Thanks to low unemployment and below-target inflation trends, Fed policy makers as expected left the target range for the federal funds rate unchanged (2.25 – 2.50%).  What does this mean for investors?

Hedge funds have gotten off to a better start in 2019 as compared to last year. After three months of consecutive growth, the 2019 First Quarter year-to-date average gains are the industry’s best since the beginning of 2012. This news may lead you to want to know more about hedge funds and their role in an investment portfolio. We’ve answered some common questions about hedge funds below.

Investors have grown accustomed to low volatility over the last decade as the U.S. experienced the longest bull market in history. However, is the end of the bull market approaching? Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently confirmed what we predicted in our 2019 Market Outlook, namely “growth has slowed in some major economies.”

As we celebrate the longest bull market in U.S. history, now is a good time to consider what, if anything, you should do to protect your portfolio.

Are you looking for a timely update on the markets and economy? We recently presented a brief webinar discussing the five themes we see for the market in 2019.

If you do a quick online search for “Dow rallies 500 points,” or “Dow drops 500 points,” it’s likely your results will be filled with news stories with similar titles. These types of headlines may make little sense to some investors, given that a “point” for the Dow and what it means to an individual’s portfolio may be unclear.

Is the new investment your eyeing something with long-term potential or just another fad? Investment fads are nothing new.  Investors are often tempted to seek out the latest and greatest investment opportunities when selecting strategies for their portfolios.

Does the recent market turbulence have you feeling like the sky is falling? The S&P 500 Index rose more than 10% over the first nine months of 2018, yet a tumultuous fourth quarter led to the index finishing with a negative return for the year (-4.4%), its worst calendar year return since 2008.

To provide better perspective, we evaluated what “typical” volatility looks like in equity markets over long periods of time and contrasted that with 2018. What you’ll find is that 2018, while disappointing, was a rather ordinary year.

Greetings and Happy New Year! Last year at this time, I was writing about 2017, a year for the ages. You could call 2017 a unicorn of sorts. Not only was the S&P 500 up nearly 22%, but it was the first year in its history without a single down month. But 2018 provided a rude return to the norm.

We have several key resources that will help as we discuss your financial goals in 2019.

A New Year has not provided a reprieve from the volatility the market experienced in late 2018. Plunging treasury yields, particularly in the front of the curve, sent the spread between 10-year and 2-year U.S. Treasuries to 0.16%. The U.S. Treasury curve has not been this flat since the summer of 2007, six months before the Great Recession. Does this mean a recession is coming?