Buy, Sell, Invest Or Retire? Banner Year Leaves Opportunity On The Market

While the majority of Americans age 40 and over claim to have a well-defined retirement strategy, almost the same number would give themselves a‘ C’ grade or lower on their retirement savings, according to a new survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of TD Ameritrade.

A survey by the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) finds that millennials’ expectations are not well aligned with the retirement planning steps they have taken thus far. Although nearly eight in ten millennials say that they have saved some money for retirement, nearly half – 46 percent – have saved less than $10,000.

Several stocks moved heavily or traded substantially over the past 24 hours. They include several big names, such as UnitedHealth and Target.

Advisors want to have the freedom and flexibility to provide the best possible client experience as true fiduciaries and differentiate themselves in order to compete for more wallet share. With overall wealth increasing in the U.S., there will be continued demand for the services that independent advisors deliver.

The CFB board reported significant gains in female, African American and Latino certificants. “CFP Board’s focused effort to improve diversity in the profession is having an impact,” said Kevin Keller, CAE and CFP Board chief executive officer.

The National Financial Educators Council conducted a survey with a single question: “When you have a financial question, who do you turn to for trusted financial guidance?” The most popular answer to the question depended on the age of the respondent.

Two clients’ true stories during the last bear market reveal the pitfalls and opportunities that come with investing in uncertain times. Do you see your clients in this tale?

Wells Fargo’s new CEO, Charles Scharf, has one of the hardest jobs in banking. After three months in the position, Scharf made his debut before Wall Street analysts Tuesday to report another disappointing quarter for the bank. For all of 2019, profits fell to $20 billion, compared with $22- billion in 2018.

For the Lilly Endowment, a good year means it’s time to cash in. The Indianapolis- based endowment, one of the nation’s largest charitable foundations, is unloading hundreds of millions of dollars of stock in its namesake company, drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co., continuing a sell-off strategy it began more than a decade ago.

With nearly $7 trillion under management, BlackRock is the largest firm in the business. The move to fundamentally shift its investing policy could reshape how corporate America does business.

By the end of 2019, the venture industry deployed $136.5 billion in US-based companies, surpassing the $130 billion mark for the second consecutive year, according to the PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor.

Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street Monday, sending the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq to record highs. Financial companies powered the rally, which came ahead of the scheduled signing of a“ Phase 1” trade deal between the U.S. and China on Wednesday. The gains came a day before major banks were set to kick off the latest earnings reporting season for U.S. companies.

You may have heard that timing is everything. And in many walks of life, that may be true- but not necessarily when it comes to investing. To understand why this is so, let's look at three common mistakes investors make:.

A new survey of CEOs by GLG shows that chief executives enter 2020 bullish about their companies’ futures and broadly optimistic about the global economy overall. 80% are confident that their company’s revenue will grow in the next 12 months and 51% think global growth will increase, while less than a quarter believe the U.S. will enter a recession in 2020.

As a business owner, you are always thinking of what you need to do now. But you can’t forget about the future yours and that of your business. In 2020, you can defer up to $19,500 of income, or $26,000 if you are 50 or older.

Let’s face it: 2019 is going to be a hard year to beat – stocks and 401 plans up more than 25% on average, wage gains of 3% to 5%, 7 million surplus jobs and the lowest unemployment and inflation rates in nearly 50 years.

The annuities debate is among the most intense and divisive in the financial services industry but the truth is much less flashy than the hardliners like to imply: as with most investment and insurance options, annuities can be a helpful tool for some, but are not a good fit for everyone.

—Global shares mostly rose Friday as worried receded that the United States and Iran might be stepping closer to the edge of war. Britain's FTSE 100 was little changed, down less than 0.1% at 7,593.34. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.1% at 28,969. S&P 500 futures were up 0.2% at 3,280.70.

—Stocks around the world climbed on Thursday, and the S&P 500 was heading for a record as markets continued their rally on relief that the United States and Iran appear to be stepping away from the edge of war. Diminishing worries about a U.S.- Iran war put more of the market’ s focus on the economy, corporate profits and other inputs that directly affect stock prices.

