Blog

How Our Financial Wellness Impacts Us

Financial wellness studies over the past few years indicate that investors desire financial wellness. The recent pandemic, economic and inflationary conditions, changes in work-life balance, and more responsibility for financial...

Taxation of Investments

It's nice to own stocks, bonds, and other investments. Nice, that is, until it's time to fill out your federal income tax return. At that point, you may be left scratching your head. Just how do you report your investments and how are...

A Look at Tax Planning for Retirement

After years of saving and planning for their golden years, many people nearing retirement fail to consider the tax burden they may face on income they receive after they stop working. While you will likely see a reduction in the amount...

Independent and Thriving: What to Consider In Your Later Years

While you never know your needs as you age, the first step is thinking about your financial situation and health today so you can plan for your later years. With a one in four chance of making it to our 90th birthday, being independent...

Beware Scams at Tax Time

Identity theft runs rampant during tax seasonHere’s what to know and how you can help protect yourself.Identity thieves often swipe your bank or credit card account numbers, birth date information or Social Security Number (SSN)...

LPL Financial Research Outlook 2023: Finding Balance

Through all the challenges, newfound opportunities, and every high and low we’ve experienced during the last couple of years, it’s no surprise why we might be striving for more balance. Whether it’s about the markets...

YEAR-END PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

The end of the year can be a chaotic time for business owners. It is a time to compile data, review the numbers, evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and determine growth opportunities for the future. A business owner would be keen to...

FAMILY WEALTH TRANSFER PLANNING: KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY THROUGH GENERATIONAL GIVING

What is family wealth, and how do you preserve it? You have worked hard for years and accumulated wealth. You earned this money through your job, investing, and saving, and you want to preserve it for yourself and to take...

A Path to Setting and Reaching Your 2023 Goals

What if you focused on your system instead of just your goals? Setting goals for a new year can feel overwhelming.  We all know that resolutions don’t last, but we also feel the energy that comes with a new year of...

Your Financial Fresh Start: 12 Resolutions in 12 Months

Change may be difficult, especially when you try to change your financial habits. The process might be easier if you take an incremental approach. Do you want to get on top of your finances this year? Are you looking for ways to...

Cheers to a New Year of Investing

For many investors, this year has been a wild ride—with interest rate increases, a crypto implosion, and whipsawing values in the major market indices. It might be tough to catch one's breath and look ahead to next year. But the...

Year-End Donations and #GivingTuesday

Quite a few charities will rent or sell the addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and detailed social media profiles of their donors, which means you might start getting a bunch of unwanted...

Ways to Minimize Tax on an Investment Portfolio

Although we are all obligated to pay our fair share of taxes, few of us would be pleased to pay taxes unnecessarily. Because taxes lower the actual return on your investments, you should be...

Year-End Investment Decisions

What are year-end investment decisions? Year-end investment decisions may sometimes result in substantial tax savings. Tax planning may allow you to control the timing and method by which you report your income and claim your deductions...

Too Good To Be True? 4 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Scams and How To Spot Them

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the greatest days to score deals for holiday shopping. Unfortunately, with amazing deals plentiful, some scammers use these days to take advantage of shoppers looking for the greatest bargains...

Carving Out Time to Support Small Business Saturday

American Express created Small Business Saturday in 2010 to provide small businesses with a holiday season boost on the heels of Black Friday. The day comes after one of the biggest shopping sales events and serves as a reminder to...

Year-End Tax Planning Basics

The window of opportunity for many tax-saving moves closes on December 31, so it's important to evaluate your tax situation now, while there's still time to affect your bottom line for the 2022 tax year. Consider any opportunities...

10 Best Financial Benefits for Military Families

Members of the military have a lot of special financial challenges that most people don't encounter. However, they have access to many benefits, tax breaks and legal protections that can make a huge difference in their families'...

How secure is your data when it’s stored in the cloud?

As cloud storage becomes more common, data security is an increasing concern. Companies and schools have been increasing their use of services like Google Drive for some time, and lots of individual users also store files on Dropbox...

A Fall Financial Checklist

For many, autumn is the best time of year. The return of cool breezes, comforting foods, and pumpkins can be invigorating. It’s also a bookmark of sorts, especially for your finances—a perfect time to take stock of your...

4 Ways to Save for Retirement Without a 401(k)

You are not alone if you do not have access to a 401(k) retirement plan. Pew Research data reveals that 35% of private-sector employees do not work for an employer that offers a plan. Fortunately, other retirement savings options are...

How Estate Planning Can Help Prepare for Long Term Care

The cost of long-term care can vary widely based on location (both city and state) and level of care needed. However, one thing is for certain: with 7 in every 10 people requiring long-term care at some point, preparing for this...

Everything You Need to Know About Medicare Savings Programs

The terms Medicare and Medicaid are similar sounding names; however, these programs serve very different needs. Medicare is a health insurance benefit program for those aged 65 and older and others with certain disabilities. Medicare...

Charitable Gifting

What constitutes a gift to charity? A gift to charity is simply a gratuitous transfer of property to a charitable organization. The key is that your gift must be some kind of property--your time or personal services do not count. There...

401k In-Plan Roth Conversions

A 401(k) in-plan Roth conversion (also called an "in-plan Roth rollover") allows you to transfer the non-Roth portion of your 401(k) account into a designated Roth account within the same plan. The amount you convert is subject to...

Moving Your 401(k) to a Roth IRA Tax-Free?

QuestionI made after-tax contributions to my 401(k). When I retire, can I roll that money into a Roth IRA tax-free?AnswerYes.After-tax funds can be segregated from other funds in the account and transferred directly to a Roth IRA. In...

A Mid-Year Financial Plan Review Makes Sense

The changes you make today might be the benefits you need long-termToday, many people find themselves inundated by a constant stream of financial news from television, radio, and the Internet. Yet, does all this information and...

What to Know About Multigenerational Estate Planning

Baby Boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964 — hold about $20 trillion in wealth.1 Over the next few decades, many Boomers may transfer this wealth to their Gen X, millennial, and Gen Z children, perhaps incurring a...

Staying on Track with Your Retirement Investments

Investing for your retirement isn't about getting rich quick. More often, it's about having a game plan that you can live with over a long time. You wouldn't expect to be able to play the piano without learning the basics and...

2022 Mid-Year Examination of the Housing Market

This year has turned out to be an interesting time for the housing market. From an increase in housing prices to a decrease in days on the market, the market has been tricky to predict, leaving many to question their path into...

Taxation of Trusts and Estates

What is taxation of trusts and estates?A trust is created when you (the grantor) transfer property to a trustee for the benefit of a third person (the beneficiary). An estate is the assets and liabilities left by a person at death....

Stocks - Tax Planning

What is investment tax planning for stocks?Investment tax planning for stocks takes advantage of the tax rules with the goal of achieving the best after-tax return on these investments. Strategies will differ depending on whether you...

Now Might Be a Good Time for a Roth Conversion

One silver lining in the current bear market is that this could be a good time to convert assets from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Converted assets are subject to federal income tax in the year of conversion, which might be a...

Gender Inequality and How it Affects Women in Retirement

According to a survey conducted by Allianz Life Insurance of North America, Americans believe a retirement crisis exists and that they are unprepared.1 The study shows that Americans fear outliving their money more than they fear death...

