Michael Carrico

State of Banking

The State of Banking: How Concerned Should We Be?

Three banks have made headlines in recent days, Silvergate Bank and its holding company Silvergate Capital Corp (NYSE: SI), Signature Bank (Nasdaq: SBNY), and most notably Silicon Valley Bank and its holding company SVB Financial Group (Nasdaq: SIVB).  Silvergate Bank is a major bank of the cryptocurrency community and announced on March 8, 2023 that it would be winding down operations with plans to liquidate voluntarily.[1]  On Friday, March 10, 2023 California banking regulators announced that the FDIC would take over the liquidation of Silicon Valley Bank holding company SVB Financial Group.[2]  On Sunday night, March 12, New York banking regulators announced that Signature Bank would be placed into receivership of the FDIC.[3]

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Diving In Again: Roth 2.0

Diving In Again: Roth 2.0

It seems the only things discussed these days in financial publications are interest rates, inflation, and labor markets. It makes sense. The disconnect between the stories the Fed officials are telling and the one the market seems to be sketching makes for a mesmerizing experience akin to staring into a campfire. It is hard to look away. One of these parties will have to be wrong, but which one?

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On Predictions… and Being Wrong

Happy New Year! The end of the year is all about reflection and the beginning of the year is all about looking forward.  With that spirit in mind, today is a good day to think about looking ahead and what that means in finance.

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The Year is Almost Over.  Have You Funded Your HSA?

With the year swiftly coming to a close it’s time for taxpayers to think about those year-end financial housekeeping items. While there are many topics to consider such as year-end tax deadlines, portfolio allocation, and the cost of the holidays, what we’re thinking about today is Health Savings Accounts or “HSAs.” Today we’ll review HSA contribution limits and deadlines, the value of HSAs as a tax planning and retirement planning tool, and investing your HSA balance.

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Is the Market Telling Us the Worst is Behind Us?

Last Thursday was the largest single day gain (+5.54%) for the S&P 500 Index since 2020. The Nasdaq Composite (+7.35%) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (+3.69%) had similarly high-flying performance. So, what happened on Thursday, what should we take away from it, and what does that mean going forward?

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Fear

Fear, Greed, and the In-Between

“Let me be clear on one point: I can’t predict the short-term movements of the stock market. I haven’t the faintest idea as to whether stocks will be higher or lower a month or a year from now. What is likely, however, is that the market will move higher, perhaps substantially so, well before either sentiment or the economy turns up. So, if you wait for the robins, spring will be over.” – Warren Buffett in the Fall of 2008

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The Importance of Starting a Roth IRA Before You Retire

It’s common knowledge that Roth assets are a powerful savings tool that provide tax-free income in retirement. But a lot of people don’t understand the difference between Roth IRAs and Roth 401k and 403b plans. If you have a large Roth 401k or Roth 403b balance and you don’t have a Roth IRA yet, you’ll want to listen to the rest of this video.

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