Regarding the movement of equity prices, we associate with the words of Alan “Ace” Greenberg, the head of Bear Stearns during the 1987 market crash: “Stocks fluctuate, next question.” Markets had declined in the fourth quarter of 2018 as the Federal Reserve tightened money and Donald Trump’s trade war accelerated.

Q: I had a really good year in the stock market and my IRA is up a lot. Given the political situation and what is happening with Iran do you think I should take my gains and move to the sidelines? A: I understand why you might feel nervous.

Short-term interest rates are also often used by the Federal Reserve to help the economy recover from a recession or potential slow down, while also trying to cool down the economy if they feel it is getting over heated and increasing the potential for higher inflation.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker sent a letter Tuesday to Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin urging him to defer action on proposed fiduciary regulation. The proposal creates “confusion,” and ignores other state and national regulatory efforts, Baker wrote.

Key markets across the United States saw the effects of surging interest rates as refinance share declined month-over-month in Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, Miami, San Francisco and Dallas. While the average interest rate on FHA and VA loans dropped in November compared to the month prior, the average rate for Conventional loans, which accounted for 73% of all…

O.N. Investment Management Co. launched the Envestnet Insurance Exchange for its advisors. The insurance network provides access to reputable insurance carriers and their annuity products alongside traditional managed account investments on the Envestnet platform.

Regarding the movement of equity prices, we associate with the words of Alan “Ace” Greenberg, the head of Bear Stearns during the 1987 market crash: “Stocks fluctuate, next question.” Markets had declined in the fourth quarter of 2018 as the Federal Reserve tightened money and Donald Trump’s trade war accelerated.

Advisors have been coasting for a while on a bull market and a dearth of real competition and disruption. When the market turns and the competition gets real, many RIAs are going to find staying in the race to be near impossible due to three major factors holding them back…

In this week’s Rewirement Tip, Jamie Hopkins discusses the uncertainty with those retirement targets.

The Investor Movement Index® increased to 5.55 in December, up 7.4 percent from its November score of 5.17. The IMX is TD Ameritrade’s proprietary, behavior-based index, aggregating Main Street investor positions and activity to measure what investors actually were doing and how they were positioned in the markets.

Women control about $14 trillion in the United States, the equivalent of the combined gross domestic product of China and India, Fortune magazine reported in April. Firms need to listen to what women want and greater diversity among their advisers and managers, a Morgan Stanley executive says.

The news Friday that a top Iranian commander was killed in a U.S. drone strike sent global markets reeling. As the world awaits the next news in the unfolding showdown between the U.S. and Iran, Brad McMillan of the Commonwealth Financial Network explores the financial fallout of full-blown war.

The yield curve was relatively flat at the end of 2018 and then inverted in 2019, with the interest rates for the 10- year Treasury lower than the shorter-term maturities such as the 3- month Treasury. An inverted yield curve often proceeds a recession as the Federal Reserve is pushing the target federal funds rate higher.

The optimism of high-net-worth investors fell a full 10 percentage points, to 55% in 2019 from 65% in 2018, as concerns about markets, the economy and politics at home and abroad continued dominating the headlines.

The bull market went into overdrive in 2019. The S&P 500 rushed ahead by 29%- its best showing in six years. But as much as investors will always welcome such returns, it does make it tougher to be an income investor.

Oil prices surged and most major global stock markets declined Friday after an Iranian general was killed by U.S. forces in Iraq. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’ s elite Quds Force, was killed in an air attack at the Baghdad international airport prompted expectations of Iranian retaliation against U.S. and Israeli targets.

The inflation rate has not been a cause of concern in this country for well over a decade. Throughout the last decade, inflation has averaged no more than 1.5 percent, which is well below the Federal Reserve Bank's targeted inflation rate of 2 percent. Neither do global economists or Wall Street strategists.