Value Investing and Today’s Affluent Portfolio

Every consumer likes a good bargain, particularly value investors, who seek out stocks trading for less than their intrinsic value. By choosing companies the market has undervalued, or investing in mutual funds with similar objectives...

LPL Financial Research Midyear Outlook 2022: Navigating Turbulence

Markets rarely give us clear skies, and there are always threats to watch for on the horizon, but the right preparation, context, and support can help us navigate anything that may lie ahead. So far, this year hasn’t seen a...

Tech Sector Turmoil and the Bear Market

During the intensely volatile first 100 trading days of 2022, the stocks of companies in the S&P 500 index delivered their worst performance since 1970.1 The S&P 500 continued to tumble,  and the benchmark index descended into a...

July 2022: Looking Forward

As the calendar has turned to July, investors would certainly like to forget the first six months of 2022. However, the Fourth of July Independence Day holiday does bring with it reason for celebration. Not only is it the 246th...

Five Keys to Investing for Retirement

Making decisions about your retirement account can seem overwhelming, especially if you feel unsure about your knowledge of investments. However, the following basic rules can help you make smarter choices regardless of whether you...

5 Ways Whole Life Insurance Provides Tax Advantages

Life insurance is essential in providing for beneficiaries upon your death, but it can also offer other tax advantages you may not know. For this reason, whole life insurance, also called cash value life insurance, is often used as a...

Three Things You'll Wish You'd Known Before Retirement

Retirement is one of the biggest life transitions adults will ever deal with. After 20, 30, or 40 or more years in the workforce, new retirees can find it hard to adjust to the reduced amount of structure in their daily lives. But...

5 Life Events That Impact Your Life Insurance Needs

A life insurance policy is part of financial planning. Life insurance is there to help ease the financial trauma that comes with the loss of a spouse, parent, or partner. As you encounter different events in your life, you may need to...

June 2022: A Bear Market is Officially Here

A bear market is officially here thanks largely to stubbornly high inflation. For many of us, it has probably felt like a bear market for a while now, but the S&P 500 Index didn’t close more than 20%...

Gone Fishin': 6 Fishing Lessons for Investors

While it may seem that fishing and investing are completely unrelated, believe it or not, there are some characteristics that make a person good at fishing that can also transfer to investing. Here are six fishing lessons you can apply...

June 2022 Client Letter

The bull market that began in March of 2020 came dangerously close to an end. From March 23, 2020 through January 3, 2022, the S&P 500 Index gained 114% (excluding dividends). From that January 3 closing high through the recent low on...

SIMPLE IRA Plans

Looking for a retirement plan for your employees that's easy and inexpensive to administer? Well, there may be a simple answer, the Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees of Small Employers, better known as the SIMPLE IRA plan. A...

May 2022 Client Letter

As we move into spring and leave behind the last signs of a long winter, many worries from a chilly start to the year for markets, unfortunately, are still with us. The S&P 500 Index had its worst April in more than 40 years, leaving...

Options for Financing Your Business

Using many years of experience and industry know-how to establish a business is a goal held by many would-be entrepreneurs. In fact, finding a location, formulating a business plan, and hanging the “Open” sign might be one...

Minimizing Taxes of Highly Appreciated Assets

Introduction If the value of your stocks, bonds, or other capital investments has increased substantially, there are a few steps you can take to minimize taxation. These include timing the sale of your capital assets, using capital...

How Do You Know if Your Assets are Diversified?

The turmoil in the markets in the first few months of 2022 has demonstrated the benefits of diversifying your assets. Stocks plunged in January and February, rebounded in March, but are still negative YTD. And the bond market suffered...

April 2022 Client Letter

“Bull markets are born on pessimism, grown on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria.” - Sir John Templeton According to the guidance of revered investor Sir John Templeton, it appears to us that this market...

Will Infrastructure Investment Pave the Way to a Stronger Economy?

In November 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a roughly $1 trillion package that reauthorized existing programs and provided more than $550 billion in new funding over the next five years to help upgrade...

Four Things to Know Before You Take Social Security

Preparing for retirement may be an exciting and stressful time. While the idea of leaving the workforce and enjoying more leisure time may be appealing, the prospect of no longer receiving a regular paycheck might be intimidating for...

3 Golf Tips to Keep Your Retirement Plan on Course

In golf, there are a few rules of thumb that may improve your game: keep a level head, avoid traps, practice before trying something new and stay the course. Applying these lessons to your financial life may help you improve in both areas.

Federal Reserve Plans to Raise Interest Rates ‘Soon’ to Fight Inflation:

Financial Planning Tips for High-Earning Women

Hoping that 2022 is When You Retire Early?

Capital Gains for the 2021 Season Could be Huge

Inflation: The Not-So-Silent Retirement Killer

How the Stock Markets Might React to Omicron

Year-End Charitable Giving

With the holiday season upon us and the end of the year approaching, we pause to give thanks for our blessings and the people in our lives. It is also a time when charitable giving often comes to mind. The tax benefits associated with...

Retirement Mistakes to Fix Before the Holidays

You probably spend more time planning your holiday gathering than preparing for your golden years. As a result, you make basic mistakes in trying to fund your retirement. Here are a few of the top mistakes people make to screw up this...

RMD Roundup: A Few Key Updates About Required Minimum Distributions

As we approach the end of 2021, now might be a good time to take a closer look at a few developments surrounding required minimum distributions (RMDs). What Are RMDs? Once you reach age 72, you are required to take minimum...

Giving Back to Your Community While Improving Your Bottom Line

Regardless of size, companies can benefit when the community in which they do business thrives. For entrepreneurs, giving back to the community may be more than just a charitable act; it can also make good business sense. If you have...

How Do Black Friday And Cyber Monday Retail Sales Affect The Stock Market? How Should Investors Rea

We all read and hear about various special deals, “doorbusters,” price cuts, and early opening hours on Black Friday. We also read and hear about the Cyber Monday deals. These sales days offer retailers a big chance to...

A Financial Review Can Pay Off at Year End

Today, many people find themselves bombarded by a constant stream of financial news from television, radio, and the Internet. Yet, does all this “information age” data really help you manage your finances any better now...

Tax Benefits of Making a QCD

For qualified taxpayers, the QCD may offer the opportunity to donate to a charity through your IRA. At the end of 2015, Congress permanently extended the rule allowing taxpayers to exclude from taxable income certain individual...

2021 Year-End Planning for Retirees

For some, 2021 has flown by—and as we approach the last quarter of the year, it's a good time to begin planning for the next one. Year-end planning is especially important for retirees and those hoping to retire in 2021 or 2022....

Another Perspective of Long Term Care

What do you think of when you hear the words long-term care (LTC)? If you are like most people, the first image that may come to mind is a bedridden, elderly individual who requires constant care, along with various medical treatments...

All About 401(k)s

If you plan to retire someday, a 401(k) plan may be on your radar. 401(k)s can help you save retirement money to help you enjoy your golden years financially secure. In honor of National 401(k) Day on September 10th, here are some...

Advantages, Challenges, and Opportunities for Businesswomen Today

Being a woman in business today comes with many obstacles, but it may also bring some unique advantages and opportunities. By navigating challenges and taking advantage of opportunities that come their way, women can go further in...

