Earnings season entered its final weeks, with only 52 S&P 500 companies reporting. On a positive note, the earnings improved to all but guarantee year-over-year earnings growth for the quarter. Despite rising yields, the S&P 500 rose 1.3% for the week. While the preeminent stock index posted a positive week,…

As of November 2023, the Federal Reserve has halted interest rate increases. However, long-term rates have reached 5% [1], and the projected 7520 [2] interest rate is expected to rise to 5.8% in December. Estate planning strategies are highly sensitive to interest rate fluctuations, particularly because the IRS Valuation Tables,…

It’s 2023, do you know where your clients are? For much of the last 25 years, if a wealth management firm wanted a client to find them, they had to rely on Google GOOG search or referral through professional contacts. But the times are changing and that means making sure…

“Don’t fight the Fed” is a stock market mantra that has proven true thus far in 2023. The Federal Reserve’s campaign to halt inflation has been implemented by 11 interest rate hikes amounting to a cumulative 5% increase in the Federal Funds rate. While investors seem to have gotten the…

If you’re like most Americans, you’d like to save more money for your retirement. According to the Federal Reserve’s “Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2019,” 60% of Americans either do not realize if they’re on track or are unsure if they’re on track. No matter where…

Thomas Connelly v. United States was decided by the United States Court of Appeals in June 2023. The case involved a dispute over whether the value of a company should include the portion of life insurance proceeds used to buy the shares of a deceased shareholder. The court held that…

Biotechs rallied this week, a strong indication that “risk on” is back on after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said interest rates won’t be raised again right now. This sector is the non-value stock sector — investors going for growth like to place money here when they feel that a bottom…

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK/A, BRK/B) reported a loss of $12.8 billion in the third quarter versus a loss of $2.8 billion in the same quarter of 2022. Since results are heavily impacted by gains or losses from the investment portfolio, with unrealized losses from their portfolio included in earnings, the decline…

The reporting period slows down after the busiest week of earnings. 51 S&P 500 companies are scheduled to report. Earnings built on the improvement in the previous week and all but assured year-over-year earnings growth for the quarter. With some relief from rising yields and better earnings, the S&P 500…

According to Barclays, eight in 10 women from wealthy families globally stand to inherit significant fortunes over the next two decades, but only half that number are involved in family financial decision-making. Why? It’s at least in part because of a gender mismatch: Just 12 percent of family wealth managers…