Someone who came into 2019 with their money split between the largest U.S. stock and U.S. bond funds made 19.6% last year. The moves helped silence a warning bell of recession that sounded in the U.S. bond market during the summer, the first time that had happened since the run-up to the Great Recession.

A year is built one day at a time. It’s the busy Tuesdays when you never have a moment and the lazy Sundays when you can finally relax. But while New Year’s money resolutions are common- with 84% of Americans setting money goals, according to a survey from NerdWallet conducted by The Harris Poll in 2017- so is abandoning them.

The market’s trajectory to a strong finish for the year began in October as stocks emerged from a late-summer slump caused by fears that the U.S. economy could be headed for a recession. Those concerns eased as investors drew encouragement from several positive signs.

It was a very busy year and our readership reflected the frenetic time for financial services. Here are the top five most-read stories on Advisor News.

The declines tracked a broad retreat overnight on Wall Street that erased some of the major U.S. indexes’ recent gains, though the market remains on track to end the year with its best performance since 2013.. Britain's FTSE 100 slipped 0.5% to 7,549.72 while the CAC 40 in Paris shed 0.4% to 5,959.86. But elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 0.5% to…

Stocks opened slightly lower on Wall Street in quiet trading at the beginning of another holiday-shortened week. Investors were awaiting updates on the signing of a trade deal between the U.S. and China and keeping a wary eye on North Korea.

Many financial planners aren’t anticipating evolving client needs or adequately planning for the future, despite the technology-fueled, rapid reshaping of the financial industry, according to a new report.

The Certified Financial Planner Board unveiled enhanced oversight actions after media scrutiny poked holes in its self-reporting model. A Wall Street Journal article found that thousands of financial planners under the board’s jurisdiction had troubling records of misbehavior.

From iPhone maker Apple to software giant Microsoft to e-commerce titan Amazon, here are 20 stocks that analysts are bullish on in 2020.

Analyst: This red-hot drug stock can rally another 43%. Behind Tesla stock's new high. Plus, Qiagen bulls bet on a bigger bounce; Amazon keeps rallying; and American Airlines nosedives.

Tiburon counts 335,000 financial advisors — a stagnant figure over the past 15 years — controlling nearly $25 trillion in assets. While the number of advisors remains the same, the assets they control has more than doubled since 2010. In the future, the independent channels should continue to grow, Tiburon predicted.

In May, the House of Representatives passed the bill, officially known as the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019, by a remarkable 417-3 bipartisan majority. While that kind of political momentum is difficult to oppose, the bill's progress had been stalled by a small group in the Senate. Anxious to avoid a government shutdown, both…

Major U.S. stock indexes wavered between small gains and losses Tuesday morning in muted trading ahead of an early close for the Christmas holiday. Cintas lost 1.2% and Edwards Lifesciences fell 1.1%. Those losses outweighed broad gains for retailers, restaurant chains and other companies that rely on consumer spending.

The S&P 500 index notched its third-consecutive all-time high Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq composite also set record highs. Technology, industrial and health care stocks led the gains.

Despite a plethora of mini crises from sovereign debt trouble to flash crashes and trade wars, and a few bubbles in crypto and pot stocks, U.S. equity markets more than tripled this decade and valuations remained sane.

Millionaires are the most cautious they’ve been on the direction of the economy since the years leading up to the global financial crisis. Investor sentiment on the economy for the next 12 months dropped 14 points from a year ago to -7, its lowest level since 2006, according to Fidelity Investments’ annual Millionaire Outlook Confidence Index.

The Security and Exchange Commission expects compliance on Regulation Best Interest by June 30, but FINRA and the SEC will start looking in January for signs of preparedness.

While advisors certainly help clients manage money, they add even more value by helping a family make personal financial decisions, few of which are more personal than the choice to pursue a college education. Here are some important strategies to consider.

ETF net inflows increased from $219 billion in 2018 to $222.5 billion, according to ETFGI, a research and consulting firm. So, what’s caused the growth of ETFs so well over the past year?

