Learn More About the Sweeping Legislation Designed to Fight America’s Retirement Savings Crisis
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Monday, 20 January 2020
In May 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, commonly called the SECURE Act. Designed to help tackle our country’s growing retirement savings crisis, the far-reaching legislation spent months tied up in the Senate. On December 19, 2019, it passed the Senate with a 71 to 23 majority.
Let’s take a look at a few standout provisions of the legislation and discuss what they could mean for you.
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Saturday, 18 January 2020
News from Flourish
Happy New Year! I hope this email finds you rested and recuperated from the holiday season and ready for a year filled with growth, forward momentum, and achieving your goals.
Over the holidays, my family and I enjoyed some R and R in Palm Springs, CA. It was so nice to step away from Minnesota for a few days and enjoy each other’s company. Jay, Maddy, Fernando, Grace and I enjoyed the weather, great restaurants, and opportunities to connect about all the events from the past year. The experience was refreshing and made me think of all the holiday memories we’ve made at home over the year and the benefits of occasionally having a change of scenery to deepen connections.
By Jay Pluimer, AIF® CIMA®
Wednesday, 15 January 2020
Investors of all varieties received a generous Holiday gift from the markets in 2019 as almost all markets generated positive returns. US Stocks led the pack once again as the S&P 500 Index earned 31.5%. It was an interesting year where Bonds also performed well, which isn’t always the case. Key drivers of performance in 2019 included support from the Federal Reserve which reversed course by cutting interest rates to support growth in the US along with moderate earnings growth and easing Trade War tensions. The Trade War between the US and China is on a path to resolution, calming a significant theme of uncertainty. International Stocks also performed well, up 21.5%, with optimism that a calmer foreign trade environment should be helpful for foreign companies plus what appears to be a Brexit resolution. Finally, the positive economic and investment landscape led to the first US decade without a recession as we turn the clock forward into the 2020s.
By Jay Pluimer, AIF® CIMA®
Tuesday, 15 October 2019
A variety of economic and political themes led to mixed stock market returns in the third quarter while bonds fared well. The most significant global issue continues to be the Trade War between the US and China which is estimated to detract over $700 Billion from the global economy in 2019. A direct result of the Trade War, combined with a still-evolving Brexit, has led to significantly slower growth in Europe including a large volume of negative interest rate bonds (meaning the investor is actually paying extra for the opportunity to buy a bond instead of receiving interest payments).
By Kathy Longo, CFP®, CAP®, CDFA
Monday, 14 October 2019
News from Flourish
Autumn is in full swing and the change of seasons and chilling of the air brings about cinnamon smells, football, and cozy nights by the fire--for that we are grateful.
In the last three months, we have had some wonderful things to celebrate! Kathy Longo was named one of Investopedia’s Top Financial Advisors of 2019. She also contributed her thought leadership to a marketing roundtable discussion with the Financial Planning Association and we celebrated the one year anniversary of Flourish Financially’s publication!