Inherited IRAs: What You Should Know

The rules pertaining to Individual Retirement Account (IRA) beneficiaries can be complicated. Here is a quick look at the limitations the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) places on the beneficiaries of IRAs. The biggest difference in the...

The Financial Planning Process: Why and How

Planning personal finances used to be the worry of the wealthy and their worry—usually preservation of wealth—was attended to by teams of trust officers and lawyers. Many of today’s middle class families have...

Some Key Uses of Life Insurance

Have you ever thought about the important role life insurance can play in helping you manage a variety of important financial objectives? Let’s look at some “slice of life” hypothetical examples and you’ll see...

Labor Day 2021: The Pandemic's Impact

2020 was one of the most disruptive years ever for the U.S. job market, almost as significant as the unemployment during the Great Depression in 1933 and surpassing joblessness during the Great Recession from 2006 to 2008. Many...

9 Home Repairs You Need to Budget for

Saving for that down payment on a home is tedious. The last thing any new homeowner wants to worry about is expensive home repairs. Unless you are prepared to ask the right questions of the previous homeowner, you may need to stick to...

The ABC’s of Estate Planning

There is a common misconception that estate planning is something only the affluent need to do before they die. However, estate planning is important for everyone, regardless of income level or net worth. Planning for the disposition...

Back to School Checklist

It’s so easy to get caught up in the bliss of summer that, before you know it, the new school year is a week away. To avoid being struck with last minute panic, here are a few things to ask yourself before the first day of...

The Best Money-Saving Travel Tips for 2021

If 2020 made you fantasize about a trip as soon as travel restrictions were lifted—and you’re still waiting—you aren’t alone. Although 2021 was poised to be a comeback year, it is shaping up to be another summer...

The Different Stages of Financial Freedom

If you're living paycheck-to-paycheck or stuck in a job you don't love just to pay the bills, it can be easy to feel as though you're financially trapped. But financial freedom doesn't need to be elusive—with some focused and...

The Backdoor Roth IRA in a Nutshell

If you are wondering what in the world a “backdoor Roth IRA” is, you're not alone! In short, if you've been frustrated by the contribution limits associated with Roth IRAs, then read on - this article describes a strategy...

Maximize Your Summer Fun With These Ideas

As temperatures start to heat up and the days get longer, summer fun can kick into gear. Looking for things to do this summer? Then, check out this list of fun and relaxing summertime ideas. 1. Be a tourist in your own area You don't...

How Technology Can Improve Your Financial Wellbeing in 2021

The coronavirus pandemic has motivated financial professionals to take full advantage of technology. Many of them are pairing various tech solutions with their unique human touch to help clients work towards their financial well-being....

4 Hot Weather Safety Tips for Pets

Summertime is great for walking and playing in the sunshine with your pet. Unfortunately, pets have a harder time keeping cool when the temperatures soar. Here are some tips to keep your pet safe, healthy, and happy under the fun sun....

The Relationship Between Treasury Yields and Mortgage Rates

Mortgage rates are still around all-time lows but they may be headed higher. The 30-year national average mortgage rate hit an all-time low of 2.82% back in February, but with the U.S. economic recovery in full swing, mortgage rates...

Inflation, Inflation, Inflation

Economic Blog Thursday, May 20, 2021 Inflation was the word of the week. In this week’s LPL Market Signals Podcast, LPL Research’s Ryan Detrick and Jeff Buchbinder dive into the hotter than expected recent inflation data...

Boost Your Retirement with IRAs and 401(k)s

Remember, early planning puts time on your side Whether retirement is around the corner or decades away, there are more options than ever to help you plan for it. Let’s look at Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)...

What Should Grandparents Know About 529 Savings Accounts?

Grandparents can often find themselves in a better financial position to save for their grandchildren's education than their own children are. The parents of prospective students may still be contending with competing priorities like...

Pre-Vacation Home Safety Tips

Vacation is something that we all look forward to, but it’s important not to forget about your home—and its safety—while you’re away. With some pre-planning, it’s easy to make sure your house is safe and...

Managing a Budget During your retirement

Unless you have accumulated substantial wealth where money is not a concern, you face a critical task when you reach retirement to make sure that your assets will support you through your lifetime. When you retire and no longer earn an...

Hot Inflation Data Jolts Investors

For nearly a year, investors have had the late spring/early summer months circled on their calendars for a potential jump in inflation. Base effects from rolling off weak data a year ago held the promise of eye-popping year-over-year...

Out of the Shadows

Dear Valued Investor: As the calendar has turned to May, the popular “Sell in May and Go Away” stock market cliché is getting a lot of airtime. This is the idea that the stock market tends to be weakest between May...

Five Things to Know About Preferred Securities

Fixed income investments have generally played two key roles within a diversified asset allocation—generating a stable income and providing protection during equity market selloffs. While we still think high-quality fixed income...

10 Tips for Small Business Owners

Small business owners should conduct an annual assessment of their personal finances. Owners of small businesses have much the same concerns as everyone else, except they are personally responsible for the fortunes of their enterprise....

Pre-Retirement Planning for Banking Professionals

As retirement becomes more than just an vague future concept, you may begin to feel pressure to develop a more concrete plan for your income, your spending, your asset allocation, and your withdrawal rate. And when you're in the...

Planning Your Distributions After Retirement

When it comes to retirement planning, much ado is made of how much to save. But often, the real difference lies in shrewd distribution planning. By withdrawing funds from certain account types in a certain order, you might...

A Brief History and How to Look at Social Security

Is it about getting the money back or minimizing the risk of bad outcomes? Although Social Security did not come into existence until 1935, it can trace its roots back to the first national pension program for soldiers that was passed...

Now is a Fantastic Time to Review our IPS

An Investment Policy Statement is your guardrail to help keep you on your path When markets near high records, you wonder, “Is this a bubble?” When markets dive, you wonder, “Is this a crash?” Your biggest...

U.S. Economic Recovery Gets the OECD’s Attention

The economic recovery is gaining steam. In fact, so much so that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) had to raise their U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for 2021 by more than 3 percentage points...

A Checklist for Your Retirement Planning

Remember, it is never too early to start planning for your future The time to begin planning for your financial future is now. So, when it comes to preparing for retirement, the earlier you start, the better. Here are some steps to...

TAX IDENTITY THEFT AWARENESS – PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM TAX IDENTITY THEFT

Tax identity theft is when someone steals your Social Security Number, files a tax return with your number, and directs a refund to their own bank account. In other cases, this type of identity theft may involve a scam artist calling...

Business Contingency Planning for Small Business Owners

There comes a point in time when almost every small business owner contemplates the future of his or her business. Because “the business” typically is a substantial asset, an owner must address a number of estate planning...

Will GameStop Stop The Bull Market?

“In the short term, the market is a popularity contest. In the long term, the market is a weighing machine.” -Warren Buffett The incredible action from some of the most heavily shorted names has investors everywhere...

Is the Roth 401(k) an Option for You?

Taking a closer look at whether it might be appropriate for your situation Since it first became available in 2006, many employers have added the Roth 401(k) to their benefit packages as a retirement savings option. A Roth option is...