If you have an IRA and are older than 70 ½, you can give directly to charities using your IRA through something called a Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD for short. Current tax law allows each qualified taxpayer to make up to $100,000 in QCDs every year.

Investors welcomed encouraging reports on U.S. home construction, industrial production and job openings, extending the market’s upward momentum. Stocks have been vaulting higher in recent days on optimism about an interim U.S.- China trade deal announced on Friday.

Many Americans are leaving 2019 in debt. In fact, almost one in four people say “credit card debt” is their biggest financial regret of the past decade, according to a survey from Policygenius. An even bigger percentage (32.4%) of Americans say “paying down debt” is their biggest financial goal for next year.

A recent Morningstar article noted that “Sustainable funds are on track to triple” inflows in 2019 compared with 2018. As this decade comes to a close, let’s take a moment to assess the progress and the way forward for ESG Investing.

For those who own their own business, of any size, financial planning gets more complicated. Their personal finances are inextricably tied to their business finances. They have to decide about setting up a retirement savings plan, not just for any employees, but for themselves.

Surprisingly strong economic reports out of China helped drive the rally. The market got a big confidence boost late last week after the United States and China reached a long-awaited “Phase 1” trade deal.

According to a TD Ameritrade survey on Financial Taboos, Americans would rather talk about health issues, politics and religion than money or personal finance. So how do advisors get clients and their families talk about money when they’re so unwilling to talk about it?

House leaders unveiled a $1.4 trillion government-wide spending package with an unusually large load of unrelated provisions catching a ride on the last train out of Congress this year. The financial services industry comes out a winner with the inclusion of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019 in the 2020 spending package.

In this week’s Rewirement Tip, Jamie Hopkins discusses Roth RMD distributions and the rules.

Working with an advisor appears to help Americans understand the importance that fixed income plays in retirement planning. For example, when asked at what point in time the average investor should consider adding fixed income to their investment portfolios, nearly two-thirds (64%) of those surveyed said “before retiring.”

Negotiators for the U.S. and China are haggling over tariffs and other details as they work to finalize a new trade deal between the two countries.

The independent broker-dealer space is growing at a healthy pace, but just not as healthy as registered investment advisors are, one leading analyst said. That is one trend line not likely to change anytime soon, said Chip Roame, managing partner of Tiburon Strategic Advisors.

Dow Jones futures rose after China trade deal buzz sent the stock market to record highs. Adobe signaled a breakout on earnings. Broadcom, Costco, Oracle moved on results too.

But worries about a potential recession have faded since midyear thanks to more positive reports on the economy and a supportive interest rate policy from the Federal Reserve. Investors have focused mainly on larger stocks, especially through futures, while small-cap stocks remain below their long-term average values and still have room to grow.

Personal finance can be a daunting maze for many, especially as technology like Artificial Intelligence continues to grow. These changes have increased the need for consumers to be more financially literate than ever before, which is why in 2019, 40 states have set out to help consumers increase their understanding of personal finance.

Saudi Aramco stock touched $2 trillion in market cap on its second day of trading, after an IPO that valued the state-run oil giant more than Apple.

The Dow Jones reaction to the Fed meeting will depend on how high the bar is to future rate hikes and the outlook for the Fed balance sheet.

Tesla and Photronics were early leaders Wednesday, while Home Depot held back the Dow Jones as markets awaited rate policy news from the Fed.

Fidelity Investments released the results of its 11th Millionaire Outlook Study, an in-depth survey analyzing the investing attitudes and behaviors of more than 2,000 households, including 1,100+ millionaires. The study revealed that concerns about their health are the leading causes of stress for millionaires and non-millionaires alike.

The Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates unchanged at its final meeting of the year on Wednesday as officials wait to see how the economy fares after they cut rate three times in 2019. The Fed chair, Jerome H. Powell, and his colleagues made an aggressive shift this year.

