“The stock investor is neither right nor wrong because others agreed or disagreed; the investor is right because the facts and analysis are right.” ~ Benjamin Graham Recent increases in wages, prices and inflation are receiving a lot of media coverage. What should you believe, and what is a lot of hot air? What should...

Uncertainty has become a usual way of life these past couple of years. But, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” With that thought in mind, tax planning has become more critical in our ever-changing legislative environment. Proactive tax planning can save tax dollars and help to ease any...

“Far more money has been lost by investors trying to anticipate corrections, than lost in the corrections themselves.” ~ Peter Lynch Many investors are concerned that the current uncertainties affecting the markets will cause a “market correction” and losses in their portfolios. Should you be moving into, or staying in, cash? The market uncertainties are...

Sector investments perform differently during the various phases of the economic cycle. Successfully rotating – or re-allocating – investments from one economic sector depends on a timely read of future macroeconomic conditions. “Buy cheap and sell dear.” Benjamin Graham You may have heard of the “reopening” or “recovery” play in the stock market earlier this...

Money flowed into growth-oriented technology investments in 2020. 2021 investing has a different look. Here’s a way to think about a rotation from growth to value investing when inflation heats up. In our last two articles, we described the recent worries about higher inflation, and the effects an increase in inflation has on stock and...

“The arithmetic makes it plain that inflation is a far more devastating tax than anything that has been enacted by our legislatures. The inflation tax has a fantastic ability to simply consume capital.” ~Warren Buffet How does inflation “consume” an investor’s capital and act as a type of “tax”? As inflation increases, the actual value...

The U.S. population may have become complacent about the effects of high inflation rates. Should you be concerned? Consumer prices rose 5% in the 12-month period that ended in May, marking the biggest jump in inflation since 2008. Is that a problem? To answer that question, let’s review a few basics about inflation and how...

By Cindy Alvarez – Senior Wealth Management Advisor It is usually the fall season when we begin to think about the year coming to an end, and what we might do during this final quarter to improve our tax picture. Simply put, we begin to think about tax deductions. What can we do to decrease...

By Cindy Alvarez, Senior Wealth Management Advisor Not all financial professionals are alike when it comes to working with their clients.  There are many different regulatory classifications of financial advisors, but the two most common are the (1) Broker-Dealer and the (2) Registered Investment Advisor, or RIA. One of the most significant differences is their...

Saving for retirement can be likened to going on a diet. What you need to succeed in both cases is a long-term mindset and the discipline to stay the course along the way. Let’s face it, we live in a fast-food culture where we want everything now and we lack the patience to wait more...