Blog Investment & Financial News
Naming 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…
Stock 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…
My 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…
1st 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…
Beware of Phishing
Recently, more and more individuals each year are becoming the target of phishing scams. We have all become generally smarter about identifying and avoiding cyber threats but unfortunately, scammers and hackers have become more creative with their deceptive techniques. LRIA takes cybersecurity issues seriously, and employs multi-tiered practices to protect your data from phishing scams and…
4th 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…
Tax Changes
This holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a quick discussion on the recent Tax Bill passage. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 promises something for everyone. For most individuals and couples, this bill is really just a tweak to the current system. For Businesses and Corporations, this is a major change. To…
2nd 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.…