Today's Friday Brief may not apply to everyone who reads it at this exact moment in time. In fact, it may be that it's not applicable to some people who choose to read it at any point during their lifetime. After all, $250,000 sure sounds...
Earlier this year, the S&P 500 experienced a "correction," defined as a drop of 10% or more from a previous high. It has rebounded slightly since then, but at its worst was down roughly 13%. In fact, the high point of the last 12 months...
I have a simple dream for Beacon's clients, and it is this: That each one, over time, would think less and less about their portfolio, or at least that they would start to think of it as a collection of metal parts that just needs...
Ahh, spring. The season when days get longer, flower bulbs emerge, and sneezing fits from allergies return. Plus, it’s every high school senior's (and their parents') favorite time of year – college decision season! Acceptance letters and financial aid offers arrive by mid-April, with most...
Uncertainty surrounding Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine has combined with historically high inflation in the U.S., rising interest rates and pandemic related supply chain bottlenecks to bring volatility back to the stock market after a long hiatus. It would appear that daily, multiple percentage point...
What's $1,000 worth? As with most things in personal finance, the answer is, "It depends." Are we talking about a thousand bucks received a year ago? If so, then about 7.5% more than if received today. If used to reduce debt, it's worth $1,000, unless...
The title for this blog comes from the legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, though I first heard it on an Optimist Club baseball field in Southern Pines, North Carolina when I was in fifth or sixth grade. I was playing third base--with a habit...
Two weeks ago, Wesley and I were reading in our peaceful living room, and our dog Ollie was nestled into his blankets on an armchair. It was almost 10pm, and we were about to call it a night when Ollie heard a disturbance outside and...
Like it or not, on Monday, January the 24th, the Internal Revenue Service announced the start of our nation's tax season. That's the date when the IRS began accepting and processing 2021 tax year returns. Of all the seasons we could pick from--the holiday season,...
Through Wednesday, January 26th, the S&P 500 index is down 8.7%, which, obviously, is not a great start to the year. (Average January returns going back to 1980 are +.82%.) While prices are down, volatility is up: we've already had 6 trading days where the...
