nationwide environmental “teach-in” that later became Earth Day. Although the pandemic may have disrupted plans for this milestone anniversary, if Senator Nelson were alive today, he would find emerging business practices of interest.
Chart-side Chats
Last week marked the semi-sesquicentennial anniversary of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s death which sparked many to compare our current financial markets to the Great Depression. As the stock market continues its rapid ascent for a second week and pundits start talking about the shape of the recovery, there is one lesson some overlook from the Depression era — the value of FDR’s fireside chats. During these chats, the president used simple, direct language to convey very difficult news; a format we are keeping in mind.