By Austin Read Have you ever wondered what waiting ten years to begin investing would do to your retirement portfolio? Let’s look at two examples: Jack and Jill. Jack, who is 20 years old, begins investing by putting an initial deposit of $2,500 into his account, and then sets up recurring contributions of $350 per [...]
By Don VandeVanter Here are some common comments heard from investors lately: “I’m waiting for the election results.” “When will the bear market be over?” “I’m waiting for inflation to get turned around.” Trying to predict the timing of change in financial markets is a lot like trying to predict the weather. Unfortunately, the results [...]
By Bob Barber Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, US retail sales reached $889 billion in 2021 and are expected to reach $942 billion in 2022. The top-end estimate for 2022 is $960 billion. Comparing that with 2012 numbers of $567 billion, we’re up over 66% in just ten years. That’s a LOT of Christmas shopping! To [...]
First Things First September 13, 2022 was the worst day of the year for the overall markets. This was caused by news that inflation was higher than expected and concerns that the Federal Reserve will continue to raise rates. Then on the very next day, on September 14th, news was released indicating wholesale prices had [...]
In this episode of Market Minutes, Bob talks about the current volatility in the markets and what we should do about it. We also have an optional survey below that we'd love to get your anonymous feedback on. Thank you and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. We're [...]
By Bob Barber, CWS®, CKA® Definition: A bear market is when securities prices fall 20% or more from recent highs amid widespread pessimism and negative investor sentiment. The average bear market can last around a year. The average “bull market”, where prices are increasing, last over 4 years. Bear markets create buying opportunities. Many good [...]
By Jenna Peters What we can learn from these magnificent animals and translating it over to a bear market. Bears are fearsome creatures because of their brute strength and ability to protect what they believe is theirs - their territory, their kills, and their offspring. I’m sure you have heard of the phrase “Mama Bear” [...]
By Bob Barber, CWS®, CKA® The foundation. God owns it all. "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." Psalm 24:1 There is a time for everything. A time for economic booms, busts, and booms again. "There is a time for everything, and a season for [...]
By Bob Barber, CWS®, CKA® What’s causing the turbulence in the markets? The Ukraine Russia War, fear of escalation, and possibly the use of nuclear hypersonic missiles Record High Inflation from too much government stimulus Fears of what higher interest rates and a tighter money supply could do The Real Estate bubble Political leaders that [...]
By Bob Barber, CWS®, CKA® Initial Investment Year 1 ($100,000 invested all in one objective for 20 years) $100,000 grows at 5% to = $265,330 Initial investment Year 1 ($100,000 diversified in 5 different objectives for 20 years) Aggressive Growth: $20,000 grows at 11%: $161,246 Growth: $20,000 grows at 9%: $112,088 Moderate/Balanced: $20,000 grows at [...]
