Mary Lago, CFP®, CTFA, discusses select charitable giving and tax planning strategies.
A December to Remember
As investors handicap the most anticipated recession in history, fourth quarter equity returns are playing out as expected. Historically, the fourth quarter, specifically the month of December, delivers the best results for equity investors. While this quarter has continued the positive trend, December is not acting as planned.
Words That Inspire the Season
JOLT to the Job Market
Jerome Powell has the most difficult job in America. The Fed Chairman and the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee are tasked with lowering inflation and they primarily have only one blunt tool to accomplish this goal, adjusting interest rates.
Ferguson Wellman Recognized as a Portland Business Journal's Most Admired Company
Ferguson Wellman Capital Management has been named by Portland Business Journal as a “Most Admired Company.”
The Return of Yield
For much of the prior decade, both savers and bond investors alike tolerated low yields and a modest total return. The Federal Reserve couldn’t achieve liftoff from their near-zero interest rate policy for over six years following the Great Financial Crisis. Their efforts to stimulate the U.S. economy with low rates and quantitative easing achieved about the same level of success as an attempt to ignite a pile of damp newspaper. Bonds’ greatest virtue during that decade may have been to provide a reliably unattractive foil for a strong stock market and expanding price-to-earnings multiples.
Mixed Signals
After the most aggressive tightening cycle in Federal Reserve history, we are beginning to see signs of a slowing economy and more mixed messaging from corporate America. While counterintuitive, stocks have rallied over 10% from their October lows as inflation looks to have peaked and third quarter earnings have come in better than feared.
Planning for a Successful Tax Filing
Taxes … just the word alone increases blood pressure and elicits a fight-or-flight response. As such, most people outsource their tax preparation. Whether you manage your taxes or outsource the task, there is still a good amount of work we are all responsible for.
Divided We Stand
We have long observed that what matters most for investors is not the outcome of elections but rather what happens to the economy and earnings. That said, historical performance indicates that mid-term elections are clearing events - regardless of the partisan outcome. In each such event since World War II, stock prices have risen in the 12 months that followed. Although a handful of election results are still yet to be decided, the U.S. Congress appears to be headed for a split…
Groundhog Day
In recent months, investors have understandably been obsessing over the Fed and inflation. This week was action-packed for the markets, with the Fed meeting and October employment report taking place. Writing about the Fed has come to feel like Groundhog Day…
Reviewing Existing Life Insurance Policies
Have you ever looked at something you've had for a long time and thought to yourself “Do I still need this?” or "I paid a lot for this … do I keep it?" This happens frequently when evaluating life insurance purchased in prior years.
The Fed's Conundrum
Economic statistics are inherently backward looking while interest rate actions by the Federal Reserve Bank (the Fed) generally have a six to 12-month lag effect. The Fed is raising interest rates to slow the economy, which in turn should bring down inflation. This has typically been the relationship and the order of events, and we believe that will be the case this time around.
Financial Planning Names Ferguson Wellman to RIA Leaders 2022 List
Ferguson Wellman Capital Management was recently named by Financial Planning magazine to their “RIA Leaders 2022: Top 150 Fee-Only RIA Firms” ranking. The firm was listed at 23 of 150 companies.
Lago Authors Spokane Journal of Business Article
Our colleague, Mary Lago, CFP®, CTFA, recently wrote a piece for the Spokane Journal of Business. In it, she discusses how financial strategies can optimize charitable giving.
Third Quarter Earnings Season Kicks Off
U.S. stocks ended higher this week as investors digested news of solid corporate earnings against a more hawkish-than-expected Fed and better-than-expected labor data. Throughout the year, rising rates and macroeconomic headwinds overwhelmingly pressured asset prices and valuations, even for companies that have demonstrated earnings resilience.
King Dollar
The U.S. government has endorsed a “strong dollar” policy for much of the last thirty years. Besides sounding much better than the alternative, this messaging has reminded markets that the U.S. dollar remains the world’s reserve currency, despite frequent projections of its demise or threats to its dominance.
Anderson on KOIN Wallet Wednesday
Charissa Anderson, CFP®, CDFA®, appeared on KOIN News Wallet Wednesday on October 12, 2022, and discussed the pluses and minuses of receiving financial advice from TikTok.
The Bear Market Bounce
Last Friday, the market closed out the day, week, month and quarter all with negative returns. Fears of higher inflation, more tightening by the Federal Reserve and potentially lower corporate earnings weighed on investors’ minds. The S&P 500 broke below the June low last week, extending the bear market that began in January. At 269 days as of quarter end, this is the most protracted correction since the March 2009 low. Surprisingly, the market decided to pull a 180 early this week, returning almost 6% on Monday and Tuesday. So, what was the deal?
CNBC and Financial Advisor Names Ferguson Wellman to 2022 RIA Ranking
Ferguson Wellman Capital Management was recently named by CNBC and Financial Advisor to their “Top 100 Financial Advisors” ranking. The firm was listed at 17 of 100 companies.
Fourth Quarter 2022 Investment Strategy Video: Bad News Is Good News
George Hosfield, CFA, shares our fourth quarter 2022 Investment Strategy video, in which he discusses the Fed raising interest rates in an effort to combat inflation and what that means for investors.