Posts by Matt Hargreaves
Capital Gains-FAQs
Capital Gains – FAQs What is a capital gain? A capital gain is the profit when you sell a capital asset, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds or property. The profit is your gain over the original price you paid and you must pay tax on that gain. For example, if a stock is bought…
Read MoreHappy Halloween: It’s time for some scary charts
The financial world can be a scary place. It seems like there is always something to fear in the market. Fortunately, our worst fears usually don’t come to fruition. To get in the Halloween spirit however, we have posted five scary charts to keep you up tonight. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the…
Read MoreMarket Update
Market Update Stocks recently had their largest drop since February with the S&P 500 Index losing more than 5% in two days, although they have since staged something of a recovery. A combination of higher bond yields, a deepening U.S. trade conflict with China and elevated valuations all added up to the abrupt sell-off. It…
Read More3rd Quarter 2018 Commentary – The Death of Diversification?
Market Summary The third quarter of 2018 was the best quarter for U.S. stocks (as measured by the S&P 500 Index) in nearly five years. Tax cuts continued to push U.S. corporate profits higher with corporate America on track for another quarter of 20% growth in the third quarter[1]. The S&P 500 Index reached an…
Read More2nd Quarter 2018 Commentary
Market Summary Record U.S. corporate profits and healthy U.S. economic data helped U.S. stocks to positive returns. Both the technology-focused Nasdaq Composite Index and small cap U.S. stock, as measured by the Russell 2000, reached new all-time highs. Small cap stocks aren’t as exposed to global trade which, along with political uncertainty, a strong U.S.…
Read MoreNaming Your Beneficiaries
Naming your Beneficiaries: Avoid the Pitfalls We get a lot of questions from people on naming beneficiaries to their accounts. While the paperwork is relatively straightforward, it is important to pay attention to a few key areas to avoid some common mistakes. Updating your will is not enough Your beneficiary designations trump your will. Even…
Read MoreStock Market Valuations
Stock Market Valuations With the U.S. stock market (as measured by the S&P 500) at its second largest and second longest bull market ever (Source: LPL Financial), valuations have risen to near record levels. Matt Hargreaves, our Chief Investment Officer, has put together a short video to help you understand what we mean when we talk about market…
Read MoreMy Pilgrimage to Omaha – Matt Hargreaves
Two years ago, I read a book on the most famous investor in the world, Warren Buffett. It is called “The Snowball – Warren Buffett and the Business of Life”. It is an 830-page behemoth of a book that walks you through his childhood, the details of his investments and his personal life. The books…
Read More1st Quarter 2018 Commentary
Market Summary After an unusually quiet 2017, market volatility increased in the first quarter. U.S. stocks, as measured by the S&P 500, reached an all-time high in late January before finishing the quarter down approximately 8% from this high. From January 26th through February 8th, the S&P 500 was down more than 10% which…
Read More4th Quarter 2017 Commentary
Market Summary A strong economy, better earnings and pro-business policies helped push U.S. stocks to record high prices with record low volatility. U.S. stocks, as measured by the S&P 500, reached new all-time highs for the sixth consecutive quarter and were higher for the 9th consecutive year, making it the second longest bull market in…
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