Tape Talk | Investing, Business, Wealth, and Your Money

On this week's episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel discuss what investors might consider in light of recent volatility and market valuations here.

The evolving coronavirus epidemic continues to paint the headlines as more cases are reported both in and outside of China. It appears the market is still assessing just what type of impact this event is going to have in economic terms. However, investors appear to have begun taking the seriousness of the situation to heart as the market came under increased pressure as this week unfolded.

Valuation is best described as what you are getting in relation to what you're paying. Currently, many stocks and sectors in this market are being valued higher than their historical norms. While part of this is the result of the Fed's easing and low interest rates, it also indicates investors are taking on more risk as they pay a greater price for each dollar of earnings.

On this week's episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel discuss why it's important for your investments to have a goal and that you ensure they're allocated appropriately to achieve it.

Before getting into this week's topic we first hit the headlines. This week it's news dropping from Washington about potential new tax cuts on the horizon as well as the Fed continuing to inject liquidity into the overnight lending markets. However, stocks continue to shrug off most headlines good and bad as they methodically move higher.

One of the things that Quint and Daniel have been seeing more lately, as the market continues to set new highs, is a general lack of focus on investors around what their investing goals are and how their portfolio is working towards those goals. We discuss a bit about why it's important to not just own investments but understand why you own what you own and how you are working your way towards your own goals. At the end of the day, it's nice to know how the S&P 500 performed but it's more important to know whether you're on track for the goals that are important to you.

In this week's episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel discuss the complacent mentality taking hold of investors as the market ticks higher.

The impeachment process progressed and Phase one of the US/China Trade war was resolved this week but markets mostly gave both of these events very little fanfare.

As markets continue to drift higher and most asset classes finished 2019 with gains the overarching theme of 2019 may simply be "risk management." While everyone would love to make as much as possible on their investment portfolios, managing risk can be key to both sleeping at night and ensuring you achieve the goals intended for your portfolio.

In this season of bullish markets, we are more focused than ever with aligning clients' risk tolerance, risk temperament, and their required rate of return. Understanding how these three interact are critical to the success of any financial plan and will serve well when markets hit rough waters sometime in the future.

In this week's shortened episode, Quint and Daniel discuss what goes into a financial plan and why that's important as investors start planning their new year.

The headlines this week are all focused on increasing US-Iran tensions which kicked off trading in the new year with some volatility. 

After a year of solid gains in the stock market and the new year starting with some headline risk, Quint and Daniel review why the financial plan is key to your investment success. Additionally, it's important to know what goes into making a successful plan as well as why your required rate of return is key. 

In this episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel discuss the year as it closes out and what investors might look ahead to in the new year.

While the US stock indices are on track for a better than 30% finish to the year many investors seem to be filled with a sense of skepticism and an eye towards a coming decline. One of the benefits of this attitude still being present in a good amount of retail investors is that the latest move higher has yet to be fueled by general euphoria which often marks market tops.

As investors look forward to the new year it's an appropriate time to consider and revisit your required rate of return. This number, which is the return you require to meet the goals for your investments, is a critical part of your financial planning and investment allocation process. If you are entering the new year without knowing this number and how it applies to your portfolio it may be time to review your financial plan.

Congress recently passed new legislation with significant changes to various tax rules affecting retirement savings. One of the most notable of these changes is the increase of the age for required minimum distributions as well as changes to distribution rules for inherited IRAs.  

In this week's episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel discuss why the recent headlines don't seem to interest markets and how disruption becomes an investable theme.

The impeachment progress this week in the US House of Representatives pretty much made the stock market yawn. What might seem on the surface like it should be market-moving news is simply a non-event at this point. Both sides of the aisle have already put their cards on the table for how they intend to handle the situation going forward. This means unless something significant changes or is revealed in the upcoming proceedings the market will likely continue to ignore the big headlines on the impeachment news.