Picking Your Financial Advisor in the New Year

Use your best comparison-shopping skills when choosing a financial advisor Many financially successful people are comparison shoppers. If you’re one, you pore over ratings in consumer magazines, read websites for reviews and...

New Year's Resolutions to Get Your Finances in Order

New Year's is traditionally the time to review your life and make resolutions for change. In addition to thinking about working out, eating healthy, and meeting personal and professional goals, you should also think about your finances...

2020 in 20 Charts

Well, we can officially say goodbye to 2020. Although there still will be many challenges in 2021, we do see much better times ahead. Just how amazing was it? “2020 will go down in history as the first year to ever be down 30% at...

COVID-19 Stimulus, Round Two: What Should You Know?

After months of intense debate, the House and Senate voted to pass a second COVID-19 economic stimulus bill and the President has signed it into law.1 At a total cost of $900 billion, this 5,600-page bill[1] contains everything from...

End of Year (EOY) Deadlines Checklist

2020 has been one of the most unprecedented years in recent history, but some things—like tax contributions and retirement deadlines—don't change much, if at all. And with the uncertainty surrounding just about everything,...

IRS Makes Annual Inflation Adjustments for 2021

Adjustments for deductions, tax rate schedules and 60 other tax provisions. The Internal Revenue Service announced annual inflation adjustments for the 2021 tax year for more than 60 tax provisions, including standard deductions and...

Outlook 2021: The Bull Market in Stocks Continues

Tuesday, we released our 2021 market views in Outlook 2021: Powering Forward. We are extremely proud of this report and we can’t wait to hear your feedback! As we explain in Outlook 2021, we anticipate a strong earnings rebound...

Outlook 2021: Powering Forward

It’s hard to look ahead to the next year, to 2021, without looking back at 2020. A global pandemic, a massive economic collapse, a bear market, a surprisingly sharp reversal, a hotly contested election where passions ran high,...

Smart Shopping During The Holiday

The holiday season is just a short time away, which means the shopping season is about to be in full swing. Shopping for holiday gifts is stressful but also a little fun, especially when you think about the joy you will bring to those...

The Origins of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in both the U.S. and Canada with the purpose of celebrating the blessings of the past year. It is known as one of the busiest travel holidays of the year and in the U.S is most...

Appropriate Checklists for Year-End Tax Planning

What are appropriate checklists for year-end tax planning? Tax planners often develop checklists to guide taxpayers toward year-end strategies that might help reduce taxes. Typically, suggestions are grouped into several different...

What Tax Harvesting Is and Why You Should Care About It?

One way to help boost returns without incurring any extra risk is called tax harvesting, which sounds a lot more difficult than it truly is. Simply put, it is the sale of securities at a loss in an effort to offset the capital gains...

Charitable Giving: How it affects you financially as well as personally

The holiday season is just around the corner and many charitable organizations are in desperate need of donations to help provide the vital services needed in the community. You are most often inundated with a number of charitable...

End of Year Planning: Set Goals and Reduce Taxes

By the last third of the calendar year, you're likely to have a pretty good idea of what your annual income will be and whether any major expenses or big life changes await you. This can allow you to engage in more robust tax planning,...

2 Post-Election Charts You Need to See

The election is over, but the questions are mounting. We don’t know who will be the next president as of Wednesday morning, but we do know that stocks tend to do well the final two months of an election year. “Once the...

The Best Day Of The Year Is This Week

With the election only six days away and earnings season in full swing, stocks have bucked the usual October weakness during election years so far in 2020 (Monday’s losses notwithstanding). The good news is this could continue,...

The Makeup of Congress is Very Important

Although all election years feel different, 2020 no doubt may be one of the most unique election years ever. We have a pandemic, a deep recession, extremely heightened partisanship, a mail-in ballot controversy, an unpredictable...

Election Preview Part II: A Trump Second Term—Upside and Risks

A second term for President Donald Trump would likely feature a continuation of the pro-growth policies from the first term of his administration, and importantly for financial markets, a continuation of the status quo. Markets...

The Market’s Mixed Election Signals

With Election Day just under a month away and voting already taking place in many states, it is still anyone’s guess who will win on November 3. With all of the noise surrounding the election, we prefer to focus on the signals...

Election Preview Part I: A Biden Presidency—Upside and Risks

While a potential Biden presidency may mean a shift from some pro-growth policies of the Trump administration, it’s possible any negative market impact may be muted. Economic forces tend to dominate policy, though policy still...

September Market Insights

Index Performance View expanded table. View expanded table. View expanded table. US and International Equities The S&P 500 Index gave back some gains in September after a strong five-month run, with most sectors finishing in the red....

Election Charts You Need To See: Part 3

One of the top requests we’ve received the past few weeks is for more charts on the US elections. We shared some of our favorite in Election Charts You Need to See: Part 1 and Part 2, and today’s the third blog in our...

How Bonds May Perform When Rates and Stocks Fall

A few weeks ago we looked at how different bond sectors performed during rising rate periods during the last economic cycle (2009–2020). Today we look at falling rate periods—not the outcome we expect, but it can still be...

Retirement Plans and Estate Planning

When you die, what will happen to your retirement plan benefits? In general, your retirement plan benefits pass to the beneficiaries you designate on the plan beneficiary designation form. Your benefits will generally be subject to...

Back to School and Work: How to Succeed at Both During the Pandemic

With the new school year fast approaching, and coronavirus cases still continuing to rise many parents are growing concerned about what the upcoming school year will look like. For some schools, in-person learning is expected to...

3 Estate Planning Strategies You Should Consider Now

Today's low interest rates are a far cry from the double-digit rates seen in the 1970s and 1980s when even a certificate of deposit (CD) could yield up to 20 percent per year.1 But there are some distinct advantages to a...

Back to School in a New Way

Back to school this year will be different. On the one hand, like other years, it marks the end of summer, the arrival of cooler weather, kids hitting the books again, and Labor Day gatherings. But unlike other years, going back to...

3 Charts To Watch If You Are Bullish

The S&P 500 Index just closed the door on its best August since 1986, making new all-time highs along the way, while also closing up five months in a row. First things first, make no mistake about it; this is a new bull market. That of...

Reducing Risk with Diversification

Diversification is a basic concept that's critical to building a portfolio able to withstand the test of time. It is the process of spreading your money among a variety of securities to reduce exposure to any one investment or asset...

New Rules on 60-Day Rollover: Everything You Need to Know

With the CARES Act providing new relief for RMD rollover, many people are looking to take advantage of the ability to roll their required minimum distributions into an eligible retirement plan, so that they might keep their money...

Let's Talk About Gold

Gold continues to move higher and higher, making new all-time highs along the way. As we discussed in Calendar Concerns and Gold Gains, we see many fundamental reasons to expect this rally in gold to continue. Here are the 10 reasons...

Cash Bonus? What You Need to Know About Taxation

For some employees, a year's worth of hard work is rewarded with a well-deserved bonus. While it may seem like a cash bonus is a gift from your employer as recognition for hard work, it is still considered to be part of your earned...

Positive Territory

The battle versus COVID-19 continues. The spread in some of the recent hotspots like California and Florida is slowing, while states in the Northeast and Midwest are now experiencing increases in cases. According to the World Health...

Are Recessions Good for Stock?

