Market Review – March 2022

Wooden blocks spelling 'INFLATION' on the American flag.

Variations on a Theme New catalysts provided fuel to the fires of inflation and volatility Market Recap While February began with eyes on Fed Chairman Powell’s hawkish stance, inflation and a focus on the job market, the resounding theme was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during the last week of the month. As this evolved from […]

In Focus: Russian Invasion of Ukraine

3D map highlighting Ukraine with a blue and yellow icon.

Russia launched a series of coordinated attacks on Ukraine causing increased volatility in global markets and raising investor concern.
In reaction to this event, risk assets retreated as risk-off havens and global commodity markets rallied.

The Clarity Formula® Estate Planning

Estate Planning

February has long been a month associated with love. This makes it a great time to show how much you care about the people you love by creating an estate plan. If you already have an estate plan in place, now is an opportune time to check in on your plan to ensure it still […]

What Retirees Might Not Know About Social Security

Social Security Income

Social Security is a federal program in the United States that provides benefits in the form of retirement income and disability income to qualified people and their spouses, children, and survivors. Social Security benefits are so valuable because they provide 90% of the income for about 1 in 4 seniors and lifts roughly 4 in […]

Inflation, the Fed, Correction; Oh My!

Arrow graph overlays Benjamin Franklin and American flag, symbolizing financial growth.

Market Recap 2022 started with a thud and plenty of market moving headlines. Omicron, inflation and the Federal Reserve, among other topics, weighed on the minds of investors. Most major indexes sold off with some crossing into a technical correction. Additionally, fixed income markets pulled back over the period as investors weighed new information from […]

Will the Fed take away the ‘punch bowl’?

Wooden blocks with financial symbols on a dollar bill background.

Jan 2022 Last year (2021) was supposed to be the year of recovery, but the emergence of Covid “variants” (delta and omicron) made the recovery lumpy and uneven. Overall, the economy still grew nicely, but the pace of jobs growth varied widely, and the labor force participation rate remained low. Total nonfarm payrolls remain more […]