Turbulent Times The air is warm, and the sun is shining! Well, it was for a week at least. Spring is right around the corner, which means Spring Break is here or near. During this interlude from normalcy, millions of Americans will be flying south, searching for favorable weather and enjoying time with family and friends!…
DC I know it is a really tough question, and it may be a bit personal. However, I have to ask . . . which DC are you right now? Washington, DC, is the source of much market angst at the moment. The primary culprit is the on-again, off-again, delayed-again, and immediately implemented tariff policies.…
Overruling Retirement Life is complicated enough without Congress and the Internal Revenue Service trying to help us save for and inherit individual retirement accounts. It all started simple enough. In 1974 Congress passed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (commonly called ERISA) and created the first Individual Retirement Account (IRA). The contribution limit was the…
Turning Point We have arrived at the turning point. The signs of spring are starting to outweigh the winter scene. Sandhill cranes and American robins — the early birds of spring — have arrived. There is now a faint glow in the eastern sky during my commute in the morning, and I walk outside after…
Risk-Free? At first blush, the phrase risk-free has plenty of appeal. It is easy to visualize a stress-free existence with nary a care in the world. But a risk-free life is an unlivable life. There are always risks, even if you isolate yourself in your home and completely eliminate all tripping hazards. Has your food…
Tax Time Tips We have now entered the thick of it. Tax season is upon us. It is not a season to which we look forward. It is sort of like winter – if you live in Wisconsin you know it is coming, there is nothing you can do about it, and you must just…
The Pattern Tariffs have consumed more thought and hot air over the last week than at any point in my recent memory. Last week we were told that tariffs against significant trading partners would be coming. The economists and analysts obsessed about the positive and negative ramifications of these tariffs. The executive order was signed…
Mixed Signals Prognosticators looking for definitive insights on how 2025 will unfold will often apply three age-old barometers developed by Yale Hirsch as their divining sticks: the Santa Claus rally, the first five days of January, and the month of January. According to the Stock Traders’ Almanac, since 1950 if all three of these weathervanes…
Good News and Bad News Last week we received one of the final inflation reports for 2024 in the form of the December Consumer Price Index (CPI) report. The report had both good news and bad news for consumers and traders. The bad news for egg lovers is that egg prices rose by 36.8% in…
Join the Resolution For many people the new year is a chance to sweep out the old, start a new chapter, and welcome in the new with open arms. We make resolutions that are intended to improve our lives with better habits, better health, and better finances. Unfortunately, the luster of the new year tends…