This isn’t like any recession we’ve ever seen, as it was sparked by a horrible pandemic and happened because people were told to stay inside. The impact was the worst contraction in gross domestic product (GDP) last quarter...

Beyond the Stock Tables

Today’s financial pages are filled with far more than stock listings. News of the burgeoning mutual fund industry is a regular feature, as well. Lipper Analytical Services provides regular performance reports on mutual funds...

Providing Incentives with Stock Options

The fundamental role of stock options is to align management’s profit incentives with those of shareholders. Companies provide opportunities for their employees to obtain company stock as an incentive for them to become...

Outlook 2020: The Trail to Recovery

AT THE MIDPOINT of 2020, we’re mindful that it’s been an extremely challenging year so far in the United States and around the globe. We’re in the midst of a pandemic that continues to impact all of us, our...

A Letter to Clients: July 2020

The July Fourth holiday will be very different this year. Although it’s a time to enjoy family and friends, and maybe even watch some fireworks, social distancing and a new wave of COVID-19 cases also may take a seat at the...

The Best Quarter Since 1998

What a quarter the second quarter was, with the S&P 500 Index adding 20.0%, for the best quarter since 1998 and the best second quarter since 1938. Of course, stocks fell 20% in the first quarter, so what we really have is a bad case...

IRS Offers Relief to Retirement Plan Participants

New guidelines for retirement loans and distributions due to COVID-19 On June 19, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service announced new guidelines to help those affected by COVID-19 gain more access to retirement plan distributions and...

Moving to the Next Phase on the Road to Recovery

Market Blog The US economy has made impressive progress in recent weeks. As the economy re-opens, the way we assess the recovery has changed. In March and April, we were looking for evidence that growth in COVID-19 cases was...

SEPS: Maximizing Contributions

If you're a small employer, setting up a 401(k) plan can be time-consuming and overly complicated, but a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan lets you offer your employees the benefits of a retirement plan without the complexities of...

Why financial planning retirement is for everyone

When it comes to retirement plans, there is no one-size-fits-all approach for how to invest. While there are some basic strategies everyone should follow, it’s important to keep in mind retirement plans will vary, depending on...

Six Tips for Wealth & Sanity

And the most important tip of all? Hire a financial professional. Investing can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. If you have a portfolio that was built for you and use the help of a financial professional, you...

Countdown to Retirement: Strategies for Saving in Your 50s

Strategies for saving in your 50s Many retirees today are redefining the “golden years.” Forget about endless days of leisure. Retirees seek adventure, travel, and new business pursuits. While these changes may redefine...

Assessing Your Retirement Resources

How resourceful can you be during your retirement? Determining where your retirement money will come from is an integral part of planning for retirement. Most people draw on three main sources of income: Social Security...

The Coronavirus Bear and Its Place in History

The pace with which the Coronavirus bear toppled the longest-running bull market in history was startling. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIJA) officially entered the “Coronavirus bear market” in just 20 trading days,...

Beyond Retirement: What About Your Other Goals?

Let's say that at the age of 25, you earned $35,000. If your salary increased at the average historical rate, you'd have earned nearly $2 million in total by the time you were 65.1,2 That might sound like a lot -- until you begin...

Retirement Planning: The Basics

You may have a very idealistic vision of retirement — doing all of the things that you never seem to have time to do now. But how do you pursue that vision? Social Security may be around when you retire, but the benefit that you...

Maintaining Cybersecurity While Working from Home

With businesses around the country reducing their in-office staff to essential personnel only—in some cases, literally overnight—many remote workers found themselves setting up a full home office on short to no notice. But...

What to Do with Your Retirement Plan During Lay-Offs or Furloughs

In an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the government has shut down numerous businesses throughout the country, and others have drastically cut hours. As a result, over 10 million workers filed for unemployment in March...

Gaining Confidence in a COVID-19 Peak

We continue to follow our Road to Recovery Playbook for help determining where the market is in its bottoming process. Today we are making two changes. The first is to Signal #1, which we upgraded from “monitoring daily” to...

Retirement Assistance Within the CARES Act

In late March 2020, as the number of novel coronavirus cases in the U.S. surged past 100,000, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed into law.1 The CARES Act provides around $2.2 trillion in aid to...

How to stop touching your face to minimize spread of coronavirus and other germs

Public health officials consistently promote hand-washing as a way for people to protect themselves from the COVID-19 coronavirus. However, this virus can live on metal and plastic for days, so simply adjusting your eyeglasses with...

A Unique Economic Situation

These are challenging times, and this week may be the toughest as we wait for COVID-19 to reach its peak in the United States. As the war against COVID-19 wages on, we continue to be inspired by the tremendous bravery shown by...

2020 CARES Act Small Business Employer FAQ - Key Provisions

The CARES Act also contains provisions that affect qualified retirement plan benefit programs and plan participants. We have included a set of frequently asked questions on these provisions as well as considerations for plan sponsors...

What Is In The $2 Trillion Relief Package?

The United States has more cases of the coronavirus than any other country, and in an attempt to stop the spread of this disease, states have closed schools and businesses throughout the country. These unprecedented shutdowns have...

Road to Recovery Playbook

After recording two double-digit drops in equity prices over the last three trading days, the global pandemic of COVID-19 has sent world equity markets into bear market territory. The result is a cumulative 30% drop in the S&P 500...

Bear Market Playbook

Having a playbook to follow can be very helpful during bear markets. It helped us here in the LPL Research department in 2008–09, and we think it can be helpful for the current situation. We all want to know the answers to the...

Avoiding COVID-19 Scams

Scammers, fraudsters, and other criminals are taking advantage of rapidly changing data and facts associated with COVID-19, both in the workplace and in our homes. Government agencies, corporations, and news outlets continue to warn...

How Quickly Can Stocks Recover From COVID-19?

The market volatility continues, as the S&P 500 Index has closed either up or down 4% or more for a record 7 consecutive days. With the S&P 500 Index down 30% from the highs, it has officially moved into a bear market. Yesterday, we...

Fed Is All In

The Federal Reserve (Fed) surprised markets over the weekend by holding its March 17-scheduled meeting a few days early and introducing a wide range of provisions. Those provisions are intended to add liquidity, increase credit...

Spring Clean Your Finances

As temperatures warm up, trees begin budding, and the days get longer, you probably throw open your windows and think about spring cleaning your home. As you tackle washing windows, cleaning carpets, and sorting out the garage,...

Market Update | March 10th, 2020

The tough times that global markets were experiencing due to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) worsened this past weekend as a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia resulted in sharply declining oil prices. This combination of...

Market Update | March 10th, 2020

The tough times that global markets were experiencing due to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) worsened this past weekend as a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia resulted in sharply declining oil prices. This combination of...

A Letter to Clients: The Coronavirus

Monday was a tough day in the stock market, with the S&P 500 Index down more than 3% as the number of coronavirus cases reported outside of China jumped. Monday’s losses reversed all of this year’s gains so far for the S&P...

Helping to Care for Aging Parents

Many adults are finding that their aging parents are in need of health care assistance. Luckily, there are many options available today to help your parents grow old gracefully, either in their own home or in a facility, and several...

