In an ideal world, emotions would play a very small role in the way people invest and manage their money. Everyone would thoroughly research their options, maintain realistic expectations, and keep counterproductive habits under control. But in the real world, even well-informed investors sometimes make emotionally charged decisions that may threaten their ability to stay […]
Archive | December, 2014
Washington Hotline – December 30 2014
WASHINGTON NEWS White House 2015 Tax Proposals At a press conference on December 19, President Obama was asked about potential tax reform in 2015. With language similar to the hopeful statements on tax reform by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH), the President indicated that the White […]
AAM Weekly Market Wrap – December 29 2014
Weekly Market Wrap: Santa visited Wall Street as stocks continue higher. For The Week The S&P 500 gained 0.88% to 2088.77 Oil dropped 4.20% to $54.73 Gold rose 0.04% to $1,195.00 The US Dollar added 0.47% at $90.03 against other major world currencies. 2014 Year-To Date for the major indexes: The S&P […]
Early 401(k) Withdrawals Hamper Long-Term Retirement Savings
As the IRS released the 401(k) contribution limits for 2015, attention turned, as it has in prior years, to the large number of plan participants who come nowhere close to contributing these amounts. In contrast, many individuals use their 401(k) accounts as a means to pay off loans and other current expenses. The amounts withdrawn […]
Washington Hotline – December 23 2014
WASHINGTON NEWS Tax Extenders Signed by President On December 16 the Senate passed the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 (H.R. 5771). The 76-16 vote showed overwhelming support for a one-year retroactive extension of 55 tax extenders. The bill also included the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. This bill allows families who have […]
AAM Weekly Market Wrap – December 22 2014
Weekly Market Wrap: Stocks rebound as the US Federal Reserve announced a “patient” approach to raising future interest rates. For The Week The S&P 500 rebounded 3.41% to 2070.65 Oil slipped 1.18% to $57.13 Gold fell 2.25% to $1,194.56 The US Dollar gained 1.48% at $89.61 against other major world currencies. 2014 Year-To […]
As Inflation Fears Fade, Deflation Moves Front and Center
As the Federal Reserve winds down its massive bond-buying program, the widely predicted after effects — rising interest rates and inflation — have thus far failed to materialize. The yield on the bond market’s bellwether 10-year Treasury note, which started 2014 at 3.03%, had fallen to 2.33% as of October 29.1 Similarly, inflation, as measured […]
Trading Places: Baby Boomers More Aggressive Than Millennials in Retirement Goals
Popular investing wisdom states that the younger you are, the more time you have to ride out market cycles and therefore the more aggressive and growth-oriented you can be in your investment choices. But that is not how individuals surveyed recently are thinking or behaving with regard to their retirement investments. In fact, the new […]
Washington Hotline – December 16 2014
WASHINGTON NEWS IRA Rollover and Tax Extenders Following House passage of the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 (H.R. 5771), the bill moved to the Senate. While the Senate was originally expected to pass the bill in the week of December 8, the Senate did not take up the bill. This bill will extend 55 […]
AAM Weekly Market Wrap – December 15 2014
Weekly Market Wrap: Stocks slide on worries over falling oil prices and more disappointing data from overseas snapping a 7 week winning streak for the Dow and S&P 500 indexes. For The Week The S&P 500 slumped 3.52% to 2002.33 Oil plummeted 12.20% to $57.81 Gold rose 2.53% to $1,222.07 The US Dollar slipped […]