With the holiday season quickly approaching it's time to consider what your tax picture may be shaping up to look like for 2019. In fact, you still have time to make some important moves to save some money when filing next April. A few things worth considering are your required minimum distributions, charitable contributions, and any retirement contributions still to make. A little planning in the next week or two can literally pay-off for you when it comes to this years taxes.

While impeachment may not be a market-disrupting event there are still individual companies that are disrupting or being disrupted in this era of business. Investors may do well to keep a keen eye on any of their individual holdings to ascertain which side of that coin the companies they're invested in happen to lay. Take for instance FedEx and Amazon. With Amazon moving away from utilizing FedEx for its shipping needs the global shipping giant's stock price has struggled.

In this week's episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel review some of the recent headlines as well as what investors might need to consider into the end of the year.

The markets yawned at Nancy Pelosi's news conference announcing articles of impeachment. Quint and Daniel discuss how most of the impeachment news now has become political posturing more than it is market moving. Most investors have an idea of how the events should transpire from here and unless there are any surprises the market may just ignore developments from here.

Investors are forced to continue wrestling with President Trump's opaque remarks surrounding his intentions and desires for a trade deal in the near future. After recent comments from the President that a deal might not need to be completed until after 2020 elections markets through a temper tantrum in response to the lack of clarity.

News aside, there are still things investors can do to make the most of 2019 before the year concludes. Quint and Daniel discuss a few of these items that investors might want to consider before the calendar turns.

As we roll into Thanksgiving Quint sits with Refuge Medical Clinic's executive director Rachel Smith to discuss the organization, their mission, their success and their needs going forward. This in-depth review of a local non-profit celebrating their 10th year and servicing over 5,000 individuals is a great break from the political and economic back and forth.

In this week's episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel discuss some of the headlines circling as the S&P 500 continues its march higher.

The Federal Reserve continues to prop up the repurchase agreement market ("repo" for short) after rates suddenly spiked higher last month in this rarely discussed corner of the market. The Fed has committed to smoothing some of the volatility in this area of the market to keep overnight lending orderly and reduce the chances off any fallout that lack of liquidity there may provide. 

Any developing news on the trade war between the US and China seems to be far overshadowed lately by the tensions ongoing between Hong Kong protestors and authorities. As the tensions in Hong Kong continue to escalate many investors are keeping a watchful eye on what this could mean for China's need to use its military in an attempt to end the protests. If this happens, many will be left to wonder about the future autonomy of Hong Kong overall. 

During the recent market moves, small-cap stocks have lagged their larger stock counterparts. In fact, while the S&P 500, NASDAQ, and Dow Jones have throttled higher, the Russell 2000 small-cap index is noticeably still well under its 2018 high. Quint and Daniel review a few of the reasons these indices have taken different paths of the past few months and what that could mean to investors going forward. 

In this week's episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel discuss some ways to think about planning ahead in your financial life.

Hitting the headlines this week is news that China and the US intend to begin rolling back some tariffs as they find some neutral ground in the trade war. However, at this point, the market doesn't seem to be paying attention to these updated trade war headlines. In fact, it may just be that the market overall is becoming deaf to the trade war static until something more tangible comes to pass.

It's been said that nothing in life is certain other than death and taxes. While you are hopefully planning for your taxes annually it seems that death is quite a taboo topic for many. However, whether it is the death of a partner, their incapacitation, or just a change in life circumstances, it's important to plan ahead for what you'll do if something happens to the financial "CFO" in your relationship. Quint and Daniel discuss what they consider and what families might think about to prepare for the inevitable in this area.

Costs for investors are dropping rapidly and yet Quint and Daniel still often see people who are paying more than they should while rarely realizing it. For this reason, they discuss how to review your investment management fees while also considering the tax ramifications of fund investing some investors tend to overlook. 

If you are planning your finances for the end of the year it may be time to think about rebalancing. What's your strategy? What are the triggers? What type of tolerance bands are you using? Whether you do it yourself or rely on an advisor, these are some of the questions you should be asking to ensure you are keeping your actual risk inline with your intended risk.