Earnings Season Observations

The recent news that technology giant Apple would miss its fourth quarter 2020 revenue targets has understandably increased investor anxiety surrounding the potential economic impact of the coronavirus (now called COVID-19). Lost in...

Retirement Planning Throughout Life: Strategies to Keep in Mind

Retirement Planning Throughout Life: Strategies to Keep in Mind Retirement planning is a complex process requiring as much support and time as possible to reach the desired end. Retirement planning at all ages is important – the...

The Role of Insurance in Your Financial Plan

Insurance is an important element of any sound financial plan. Different types of insurance protect you and your loved ones in different ways against the cost of accidents, illness, disability, and death. What Are Your Insurance Needs?...

Tax Withholding on Paychecks

Employers are legally obligated to withhold payroll and income taxes from their employees' paychecks. As an employee, you should review withholding taxes so that you understand what is being taken out of your paycheck, but you should...

Another Look At Election Years

Last week in our LPL Research blog, we took a closer look at how stocks have performed during an election year. We found that since 1940, the S&P 500 Index hasn’t been lower during an election year when an incumbent president has...

Dreaming of Owning a Second Home?

The start of summer brings aspirations of owning that special spot. Summer is here and with it are fanciful dreams of owning a second, seasonal home. Maybe it’s a beachside bungalow or a mountain cabin or a lakefront cottage with...

Your Tax Strategy

Timing Is Everything Lowering your tax bill starts with planning for both the short- and long-term. By aligning your tax strategies with your financial strategies, the money you do not pay to the government can help fund your financial...

The Financial Fitness Challenge: Tips for Strengthening Your Financial Health

Diet books. Fitness apps. Live-streamed exercise classes. They all tell you the same thing: Maintaining good physical health requires discipline and adherence to a few simple habits, such as eating wisely, getting enough sleep, and...

What You Need to Know About the Secure Act

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 – the SECURE Act – passed the House of Representatives earlier this year and was approved by the Senate and signed by President Trump on the days leading...

Is It Time For Santa?

December has been widely viewed as a strong month for stocks, with this year following suit so far. What many probably don’t realize, however, is the majority of the gains have taken place late in the month. “December has...

Estate Planning and Income Tax Basis

Income tax basis can be an important factor in deciding whether to make gifts during your lifetime or transfer property at your death. This is because the income tax basis for the person receiving the property depends on whether the...

Year-End Investment Decisions

What are year-end investment decisions? Year-end investment decisions may sometimes result in substantial tax savings. Tax planning may allow you to control the timing and method by which you report your income and claim your...

Outlook 2020 | Bringing Markets Into Focus

Hindsight is 20/20, but finding clarity in future uncertainty can be fuzzy. AT LPL RESEARCH, as we look forward to the year 2020 and a new decade, some key trends and market signals will be important to watch, including progress on U...

Five Strategies for Tax-Efficient Investing

As just about every investor knows, it's not what your investments earn, but what they earn after taxes that counts. After factoring in federal income and capital gains taxes, the alternative minimum tax, and any applicable state and...

Buying Locally and Giving Locally

Maybe your charitable donations should stay in your zip code? For many of us, buying locally matters. We’ve all heard the term and seen the signs: Shop Locally. Eat Locally. But let’s extend that thought for a minute: do...

Three Amazing Streaks

“We’re going streaking!” Frank The Tank in Old School As the bull market continues to make new highs, the past few weeks have seen some amazing market streaks. Here are three that have caught our attention. The S&P...

Five Strategies for Tax-Efficient Investing

As just about every investor knows, it's not what your investments earn, but what they earn after taxes that counts. After factoring in federal income and capital gains taxes, the alternative minimum tax, and any applicable state and...

Putting The Bull In Perspective

The S&P 500 Index has closed higher five consecutive weeks, making six new all-time highs along the way. There now have been 19 new highs in 2019, tying the number we saw last year. There’s no doubt that this bull market has been...

Bulls Stay in Motion

“An object in motion tends to remain in motion along a straight line unless acted upon by an outside force.” Sir Isaac Newton What a year it has been for the bulls. The S&P 500 Index recently made four more new highs, and...

Will The Fed Go Three For Three?

he Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) is widely expected to cut interest rates on Wednesday, October 30, which would be the third cut this year after nine consecutive hikes. The current fed funds rate target is 1.75–2%, with a 25 basis...

2019 May Be One of the Best Years Ever

“Everything is awesome, when you’re living out a dream.” The Lego Movie As the S&P 500 Index continues to flirt with new record highs, something under the surface is taking place that is making 2019 extremely special....

Why Staying the Course Is the Best Strategy When the Markets Are Volatile

The markets are experiencing a cycle of volatility. When there are market swings, even the most hardy of investors can get nervous. This is the time to take a deep breath and review your investment strategy with your financial advisor....

The Calendar Could Have Bulls Smiling

“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” — Mark Twain Stocks have continued their surprising strength in October, thanks to a potential thaw in the U.S.-China trade dispute. And remember, the S&P...

Recognizing and Avoiding Online Scams

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the number of U.S. data breaches hit a new high in 2017. Nearly 20% of breaches included credit and debit card information, a nearly 6% increase from the prior year. The actual number of...

Can The Economy Predict The Next President?

“The economy, stupid” — Phrase campaign strategist James Carville used to help Bill Clinton get elected in 1992. As Carville noted ahead of the 1992 election, the recession in 1990 and 1991 was top of mind for many...

The Charitable IRA Transfer

If you are age 70½ or older and charitably minded, you may wish to consider tapping your individual retirement account (IRA). The qualified charitable distribution (QCD), also known as an IRA charitable rollover, allows you to...

U.S. Manufacturing Drops to 10-Year Low

U.S. manufacturing activity fell to a 10-year low, dragged down by a weakening global economy. The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 47.6 in September, the lowest level since...

Growth vs. Value: Two Approaches to Stock Selection

Growth and value are two fundamental approaches in stock and stock mutual fund investing. Growth stock mutual fund managers look for companies that they believe offer strong earnings growth potential. Value fund managers look for...

Economy Surprising to the Upside

Recent stock gains may not just be about a better trade tone or renewed central bank support. U.S. economic fundamentals have also improved. The Citi U.S. Economic Surprise Index, a running average of economic data compared to...

Retiring Business Owners - Plan for Succession

If you’re a small business owner, you’ve invested a great deal of time and effort into building your company. With day-to-day demands, it may be difficult to imagine your eventual transition into retirement. Yet, if you...

Six Basic Tax Planning Techniques

There are no great secrets where tax planning and tax cutting are concerned. The principles around which all tax-cutting strategies revolve can be reduced to six basics: Income splitting. Taxes are reduced for the total family unit by...

A Letter to Clients: September 2019

Dear Valued Investor: The Dog Days of Summer were on full display this past month, as a variety of concerns pushed stocks and bond yields lower. After reaching new record highs in late July, the S&P 500 Index dropped approximately 1...

Pop Quiz!—Tax Planning Basics

Q: What’s the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction? A: A tax credit reduces your tax dollar for dollar—that is, a $1,000 tax credit actually saves you $1,000 in taxes. By comparison, a tax deduction reduces...

Do Major Hurricanes Impact Stock?

