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IRA Strategies During Uncertain Markets

Recent tariff-related market gyrations caught the attention of many wary investors, including IRA owners. Although markets (and the tariff situation) have stabilized a bit, the outlook remains uncertain. For this reason, you may want to keep two key points in mind: First, market dips create opportunities for Roth IRA conversions, and second, the timing of a required minimum distribution (RMD)...

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Monthly Market Update (May 2025): 3 Things You Need to Know

May saw a strong performance in general, as investors were reassured by decent economic data (generally surprising on the upside), as well as the dialing back of US-China tariffs. Here are 3 things you need to know: The S&P 500 index saw its best monthly gain (+6%) since 2023 and its best May in 35 years. The Nasdaq Composite Index jumped nearly 10%, its biggest gain since November 2023. The...

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The Impact of AI on Business and Society

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly reshaping the landscape of business and society. This technological advancement, characterized by developing algorithms and systems that simulate human intelligence, poses opportunities and challenges. This blog explores the multifaceted impact of AI on business operations, employment dynamics, consumer experiences, and ethical considerations....

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Deglobalization: The New World Economic Order

When I was in graduate school, I wrote my master’s thesis on the New World Economic Order that has been in place since 1945. I spoke of the Bretton Woods Monetary System that esteemed British economist John Maynard Keynes designed and put into action. This has been the anchor of the global economic system since then. In 1945, the US dollar became the world reserve currency. Other countries would...

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Monthly Market Update (April 2025): 3 Things You Need to Know

It was an incredibly volatile month thanks to the tariff announcements on Liberation Day. But if you fell into a deep sleep like Rip Van Winkle for the month of April, you would have woken up to see the S&P down only -0.8% and U.S. Treasuries up +0.6% on the month. Here are 3 things you need to know: On April 3rd and 4th, the S&P 500 Index experienced its fifth largest two-day percentage...

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Monthly Market Update (February 2025): 3 Things You Need to Know

After a strong start to 2025, February saw some of the shine come off the US exceptionalism story. Growing uncertainty about the impact of the U.S. administration’s policy agenda weighed on both corporate and consumer sentiment, and concerns about growth started to re-emerge. Here are 3 things you need to know: U.S. equities (S&P 500) declined (-1.4%) in large part due to the worst monthly...

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Monthly Market Update (January 2025): 3 Things You Need to Know

After finishing 2024 on a downbeat note, U.S. stocks came roaring back in January. There's an old saying on Wall Street: As goes January, so goes the year. Here are 3 things you need to know: The S&P 500 gained 2.8% in January, its strongest start to a calendar year since 2023. European equities (MSCI ACWI ex-US Index +4.1%) had an excellent month as Eurozone data did not deteriorate further...

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Market Musings: Exploring the Impact of China’s DeepSeek Efficient AI Model

Written By: Brent Miller, Senior Portfolio Manager On 1/20/25, DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence (“AI”) company specializing in the development of open-source large language models (“LLMs”), released its first free chatbot application (DeepSeek-R1), based on the DeepSeek-V3 model, for both iOS and Android platforms. By late January, this app had become the most-downloaded free...

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Monthly Market Update (December 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

2024 saw U.S. economic performance decouple from the other major regions. Looking ahead to 2025, investors should question whether the same drivers of performance will remain in play. Here are 3 things you need to know: December was the worst month since April for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, as selloffs in tech stocks dragged the indices lower. Despite fizzling out in December, it was a...

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Monthly Market Update (November 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

Animal spirits driven by the resolution of presidential election uncertainty, economic growth and expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts prompted U.S. stocks to surge in November. Here are 3 things you need to know: U.S. stocks had a strong November, with the S&P 500 rising 5.73%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 7.54% and the Nasdaq Composite climbing 6.21% to post the markets'...

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Monthly Market Update (October 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

Higher inflation, election uncertainty, and ongoing tensions in the Middle East caused weaker stock and bond returns for the month of October. Here are 3 things you need to know: The S&P 500 (-0.9%) lost ground for the first time in six months. The index did hit a record high on October 18, but disappointing earnings from big tech pushed it back into negative territory for the month. We saw...

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Fixed-Income Investing: A Beginner’s Guide

Investing in fixed income is an important but often overlooked part of an individual's investment portfolio. In this guide we will explore who should be investing in fixed income, how to determine what bonds to invest in, and some basic strategies to consider for fixed income investing. What is Fixed Income? Fixed Income is another way of saying bonds. For some, this explanation may not be...

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Monthly Market Update (September 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

Global stocks and bond indices finished the month close to record levels as the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by a half percentage point – its first reduction since 2020. Here are 3 things you need to know: The S&P 500 has now posted its strongest year-to-date performance of the 21st century so far (+20.8%), after rising 5.36% for the third quarter. Chinese equity markets rocketed...

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Monthly Market Update (August 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

August kicked off with some market turmoil and any hopes of a late summer lull were quickly dashed. However, by month end, the market had rebounded as investors began to price in more aggressive policy easing by the Federal Reserve (Fed). Here are 3 things you need to know: The S&P 500 was up for the 4th month in a row (+2.4% in total return terms). The Magnificent 7 continued to be a drag,...

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Monthly Market Update (July 2024): 3 Things You Need to Know

Expectations for rate cuts buoyed the industries that have been hit hardest by the Fed’s campaign of rate hikes and the market rally started to broaden out. Here are 3 things you need to know: The S&P 500 eked out a +1.2% gain in July. The “Magnificent 7” was down -0.6% in total return terms thanks to a strong final day, but that’s still a big shift from gains of more than +9% in both May...

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