Beyond the Bell

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Investors, Speculators, and Irrational Markets: Why We Focus on the Long-Term

Among my friends in the industry, we tend to challenge one another’s thinking and ask interesting questions just for fun. Well, I call it fun, though our significant others may beg to differ when it comes up at dinner parties. Lately there have been several discussions about whether current prices are justified by underlying fundamentals and one friend even suggested he may use some “fun money” to short NVDA. This inevitably led my other friend to a quote he has revisited often as of late…

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Distance and Time

Land navigation, in Army jargon, is the act of navigating from one point to another over long distances in varied terrain using a map, protractor, and compass. Every major selection event in the Army (Ranger School, Special Forces selection, etc.) has a graded land navigation component as part of the larger selection event.

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Business Entity Selection for Small Business Owners 

One of the most important decisions that small business owners face is selecting the right type of business entity. There are many options available, such as sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies (LLC), and corporations. The type of entity you select will affect everything from your day-to-day operations to the amount of liability you are exposing yourself to. This article will evaluate the pros and cons of each option in order to help you determine which structure would suit you and your business the best.

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How Are the Magnificent 7 Faring Through Earnings Season?

The S&P 500 closed last week down 0.42% ending a five-week winning streak and pulling back from a string of record-breaking highs. The dour mood continued into the beginning of this week and the S&P 500 only barely squeaked out a positive return in the last few minutes of trading on Wednesday leading up to the Nvidia earnings release only to turn on a dime and power back on Thursday. There are explanations for this activity which I’ll explore below. However, the bottom line is that volatility is back in the markets, and we are seeing that in the reactions to earnings announcements this quarter. As of Wednesday night, the companies dubbed the Magnificent 7 have all reported earnings and they seem as good an example as any to explore how changing expectations are impacting stock prices.

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Insights: Back to the Basics

As I’ve gotten older, I have liked the idea of setting intentions for myself, deciding to grant mental real estate to things I’d like to spend more time doing or trying. These aren’t New Year’s Resolutions about abstaining from alcohol or getting my heart rate up 5x per week (or other new habits that die quickly about this time of year). These are… bigger than that, but also simpler than that. And that is what makes them challenging.

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 A Guide to the 72(q)/72(t) Distribution Method 

In this episode of StreetSmarts, Dylan Potter, Vice President and Wealth Manager at Howe & Rusling, delves into the intricacies of Section 72(q)/72(t) of the tax code, which provides a distribution method that will allow you the flexibility to draw on retirement accounts, penalty-free, before the age of 59 ½.

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“Optimism is a Moral Duty”

This newsletter is going to come across a bit disjointed. There are a couple different topics I wanted to touch on, so I thought I’d do a bit on each topic running through my head in quick fashion.

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Should Investors Worry About the U.S. Presidential Election?

Investing in an Election Year: Should Investors Worry About the U.S. Presidential Election?

Should Investors Worry About the U.S. Presidential Election? Happy New Year, everyone! I know we’re already nearly a month into 2024, but this is my first article to our clients in the new year and I just took down my Christmas tree embarrassingly late in January, so it still feels appropriate. At the beginning of every year, the financial media is awash in market forecasts. It should come as no surprise that I am not one for market predictions, but it is valuable to consider the developments so far in 2024, understand the market environment we find ourselves in today, and think about the challenges and opportunities the coming year may have in store. One topic I expect to come up in conversation this year is the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Throughout my career, every presidential election cycle has brought fresh anxiety for investors and questions about what a given election outcome might mean for the markets. So, we’ll consider that question today and hopefully avoid some apprehension later.

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