Social Media - Whether you hate it or use it daily - it can tell us a lot about the companies we are watching now.

Critical Topics

Financial & Economic Items We're Tracking Now!

Of course, no single investor ever knows with absolute certainty where markets and the economy are heading, but learning how to analyze various information points is critical to long-term success as an investor. In this week’s flash briefing we will dive into the top four items we are tracking in an effort to further provide clarity to where markets and the economy may be heading.

This vital investment account question should be answered sooner rather than later.

Investment firms have a client service requirement. They must ask you if you would like to provide the name and information of a trusted contact.¹

You do not have to supply this information, but it is encouraged. The request is made with your best interest in mind – and to lower the risk of someone crooked attempting to make investment decisions on your behalf.¹

3 Lessons Learned from a Crazy Year!

As I was watching fireworks over the weekend, I got to thinking about how much we have already experienced so far in 2020. The list of events is truly incredibly to review, in part because many of these events would have been massive in any random year and I had almost forgot that some of these things had even happened (here is a complete list of the items that occurred through just April!):

How to Navigate your Employer Sponsored Retirement plan

"My employer provides a Retirement Plan (401(k), 403(b), 457, SIMPLE IRA, etc.), but I don't understand it at all!"

Why do so many people choose them over traditional IRAs?

The IRA that changed the whole retirement savings perspective. Since the Roth IRA was introduced in 1998, its popularity has soared. It has become a fixture in many retirement planning strategies because it offers savers so many potential advantages.

The key argument for going Roth can be summed up in a sentence: Paying taxes on your retirement contributions today may be better than paying taxes on your retirement savings tomorrow.

Think about it. Would you rather pay taxes today or wait 10 years and see where the tax rates end up? With that in question in mind, here are some of the potential benefits associated with opening and contributing to a Roth IRA.

Does Investor Behavior Impact the Stock Market?

Earning and then saving enough funds to invest is the first & most difficult step to growing wealth & achieving your financial goals. But, after investing your hard-earned money, it is crucial to  continue learning how your actions and emotions effect your potential returns. Over the years of working with individual investors we have found that emotions and biases can cloud one’s ability to make well-balanced investment decisions. In recent months we have seen the impact of emotion driven decisions, rather than thoughtful, goals-based decisions. With that in mind here are two "rules" that we would encourage you to follow with your investment decisions.

Monthly Market Update: Looking back - Looking forward

This year has been a roller coaster in every sense of the phrase, and when we take a roller coaster ride it can be hard to know where you are and where you're going! So, let's take a few minutes  to recap where the stock market is today and what  economic & market items we need to be aware of. This "look back - look forward" method helps ensure that we have the correct expectations and plan in place to maximize potential results.

The earlier you start pursuing financial goals, the better your outcome may be.

As a young investor, you have a powerful ally on your side: time. When you start investing in your twenties or thirties for retirement, you can put it to work for you.    

The effect of compounding is huge. Many people underestimate it, so it is worth illustrating. Let's take a look using a hypothetical 5% rate of return.¹

How do we build portfolios at Creekmur Wealth?

Nearly everyone we meet with will eventually ask some form of this crucial question. And it's a good one because being a successful investor is often predicated upon having a well-developed investment plan. Over the years, we have honed our investment management methodology into what we describe as a “Core & Satellite” strategy to ensure that our investment plan is clear and concise. Let me explain how this works in our Creekmur Wealth portfolios.