Released in late November, the Pete Buttigieg retirement plan focuses on ensuring “all Americans experience dignity and security in retirement.” Buttigieg’s plan identifies the three biggest short comings of retirement savings in America.

Paul Volcker, who as Federal Reserve chairman in the early 1980s elevated interest rates to historic highs and triggered a recession, always maintained it was the price to be paid for quashing double-digit inflation.

The late Federal Reserve chief was most renowned for fighting inflation, but he also understood—before almost anyone else did—that Wall Street was out of control.

In this week’s Rewirement Tip, Jamie Hopkins discusses some end-of-the-year tax planning strategies.

With the start of a new decade just around the corner, Americans are feeling optimistic about their current and future financial situation, but reducing the burden of personal debt will be a priority for many who acknowledge they bit off more than they could chew in 2019, according to a Fidelity Investments’ survey.

Futures: The stock market rally and China-tied Apple, AMD and Alibaba await President Donald Trump’s China trade war decision on Dec. 15 tariffs.

With ongoing trade tensions, geopolitical uncertainty, and unpredictable policymaking becoming the new normal, Vanguard expects U.S. growth to decelerate below trend to around 1% in 2020, with the risk of recession still elevated.

The Labor Department’ s report was much stronger than last month, helped in part by the end of a General Motors strike. The return of tens of thousands of striking workers to their jobs at General Motors helped supercharge hiring totals last month. President Trump stoked trade tensions this week by imposing new tariffs on steel and aluminum from Brazil and…

Friday’ s November jobs report will provide insight into whether steady hiring remains a source of strength for the U.S. economy even as the Trump administration’ s trade conflicts have heightened uncertainties for employers. Renewed concerns that trade will continue to hamper the U.S. economy drove stock prices lower earlier this week.

The SEC’s Division of Investment Management and Division of Trading Markets published a list of the four most frequently asked questions regarding Form CRS, which firms will need to be following by June 2020 as part of the SEC’s adoption of a four-part rulemaking package last June.

Review your investment portfolio before the end of the year to see what Long Term Capital Gain Dividend distributions have already hit the account and check to see if there will be any others to come before year end. Careful tax planning like this can save your clients a bundle.

Stocks closed broadly lower and bond prices rose sharply on Wall Street after President Donald Trump cast doubt over the potential for a trade deal with China this year. Investors had been hoping for a deal this year, or at least enough progress to stave off new U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, including smartphones and laptops, scheduled to start Dec. 15.

End-of-the-year planning is an important step for advisors to get their clients in a position to take 2020 by financial storm. As advisors guide their clients through the remaining weeks of 2019, keeping these tips in mind will go a long way for advisors and clients.

The proposal will impose a uniform fiduciary conduct standard on broker-dealers, agents, investment advisors and investment advisor representatives providing financial advice to any clients in Massachusetts. A public hearing will be held on the proposal next month, officials said Monday, with adoption to follow as soon as Feb. 1.

Two U.S. presidents have been formally impeached by Congress: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. In addition, two other U.S. presidents have faced formal impeachment inquiries: Richard Nixon and Donald Trump. So far, no U.S. president has been removed from office through the full impeachment process.

Income is hard to find, just as many retirees are looking for it. Rapidly retiring baby boomers seek cash flow to supplement retirement income from other sources like Social Security. Many see income-producing assets as a ballast if the aging 10-year-old bull market runs out of steam.

To safely make it through potentially decades of retirement, women need to go the extra mile with their preparations.

No longer a one-day dash for doorbusters, retail watchers now count the five days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday as the holiday season’ s curtain raiser. If Christmas creep and increased traffic in your neighborhood touches off your inner grouch, consider that retail is America’ s largest private-sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs.

The holidays are a stressful time for people … and their wallets. In fact, the average consumer will drop $1,048…

Not Richard Nixon and not Bill Clinton, both of whom had been safely re-elected before running into their impeachment buzzsaws. You can be sure that this cash will quickly be deployed into key states that Trump won in 2016 and which will make him or break him a year from now: Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio.