In any given year, it’s good practice to take a look at your payroll deductions. But it’s even more urgent now, considering the seismic shift in tax policy from 2017 to 2018. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 might reduce your tax burden and is intended to simplify your filing. But if you’re
What Needs to Happen for the Crypto Market to Gel
April 18, 2018 By
Whether any of us like it or not, crypto-assets are here to stay. We’re not rushing out to buy anything in this sphere today. At the moment, there are still more reasons to take a pass than there are to buy into the asset class. But the moment isn’t going to last very much longer.
The Only Thing To Fear Is Mild Anxiety Itself
March 13, 2018 By
Wall Street is worried. But does it really have a reason to be? The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX)—the so-called “fear gauge”—has had some rough sledding lately. After 15 months circling in a holding pattern in the 10-to-15 range, the line rocketed straight up to 37. Since then, it settled into another range between 15 and
Inside an Index
November 15, 2017 By
The seasons are changing, but not much seems to be changing with stocks. Leaves are falling. Stocks prices are ascending. Another day, another new all-time high. Even the first trading day of Q4 welcomed new highs, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed 23,000 for the first time on October 18th. The media seems to
October 2017 Recap
November 7, 2017 By
With Halloween in the rearview mirror now, it makes you wonder: why do we like to be scared so much in the first place? Experts will tell you there are several reasons, but basically fear works on our bodies like a stimulant. When we get frightened, a lot starts to occur in us physically. Our
Then and Now: The Crash of 1987
October 16, 2017 By
It wasn’t quite the Kennedy assassination, “9/11”, or the O.J. verdict, events where time seemed to stand still for a few moments. But don’t tell that to the Wall Street traders and advisers who lived through “Black Monday,” the bloodiest day in stock market history, October 19, 1987. On that day, the Dow Jones Industrial
September 2017 Recap
October 6, 2017 By
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria wreaked havoc within a few weeks of each other. Houston was hit with historic rainfall from Harvey, and much of Florida was ravaged by wind damage from Irma. But Puerto Rico suffered the most out of the Caribbean islands with Maria making landfall in September. The U.S. territory was already
August 2017 Recap
September 7, 2017 By
It’s hard to stay focused on a lot of things, including the markets, in the face of the human tragedy like what we’ve witnessed from Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath over the last few weeks in South Texas, in the greater Houston area, and into Louisiana. For the people who lived through it, the storm
November 2017 Recap
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” and that’s not only because everyone is a little happier around the holidays. Historically, the S&P 500 has been up 19 of the last 25 Novembers and 20 of the last 25 Decembers, and that held true for this November as well. The S&P 500 is up