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Financial Alternatives News and Insights

Integrated Wealth Management
Planning Newsletter - Oct 2020
  • Tax code changes often take place after major elections in which one party replaces the other.

  • The Biden tax plan has pledged not to increase taxes on taxpayers earning less than $400,000 a year.

  • It proposes to eliminate the step-up in cost basis on assets at death.

  • It is important to be familiar with the current tax code and any changes that may be enacted so you can plan accordingly.

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Market Review - Q3 2020
  • Equity markets around the globe posted positive returns in the third quarter. Looking at broad market indices, emerging markets equities outperformed US and non-US developed markets for the quarter.

  • Value underperformed growth across regions. Small caps outperformed large caps in non-US developed and emerging markets but underperformed in the US.

  • REIT indices underperformed equity market indices in both the US and non-US developed markets.

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Election Year Anxiety

Every four years, during the Presidential election cycle, some clients get nervous about the election and how the outcome will affect their investments. Normally there is a fear that if their favored candidate loses, the stock market will tank.

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Jim Freeman, CFP®
Investing Newsletter - Jul 2020
  • The quarter ending March 31st was the 9th worst quarter of stock market performance; and the quarter ending June 30th was the 9th best.

  • Investors who swapped from stocks to cash after the steep drop in March missed the subsequent rebound.

  • We took measures in light of the situation by rebalancing client portfolios and executing tax swaps.

  • We are living through an unprecedented period of history and we expect markets to remain uncertain for some time to come.

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Market Review - Q1 2020
  • Equity markets around the globe posted negative returns in the first quarter.

  • Looking at broad market indices, US equities outperformed non-US developed markets and emerging markets.

  • Value stocks underperformed growth stocks in all regions. Small caps also underperformed large caps in all regions.

  • REIT indices underperformed equity market indices in both the US and non-US developed markets.

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Planning Newsletter - Apr 2020
  • Under CARES Act, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are not required in 2020.

  • Also, qualifying individuals can withdraw up to $100,000 from a retirement plan without the applicable 10% penalty.

  • Vanguard is forecasting a sharp contraction in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the coming quarter of nearly 17% on an annualized basis followed by a sharp upswing.

  • There is no proven way to successfully time the market. Missing only a few days of strong returns can drastically impact overall performance.

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Market Review - Q4 2019
  • Equity markets around the globe posted positive returns in the fourth quarter. Looking at broad market indices, US equities outperformed non-US developed markets but underperformed emerging markets. 

  • Value stocks underperformed growth stocks in all regions. Small caps outperformed large caps in the US and non-US developed markets but underperformed in emerging markets.

  • REIT indices underperformed equity market indices in both the US and non-US developed markets.

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