First and foremost, our thoughts are with all of those that were impacted by Hurricane Dorian over the Labor Day holiday and all those that are still in its path. Many have asked us what stocks tend to do after a major hurricane hits...

5 Keys To Investing For Retirement

Making decisions about your retirement account can seem overwhelming, especially if you feel unsure about your knowledge of investments. However, the following basic rules can help you make smarter choices regardless of whether you...

Smart Financial Moves In 40s and 50s

These crucial years call for action. Today, retirement may seem nearer to you than it once did. The following moves might be worth making—and soon. Catch-up contributions to your retirement accounts. Starting in the year you turn...

11 Ways To Help Yourself Stay Sane In A Crazy Market

Keeping your cool can be hard to do when the market goes on one of its periodic roller-coaster rides. It's useful to have strategies in place that prepare you both financially and psychologically to handle market volatility. Here are...

Another Summer Storm

.S. stocks have hit another trade-induced summer storm. The S&P 500 Index fell 3% on Monday, its worst day since December 2018. The index is now about 6% from record highs in U.S. stocks’ worst bout of volatility since May. As...

Plan Ahead For The Holiday Budget Crunch

Every year, millions of Americans celebrate the holidays with traditions such as throwing parties and buying gifts for family and friends. Unfortunately, many also participate in a tradition that lands them in debt -- spending more...

Breathe for Your Life Health and Well Being

Breath is life. Life is breath. The yoga sages of India have embraced this link for centuries, where conscious breathing has long been an integral part of daily life. More recently, Western researchers have also begun to acknowledge...

Best Vacations: By Car, By Ship, By Foot, Once In A Lifetime

If travel for you is less about escaping life and more about living it, then consider these vacation ideas: By Car East Coast of Australia: There may be no better way to experience this amazing continent than by driving along its east...

Charitable Giving

Charitable giving can play an important role in many estate plans. Philanthropy cannot only give you great personal satisfaction, it can also give you a current income tax deduction, let you avoid capital gains tax, and reduce the...

Your Vacation: An Invitation to Burglars

Returning to a burglarized home can be a horrible jolt after a relaxing vacation. Unfortunately, the truth is that an empty home is an easy target for burglars, and peak vacation times show the highest number of break-ins. However,...

Midyear Outlook 2019

We are pleased to announce the release of the LPL Research Midyear Outlook 2019: FUNDAMENTAL: How to Focus on What Really Matters in the Markets, with investment insights and market guidance through the end of 2019. LPL Research...

Keeping Summer Safe: Pool & Spa Safety Tips

The backyard pool can be great summer fun, but it can also be a source of danger for children. Every year hundreds of children fatally drown. In fact, drowning is the leading cause of preventable death among children ages 1-4.¹,...

Staying on Track with Your Retirement Investments

Investing for your retirement isn't about getting rich quick. More often, it's about having a game plan that you can live with over a long time. You wouldn't expect to be able to play the piano without learning the basics and...

Retiring Soon? Take Control of Your Assets

After years of saving and investing, you can finally see the big day -- retirement. But before kicking back, you still need to address a few matters. Decisions made now could make the difference between your money outlasting you or...

True or False: You Are A retirement Savings Plan Expert

Even though I'm young, I should still make saving for retirement a priority. True. Because of the power of compounding, your youth is actually one of the best reasons to start contributing now. Compounding is what happens when your...

Keeping Summer Safe: Pool & Spa Safety Tips

The backyard pool can be great summer fun, but it can also be a source of danger for children. Every year hundreds of children fatally drown. In fact, drowning is the leading cause of preventable death among children ages 1-4.¹,...

Yields Defy Inflation Expectations

Global uncertainty has dominated the direction of long-term interest rates recently. Nominal Treasury yields have converged with breakeven rates, or market expectations for inflation (calculated from Treasury Inflation-Protected...

Planning the Withdrawal of Your Retirement Assets

You've worked long and hard to accumulate the assets that you are using to help finance your retirement. Now, it's time to start drawing down those assets. Exactly how you liquidate your assets will affect your tax and impact how long...

Retirement Plans for Small Businesses

As a business owner, you should carefully consider the advantages of establishing an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Generally, you're allowed a deduction for contributions you make to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. In...

403(b) Plans and Saving for Retirement

In 1958, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) created 403(b) plans to encourage employees of certain organizations to begin saving for retirement. In 2001, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) increased the...

Life Insurance: Is It Missing From Your Plan?

Life insurance may be a cornerstone of a sound financial plan, providing potential financial stability to a surviving spouse, children, or other family members in the event of your untimely death. Sadly, many Americans have no life...

Global Sectors Reflect Trade Jitters

Trade fears drove stocks to their worst week of the year, down 2% after President Trump placed higher tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods and threatened fresh tariffs on an additional $325 billion in Chinese goods after the...

A Letter to Clients: May 2019

Dear Valued Investor: If it seems like the financial markets have been off to an unusually strong start to the year—you are correct. The S&P 500 Index has risen for four consecutive months, resulting in the strongest start to a...

Rising Tide for Diversified Portfolios

Diversified investors were the big winners in the first four months of this year. As shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, both stocks and bonds have posted strong rallies through the first four months of this year, thanks to increased...

Time to Sell in May?

One of the most popular investment axioms is about to take over the airwaves: “Sell in May and Go Away.” That’s because the upcoming six months(from May until the end of October) have historically been the weakest...

The Waiting Game for Record Highs

The wait is over. After more than seven months, the S&P 500 Index notched a fresh all-time closing high of 2,933.68 on April 23. To get here, investors have weathered back-and-forth in trade negotiations, a historic government shutdown...

Top 10 Tips for Financial Fitness

As days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months, it may feel like there is little time to catch up on all of your financial responsibilities. Sometimes it may be easier to simply toss ATM receipts, credit card bills, and bank...

How To Work With A Financial Advisor

A flurry of new investment products, the emergence of global investing, the shift from company-funded pension plans to employee-driven retirement plans (like 401(k) plans), and uncertainty about Social Security have all contributed to...

Socially Responsible Investing

Investing with an eye toward promoting social, political, or environmental concerns (or at least not supporting activities you feel are harmful) doesn't mean you have to forgo pursuing a return on your money. Socially responsible...

10 Smart Uses For Your Tax Refund

If you have a refund check coming your way, consider using it to bolster your personal balance sheet. The average refund is usually around $3,000, and most people receive the money within three weeks of filing their returns. That's a...

Creating An Investment Portfolio

You've identified your goals and done some basic research. You understand the difference between a stock and a bond. But how do you actually go about creating an investment portfolio? What specific investments are right for you? What...

What’s Priced In?

After such a strong rally this year, you may be wondering what could drive stocks higher from here. With the S&P 500 Index near its all-time high, a lot of good news could be priced in to stocks. At the same time, disappointments...

Myths and Facts about Social Security

Myth: Social Security will provide most of the income you need in retirement. Fact: It's likely that Social Security will provide a smaller portion of retirement income than you expect. There's no doubt about it — Social...

How Much Annual Income Can Your Retirement Portfolio Provide?

Your retirement lifestyle will depend not only on your assets and investment choices, but also on how quickly you draw down your retirement portfolio. The annual percentage that you take out of your portfolio, whether from returns or...

