By: Matt Garrott The month of May was not kind to equity markets as the S&P 500 dropped 6%.  International stocks were down for the month, too.  The EAFE lost 5% while Emerging Markets were down 7%.  Sell in May and go away?  We don’t think so.  The timing of the drop is [...]

By: Matt Garrott 2019 is off to a hot start as the S&P 500 gained 13.7%.  Will the market keep up this pace for the rest of the year?  It’s unlikely, but the “pace” is also a bit misleading.  We have not yet made up the ground lost in last quarter’s sell-off.  This [...]

By: Matt Garrott This Commentary Brought to You in Part by Macaroni and Cheese The latest earnings report for Kraft Heinz was a shocker.  Operating results were flat, there was a huge impairment ($15.4 billion) of goodwill, and the dividend was cut by 40%.  On top of it all, the SEC is investigating [...]

By: Matt Garrott The S&P 500 seemed destined for bear territory (a fall of at least 20%) at the end of last year.  It was down 17% when the US government shut down on Saturday December 22nd.  On Monday, the 24th, a frenzied half-day of trading left the market down more than 19% [...]

By: Matt Garrott What Happened in 2018 Hail to the King – Cash was king in 2018, up 1.87%.  Chances are your savings account outperformed your portfolio this year, as 2018 was a highly unusual year where virtually every other broad asset class lost money.  Keep in mind that inflation probably outperformed your [...]

By: Matt Garrott The S&P 500 finished November with the largest weekly gain in 6 years.  What does this tell us about the market?  Maybe it tells us that the October sell-off was an overreaction.  More likely it tells us the same thing the October sell-off told us:  No one can predict short-term [...]

By: Matt Garrott Our message to remain true to your financial plan and focus on long-term goals rather than today’s headlines is a familiar one.  Cynics may wonder why our commentary is so plain and treats common sense as not-so-common.  We don’t forecast GDP.  We’re not trading in reaction to Tweets.  You don’t [...]

By: Matt Garrott We are often asked, particularly by prospects, for investment ideas – something outside the box that goes up like a stock and protects on the downside.  All they want is 10% annual returns with no negative years.  No such thing exists or we’d have been trick or treating in St. [...]

By: Matt Garrott The S&P 500 is up 10% year to date.  Does it feel like it?  While the US stock market is having a strong year and the economy flexes its muscles, long-term investors may be feeling left behind.  Why?  Domestic stocks are up double digits, but a portfolio of 60% stocks [...]

By: Matt Garrott The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, recently passed away with an $80 million estate… and no will.  The news follows in the footsteps of other celebrities (Prince comes to mind) who never found the time to complete their financial plan.  Most of our clients aren’t cashing royalty checks, but the [...]