Investment Commentary – August 19, 2014 Dow – 16,838.74 (8/18/14 close) S&P 500 – 1,971.74 (8/18/14 close) 10-year Treasury – 2.39% (8/18/14 close) U.S. housing starts and building permits rebounded strongly in July, suggesting the housing market recovery was back on track after stalling in the 2nd half of last year. Groundbreaking surged 15.7% to [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Becoming a millionaire has long been part of the American dream, but many Americans feel that such a goal is out of their reach. Others simply assume it is inevitable, because they earn high incomes, but fail to plan appropriately and therefore never reach the goal. Either way, accumulating a million [...]
Investment Commentary – August 13, 2014 Dow – 16,560.54 (8/12/14 close) (-0.09% YTD) S&P 500 – 1,933.75 (8/12/14 close) (+4.65% YTD) 10-year Treasury – 2.44% (8/12/14 close) (-19.47%) Stocks sold off last week, then rallied last Friday to notch nominal gains for the week. On the positive side, stocks continue to benefit from strong U.S. [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: If you've been contributing to your employer-sponsored retirement plan, then congratulations! You're making smart decisions about your future, and you're well on your way to a more comfortable retirement. At some point, though, you may change jobs. Whether you're forced to do so due to company downsizing, or choose to go [...]
Investment Commentary – August 6, 2014 Dow – 16,429.47 (8/5/14 close) (-0.89% YTD) S&P 500 – 1,920.21 (8/5/14 close) (+3.90 YTD) 10-year Treasury – 2.48% (8/5/14 close) (-18.15% YTD) Last week, stocks suffered their worst 1-day slide in 6 months while volatility reached the highest level since last spring. Analysts think that investors became complacent [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: With average annual costs for a private, four-year college reaching over $39,500 in 2012 – and increasing every year – it's no wonder parents are reaching desperate conclusions regarding their children's tuition. Unfortunately, many are making a common mistake that drastically affects their retirement plans: they're raiding their 401(k) funds to [...]
Investment Commentary – July 30, 2014 Dow – 16,912.11 (7/29/14 close) S&P 500 – 1,969.95 (7/29/14 close) 10-year Treasury – 2.46% (7/29/14 close) The U.S. economy posted better-than-expected growth in the 2nd quarter, bouncing back from its worst performance in 5 years. U.S. GDP expanded at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4% in the 2nd quarter. [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: The federal estate tax, also known as the “death tax”, was first enacted with the Stamp Tax of 1797 in order to pay for naval rearmament. The estate tax has a long and colorful past, having been revoked and reinstated at various times throughout American history. The current system was put [...]
Investment Commentary – July 23, 2014 Dow – 17,113.54 (7/22/14 close) S&P 500 – 1,983.53 (7/22/14 close) 10-year Treasury – 2.47% (7/22/14 close) Currently geopolitics is the biggest single threat to the market analysts say. North American oil production has relieved a lot of the stress from any disruption going on in the Middle East. [...]
For Mark Roberts' Use: Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a case in which a widow and her deceased husband's first wife were embattled over his federal employee insurance benefits. The man had designated his first wife on the insurance policy, but forgot to change the designation after divorcing her and marrying the second [...]