Why I Don't Want to Buy Life Insurance

If you're like most people, it's not that you don't appreciate the value of life insurance. In fact, many people believe they need more coverage. You probably wouldn't mind owning additional life insurance. It's just that you don't...

Teach Your Children Well: Basic Financial Education

Even before your children can count, they already know something about money: it's what you have to give the ice cream man to get a cone, or put in the slot to ride the rocket ship at the grocery store. So, as soon as your children...

Dear Valued Investor - April

April brings showers, baseball, and historically, the best month of the year for the S&P 500 Index (for the last 20 years). On top of that, the S&P 500 had its best first quarter since 1998, and in March we celebrated the 10-year...

March Madness, Cindarella & Your Portfolio

You should pick investments (and teams) so you win most of your games Sports metaphors and investing are natural pairs. A good way to look at portfolio management is the NCAA March Madness tournament. As with basketball, you should...

5 Big Problems to Solve Before You Retire

It seems, sometimes, as though financial professionals come in only two flavors. There are those who promise everything is going to be fine; you don't have to fret about retirement, they say, because they'll help you make more than...

April's Bullish History

Seasonality could be on the bull’s side, especially after U.S. stocks’ best first quarter in 20 years. As shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, April has consistently been one of the strongest months for U.S. stocks. Over the...

A Penny Saved Is Two Pennies Earned

This modern twist on the Ben Franklin maxim reflects the multiplicity of taxes to which earnings are subject in today’s world.¹ Finding ways to manage expenses is one of the cornerstones of a sound financial strategy. Here...

Business Succession Planning

When developing a succession plan for your business, you must make many decisions. Should you sell your business or give it away? Should you structure your plan to go into effect during your lifetime or at your death? Should you...

Good News Indicators

The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index (LEI) is one of our favorite economic indicators. It is designed to predict future movements in the economy based on a composite of 10 economic indicators (like manufacturers’...

What The New Tax Bills Means For You

The enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act represents “the most sweeping overhaul of the U.S. tax code in more than 30 years.”1 For millions of Americans and businesses it means an altered financial and investment landscape...

Dear Valued Investor

The S&P 500 Index has staged an impressive rally after nearly entering a bear market December 24, with U.S. stocks notching their best start to a year since 1991. Stocks have climbed the “wall of worry” once again, but...

Time For New Highs?

After dropping nearly 20% late last year, the S&P 500 Index has officially bounced up more than 20% from the December 24 lows. As we noted at the time, most bear markets that take place in a non-recessionary environment tend to bottom...

Budget Check Up: Tax Time Is The Right Time

Every year, about 140 million households file their federal tax returns.¹ For many, the process involves digging through shoe boxes or manila folders full of receipts; gathering mortgage, retirement, and investment account...

What Type of Pullback Could We See?

The S&P 500 Index corrected nearly 20% from the September peak until December 24 before staging a furious rally of 19%. What could happen next? A well-deserved pullback would be perfectly normal, and in fact, is probably needed before...

Balancing a Retirement Portfolio with Asset Allocation

The combination of investments you choose is as important as the individual investments themselves. In fact, many experts argue that it's even more important, since the mix of various types of investments accounts for most of the ups...

The Nasdaq’s 10 Weeks of Green

U.S. stocks’ recent momentum has been historically impressive by many measures, and the Nasdaq Composite Index notched another milestone last week. The Nasdaq has risen for the past 10 weeks, its longest winning streak in 19...

Giving Your Card A Charge

According to The Federal Reserve more than 174 million Americans have credit cards. The average credit card holder has at least three cards and carries more than $15,000 in credit card debt. At the end of 2017, U.S. consumer debt...

Why A Green January and February Have Bulls Smiling

After gaining 7.8% in January, the S&P 500 Index has added another 3.3% so far in February for a grand total year-to-date return of 11.4%. With two days to go, currently this is the best first two months of the year since 1987. As we...

Tax Benefits of Your Retirement Savings Plan

Taxes can take a big bite out of your total investment returns, so it's encouraging to know that your employer-sponsored retirement savings plan may offer a variety of tax benefits. Depending on the type of plan your employer offers,...

How Much Annual Retirement Income Will You Need?

When you determine how much income you'll need in retirement, you may base your projection on the type of lifestyle you plan to have and when you want to retire. However, as you grow closer to retirement, you may discover that your...

Trimming Our 2019 GDP Forecast

Economic data have consistently missed expectations recently as investors and Wall Street have struggled to quantify the impact of global trade and political risks. As shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, the Bloomberg U.S. Economic...

Understanding Long-Term Care Insurance

It's a fact: People today are living longer. Although that's good news, the odds of requiring some sort of long-term care increase as you get older. And as the costs of home care, nursing homes, and assisted living escalate, you...

The Year of the Pig Could Have Bulls Smiling

“Bulls make money, bears make money, and pigs get slaughtered.” Old Wall Street saying. The Chinese New Year (often called the Lunar New Year) kicked off Tuesday, February 5, and with it came the Year of the Pig. Although...

Social Security: Five Facts You Need To Know

Social Security can be complicated and, as a result, many individuals don’t have a full understanding of the choices they may have. Here are five facts about Social Security that are important to keep in mind: RECOMMENDED...

The Diversified Investor’s Big January

Diversified investors just capped one of their best months of the current economic cycle. In January, the S&P 500 Index posted its biggest monthly gain since October 2015. At the same time, the Bloomberg Barclays Aggregate Bond Index...

Why Tom Terrific Might Not Be So Terrific For Stocks

The Super Bowl indicator suggests that stocks rise for the full year when the Super Bowl winner comes from the original National Football League (now the NFC), but when an original American Football League (now the AFC) team wins,...

Investing In Your Vacation

Why do so many of us not use our vacation days? Salespeople talk about “leaving money on the table.” Well, employees leave vacation on the table. And the cost to us is significant.In fact, Americans leave 429 million...

Tax Benefits of Your Retirement Savings Plan

Taxes can take a big bite out of your total investment returns, so it's encouraging to know that your employer-sponsored retirement savings plan may offer a variety of tax benefits. Depending on the type of plan your employer offers,...

Stocks Bounced, Now What?

The big bounce off the December 24 lows continued last week, as the S&P 500 Index added 2.9% for the week. In fact, it has gained 2.9%, 1.9%, 2.5%, and 2.9% over the past four weeks for a total gain of 10.5%. Of course, the S&P 500...

Setting a Retirement Savings Goal

Many Americans realize the importance of saving for retirement, but knowing exactly how much they need to save is another issue altogether. With all the information available about retirement, it is sometimes difficult to decipher what...

Brexit Hits Another Bump

Yesterday’s U.K. Parliament vote was another bump in the road for Brexit. As shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, the British pound and the euro have steadily declined over the past few months, weighed down in large part by...

Outlook 2019

We are pleased to announce the release of the LPL Research Outlook 2019: FUNDAMENTAL: How to Focus on What Really Matters in the Markets, filled with investment insights and market guidance for the year ahead. After nearly 10 years of...

Lower Valuations May Signal Solid Gains For Stocks

Stocks have rebounded strongly off the December lows, with the S&P 500 Index adding 2% in January to its 7% gain over the last week of 2018. We see potential for further gains ahead given the fundamentals supporting economic growth...