by Kevin Kelly Portfolio Manager During the first half of 2020, fixed income yields moved substantially, behaving far more volatile than normal and deviating from historical levels of normal volatility (perhaps the understatement of the year!). Consequently, almost every fixed income portfolio has seen the widest swings in principle values since the Global Financial Crisis. All...Read More

by Dr. JoAnne Feeney Portfolio Manager Earnings season got off to a rocky start, but that was to be expected. Comments from management teams regarding the future were laced with cautious sentiment. Even though most investors understand that companies will struggle to estimate this year’s sales and earnings, they are still hoping that companies have some...Read More

by David Lieberman Managing Partner, Portfolio Manager Quick Summary United States • Case count over the weekend didn’t decline as much as forecast, although Sunday’s growth of cases of 25,000 was the lowest since March 31st. Case growth slowed to 3.4% yesterday down from 4.1% and 4.7% the prior two days. • The slowing trend continues,...Read More

by Jeff Deiss CFP, AEP, Wealth Advisor There are certain aspects of our financial lives over which we have some control – our career and how long we work, or how much we spend or save. And there are other aspects which we cannot control, like the daily ups and downs in the stock market or...Read More

Clients should consider need vs. want when it comes to future income distributions. During the 2008 financial crisis as well as the collapse of oil prices in 2015-16 we found that those clients that could reduce or suspend their monthly income distributions faired far better during each recovery. Currently we have both the oil and...Read More

by Dr. Charles Lieberman Chief Investment Officer Everyone is naturally fixated on the daily news on the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic repercussions. We know the news will remain horrific on both fronts for at least a few more weeks. But we also have good reason to expect most people who contract the virus and the...Read More

by Kevin Kelly Portfolio Manager The credit dislocations experienced across investment grade bonds, high yield bonds, and preferreds have also dramatically impacted the mortgage market. The credit moves in the mortgage market been relatively extreme with the spread on 30-year mortgages (Fannie Mae) versus Treasuries nearly doubling from a 0.95% credit spread (on 2/19) to 1.80%...Read More

Investors cheered the government’s $2.2 trillion relief package last week. The S&P 500 climbed 17.8% from Monday through Thursday, although it did give back 3.4% on Friday when the deal actually passed the House. Investors recognized that, while the package will help brunt the blow, containing the virus will take longer than the few weeks...Read More

by Jeff Deiss CFP, AEP, Wealth Advisor March 28, 2020 Given that many older Americans are at high risk for serious illness from the coronavirus, certain rules have been relaxed as a result to help Medicare beneficiaries manage throughout the crisis. It’s also an important time to pay close attention for scammers and elder fraud. Testing...Read More

by Jeff Deiss CFP, AEP, Wealth Advisor March 28, 2020 The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, (CARES Act) of 2020 is a historic emergency relief program focused on keeping American Workers Paid, Assistance to Workers, Families and Businesses, Supporting America’s Healthcare System in the fight against the Coronavirus, and the Economic Stabilization of the...Read More