WalletHub has featured Flourish President & Founder Kathleen Longo's expertise in a recent article about property taxes. Click here to read the article and learn more about the role rising property taxes can have on your finances and your retirement.
If we’ve been doing our job as your fiduciary advisor, you might already be able to guess what our take is on current market news:
Still, it never hurts to repeat this steadfast advice during periodic market downturns. We understand that thinking about scary markets isn’t the same as experiencing them. For context, US stocks haven’t seen a one-day pullback of 5% since June 2006, when the S&P 500 Index was at 1,260 compared to its February 2018 level of 2,800. It’s also important to note that US equities are down 1% for 2018 despite the losses over the past couple of days and have risen 17% from a year ago.
So, what’s going on? Why did U.S. stock prices suddenly drop after over 13 consecutive months of positive returns, with no obvious calamity to have set off the alarms?
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
This article from Dimensional Fund Advisors explores an old adage about whether or not monkeys throwing darts at a stock chart can really build a portfolio with higher returns than the average active money manager. According to this article, the answer is mixed. It really depends on the chart being used by the monkeys for target practice. Additionally, the sustainability of the monkey’s portfolio is largely dependent on patience, prudence and a deep understanding of underlying expenses. It certainly gives pause for thought. We hope you enjoy!
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Planning for retirement can be a source of confusion or anxiety for many people. Retirement can be fraught with uncertainty given the fact that many people will face a long retirement period of 25 years plus. While many factors need to come together to make a cohesive and sustainable long-term plan, the biggest concern most people face is the fear of making financial mistakes or decisions based on emotion as they plan for this next stage of life. Here are some ideas for decreasing anxiety and increasing clarity on the road to sound retirement planning.
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Behavioral biases directly challenge an investor’s ability to make consistent, rational and logical investment decisions when faced with distractions. These distractions come from the media, uncertainty and volatility in the markets, or pressure to buy and sell from friends, relatives, financial “gurus” and other less than reliable sources for investment advice. Being able to identify distractions and put them in context can help investors see beyond their own human nature and act with more discipline when it comes to their portfolio choices.
