The Markets (as of market close December 13, 2019) Positive developments finally arrived in the ongoing trade war between the United States and China. Last Friday, President Trump announced phase one of a trade deal with China. The president indicated that he would forgo the imposition of tariffs scheduled for December 15 and reduce existing […]
MARKET WATCH: DECEMBER 16, 2019 Read More »
Conventional wisdom says that what goes up, must come down. But even if you view market volatility as a normal occurrence, it can be tough to handle when it’s your money at stake. Though there’s no foolproof way to handle the ups and downs of the stock market, the following common sense tips can help.
Handling Market Volatility Read More »
Long-term care is not just provided in nursing homes–in fact, the most common type of long-term care is home-based care. Understandably, many people put off planning for long-term care. But although it’s hard to face the fact that health problems may someday result in a loss of independence, if you begin planning now, you’ll have
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The Markets (as of market close December 28, 2018) A crazy week of market swings finally closed with each of the benchmark indexes listed here posting gains for the first time in three weeks. Christmas Eve (Monday) saw stocks drop precipitously heading into the holiday, surely putting a damper on festivities for some investors. The
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The Markets (as of market close August 3, 2018) Tech and mid-cap stocks performed best last week following strong second-quarter corporate earnings reports. Led by the Nasdaq, each of the benchmark indexes listed here posted gains last week, except for the Global Dow. The S&P 500 enjoyed solid returns and is over 6.0% ahead of
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The Markets (as of market close July 27, 2018) Tech stocks and small caps took a hit last week as both the Nasdaq and Russell 2000 lost value. The large caps of both the S&P 500 and the Dow closed in positive territory following a turbulent week of trading. Of note last week was the
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The Markets (as of market close July 20, 2018) Last week stocks held their own for the most part, with the Dow and S&P 500 posting marginal gains. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell slightly, while the small caps of the Russell 2000 gained better than half a percent and the Global Dow jumped ahead about a
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The Markets (as of market close July 13, 2018) Stocks posted gains for the second week in a row following some good corporate earnings reports. Each of the indexes listed here improved, except for the small caps of the Russell 2000, which dipped less than a half a point. Year-to-date, only the Global Dow remains
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Which financial adviser would you pick to give you advice on retirement: a planner with extensive training as a generalist or someone who claims special expertise in retirement issues? If you said the latter, you could be set- ting yourself up for a scam-or at least sketchy advice. Planners eager to mine the rich vein
Be Wary of “Senior” Experts Read More »
The card that landed in mailboxes throughout central Illinois in early 2008 promoted “the most informative retirement workshop you’ve ever attended.” Pinnacle Investment Advisers, which had four offices in the area, was offering discussions of Medicaid planning, IRAs, and tax-efficient income over lunch or dinner. Bios of Pinnacle owners Susan and Tom Cooper mention their
Indexed Annuities are a Safety Trap Read More »