Planmark Administrator, Author at Planmark Financial Group

18

Dec2017

Weekly Market Commentary – Tax reform is coming…..Inflation and $5 haircuts?

December 18, 2017

The Markets Here we come a tax-reforming… The reconciliation of Congressional tax reform bills proceeded apace last week, and Congress is expected to vote on the measure early this week. If tax reform passes, the head of U.S. equity strategy with JPMorgan, thinks we may see value ... Read More

11

Dec2017

Weekly Market Commentary – We know about product obsolescence, what about Human obsolescence?

December 11, 2017

The Markets “It's the hap- happiest season of all.” While holidays don’t make everyone happy, investors should be feeling festive. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is up more than 18 percent year-to-date. The Dow Jones Global ex U.S. Index is up about 21 percent year-to-date (refer ... Read More

04

Dec2017

Weekly Market Commentary – What will it take to shake investors’ confidence?

December 4, 2017

The Markets What will it take to shake investors’ confidence? From the perspective of unsettling events, last week was jam-packed. North Korea claimed to have the capability to strike the United States with a nuclear missile, tax reform continued to travel a controversial path through the House ... Read More

27

Nov2017

Weekly Market Commentary – Have Markets become overripe?

November 27, 2017

The Markets There was a lot to be thankful for last week. Stock markets around the world may have ripened to full-slip sweetness this year. Emerging markets have delivered the most attractive returns year-to-date. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index was up 34 percent year-to-date, last week. The ... Read More

20

Nov2017

Weekly Market Commentary – Investors…more like Tigers or African Wild dogs?

November 20, 2017

The Markets Are investors more like tigers or African wild dogs? It appears investors – retail and institutional – have become rather like predators. They patiently stalk shares, waiting for a dip, and then they strike – buying stocks when prices fall. Consider last week. Barron’s described it ... Read More

13

Nov2017

Weekly Market Commentary – Divergence in U.S. companies growth of earnings

November 13, 2017

The Markets Selling it overseas. Most of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index have reported third quarter earnings per share (EPS), which is the profit earned per share of stock outstanding during the period. Many have done quite well. With more than 90 ... Read More

06

Nov2017

Weekly Market Commentary – Tax reform and the Markets – Technology for Pets?

November 6, 2017

The Markets “Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society.” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’s statement is engraved on the front of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, D.C. Some people agree with the sentiment. Others believe it to be a logical fallacy. It’s ... Read More

24

Oct2017

IRS Announced the 2018 Retirement Plan Limits

October 24, 2017

MAXIMUM BENEFIT AND CONTRIBUTION LIMITS TYPE OF LIMITATION Calendar Year 2017 Calendar Year 2018 401(k), 403(b) and 457 Deferral Limit $18,000 $18,500 401(k), 403(b), and 457 Catch-up Contribution Limit $6,000 $6,000... Read More

23

Oct2017

Weekly Commentary – And the hits just keep on coming

October 23, 2017

The Markets And the hits just keep on coming. Last week was the anniversary of Black Monday. On October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) lost 508 points, or more than 20 percent of its value, as it fell from the previous trading day’s closing ... Read More

19

Oct2017

Weekly Commentary – Nobel Prizes and a new kind of Economics

October 19, 2017

The Markets There’s a new kid in town: narrative economics. Last week, Richard Thaler was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics. His work in behavioral economics and finance recognizes not all economic and financial decisions are made after rational reflection. In Nudge, he wrote: “The workings of the ... Read More