Market Summary – Q3 2015
The choppy seas of the worlds’ stock markets in the three months ending September 30th felt particularly rough coming as they did on the heels of years of smooth sailing. US Markets fell over 7% after a long string of quarterly gains during a sustained rebound that began with the market lows of the GFC (Great Financial Crisis) of 2007-2009. For the first time since then we experienced a market correction, defined as a decline of 10% or more from a recent top. International Developed Markets fared even worse for the quarter (-10.57%) but the Emerging Markets suffered the most, falling...
Read MoreSept 2015: What can past market declines teach us?
Living with a market decline isn’t easy and are the last thing most investors want to experience, but they are an inevitable
part of investing. Perhaps a little historical background can help you put stock market declines in perspective.
Usually we write our own newsletters but we received the following well written article from American Funds about market volatility
and wanted to share it with you.
Aug 2015 : 5 Things Investors Shouldn’t Do Now
This very short article by Jason Zweig at the Wall Street Journal captures the essence of the advice we have been sharing with clients about market downturns….
Stocks slumped world-wide this week, with U.S. and European markets off more than 5% and the Shanghai Composite Index losing more than 11%. Oil prices also skidded, dropping more than 6%. Traders feared that slowing growth in China, the devaluation of the Chinese currency and the overhang of too much debt could stifle global economic recovery.
Here are five things you should know about how not to react…
Market Summary – Q2 2015
The persistence of Greece’s financial woes and speculation about the potential exit of Greece (aka Grexit) from the European common market feels a bit like Ground Hog Day, in which Bill Murray lives the same day over and over throughout the movie until he executes that one day perfectly, start to finish. There is no assurance of such a perfect ending for Greece – the opposite seems more likely – but the news stories concerning Hellenic finances in 2015 are remarkably similar to those of 2012. Greece’s economy is roughly the same size as Oregon’s. This is no slight to California’s neighbor...
Read MoreMay 2015: Beneficiary Designations: Out of Sight Out of Mind?
Estate planning must rank right up there with gum surgery as the type of chore in life that we are most likely to want to put off. We have trouble even saying the word “death”, as inevitable as it is for us all. So regardless of when we “check out” or “kick the bucket”, we are likely to leave a mess if proper planning isn’t in place.
Estate Plans (wills and trusts) are an important part of the process, as are having life insurance in place. Yet a topic that often gets less attention that it deserves is beneficiary designations…
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