First Quarter Earnings 

In the week ahead we expect earning reports from a well-rounded group of companies that represent or impact every aspect of our economy. This will give us a clear indication of the underlying health of the economy, impact of the virus, and how companies see themselves performing for the rest of the year.

Do you know the difference?

Traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA), which were created in 1974, are owned by roughly 33.2 million U.S. households. Roth IRAs, however, were created as part of the Taxpayer Relief Act in 1997, are owned by nearly 22.5 million households.1

Both are IRAs. And yet, each is quite different.

Will this current Stock Market Rally continue?

First of all, as with everything market related over the last few months – anything could happen and we would not be surprised! There is no historical precedent for current events to aid in determining what the future holds with the stock market. But we can make some observations:

From February 20 to March 23 the S&P 500 dropped by 33.67%. Then, rose by 28.48% from March 23 to April 17. This V-shaped market bounce was largely unrelated to the economic and medical news occurring at the same time. So, where does the market go from here?

• Near Term Volatility – We use a technical indicator called Bollinger Bands to help us analyze where the market may move in the coming days or weeks. Bollinger Bands track the upper and lower Standard Deviation level of the Moving Average Price of a Security. In plain English, this simply means that you can see how undervalued or overvalued a security or the market as a whole is. Historically, if the price of the security touches the top or bottom of the Bollinger Bands you will see a movement in the opposite direction in short order. Take a look at the chart below of the S&P 500 over the past year:

Focusing on Your Strategy During Turbulent Times.

Investors are people, and people are often impatient. No one likes to wait in line or wait longer than they have to for something, especially today when so much is just a click or two away.

This impatience also manifests itself in the financial markets. When stocks slip, for example, some investors grow uneasy. Their impulse is to sell, get out, and get back in later. If they give in to that impulse, they may effectively pay a price.

What’s the difference? What do these terms mean for you?

The COVID-19 outbreak has put tremendous pressure on stock prices, prompting some investors to blindly and indiscriminately sell positions at a time when the entire market is trending lower. Worried investors believe "this time it's different." When the market drops, some investors lose perspective that downtrends – and uptrends – are part of the investing cycle. When stock prices break lower, it's a good time to review common terms that are used to describe the market's downward momentum.^1,2

What steps might help you sustain and grow your retirement savings?

“What is your greatest retirement fear?” If you ask any group of retirees and pre-retirees this question, “outliving my money” will likely be one of the top answers. In fact, 51% of investors surveyed for a 2019 AIG retirement study ranked outliving their money as their top anxiety.¹

Retirees face greater “longevity risk” today.The Census Bureau says that Americans typically retire around age 63. Social Security projects that today’s 63-year-olds will live into their mid-eighties, on average. This is a mean life expectancy, so while some of these seniors may pass away earlier, others may live past 90 or 100.^2,3

How much should you really be saving for the retirement future you envision?

Making sure you have enough money saved for retirement is one of the top concerns for those of us not independently wealthy. In a perfect world, we will figure out how much we need to live on by calculating our monthly and yearly retirement expenses, factoring in inflation, and computing any additional income like Social Security.

Founded over 25 years ago by John Creekmur, CFP^® Creekmur Wealth Advisors is a full-service financial planning firm. Our primary purpose is to help provide goal-based financial planning to our clients. We strive to partner with our clients to maximize their finances in pursuit of their goals and dreams.

When did you first notice that something unprecedented was occurring with the Covid-19 virus?

I currently live in Washington D.C. and up until last week there were no noticeable differences in day to day life. However, I recognized the unusual nature of this situation last week when I headed down to Trader Joe’s to stock up on groceries for the next few weeks. Millennial that I am, I thought that if I got to Trader Joe’s 5 minutes before the doors opened at 8:00 AM that I would have the place to myself – I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Steps to get your credit rating back toward 720.

We all know the value of a good credit score. We all try to maintain one. Sometimes, though, life throws us a financial curveball and that score declines. What steps can we take to repair it?

Reduce your credit utilization ratio. Your credit utilization ratio (CUR) is the percentage of a credit card’s debt limit you have used up. Simply stated, if you have a credit card with a limit of $1,500 and you have $1,300 borrowed on it right now, the CUR for that card is 87%. Carrying lower balances on your credit cards tilts the CUR in your favor and promotes a better credit score.1