December 2017 Financial Markets Summary 2017 has been a great year so far for investors with domestic stocks gaining over 15%, developed international increasing 23% and emerging markets surging over 32%. Schwab’s Chief Global Investment Strategist Jeffrey Kleintop recently wrote the “5 Reasons for Investors to Give Thanks” during this holiday season. Stocks have been…
Welcome to Viewpoints, a monthly bulletin from PDS Planning to our valued clients and friends. Our goal with each issue of Viewpoints is to provide you with a wide variety of perspectives on life and wealth. Feel free to share with others. Economic and Investment News Bits “Black Friday”? How about “Black 2017”?: The S&P…
November 2017 Financial Markets Summary Global stock markets continue to chug along with domestic stocks up 10%-15% year-to-date, developed international up 21% and emerging markets up over 32%. Bonds have also generated positive returns, but with the expectation for steadily increasing interest rates, we thought it might be helpful to explain the Federal Reserve’s role,…
Here is the link to the 3rd Quarter PDS Investment Webcast in case you missed it today! This quarterly call started with a recap of what has taken place so far this year. We also discussed the current bull market relative to history. The main talking points centered around the Federal Reserve’s role, current stance…
Economic and Investment News Bits Last Quarter of the Year: Since 1992, the S&P 500 has gained an average of +4.9% over the final 3 months of the year, with 20 of the last 25 fourth quarters producing positive returns. Since 2003, the S&P 500 has had only one down calendar year (2008). October 19th,…
October 2017 Financial Markets Summary The third quarter has been far from quiet with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, increased tensions with North Korea, the German election and the Equifax data breach. However, global stock markets have been very resilient to these events and continue climbing higher. International stocks led the way for the quarter with…
Economic and Investment News Bits In the last 50 years, the S&P 500 has experienced declines of at least 10% on 25 occasions, roughly every 24 months on average. The most recent of the 25 declines occurred on February 11, 2016, or 19 months ago. Americans gave $390 billion to charity in 2016. Giving from…
Thank you! 32 years ago, Bob Hamilton and Bob Cochran chose to turn the page of their careers and create PDS Planning. They started providing financial planning and investment advice for just one client in Columbus, Ohio, and have now grown the company to 450 clients spread across 31 states. Over 32 years, they experienced…
Estate & Legacy, Market Commentary, Retirement
A recent post from Jamie at his WealthAdviceMadeSimple blog outlining the importance of fees. There are few certainties in life, and probably even fewer when it comes to investing. One guarantee that I can make is this: what you don’t spend, you get to keep. Fees matter. Especially when it comes to your money.…
Economic and Investment News Bits So goes Jan, Feb, Mar, April, May, June and July: Only the 4th calendar year in history (since 1926) that the first seven months of the year were all positive for the S&P 500 Index. (Source: BlackRock) The worst performing month for the S&P 500 has been August, suffering an…
30 years ago this month, investors were enjoying one of the strongest bull markets in history. The Dow was up more than 40% for the year, to a record high of around 2,750. Things began to get a bit dicey after that, with a drop of 9% over the next few weeks, followed by…
August 2017 Financial Markets Summary Whether you know the story as Chicken Little or Henny Penny, the plot is the same. A chick believes the sky is falling when an acorn falls on its head and decides to tell the king. On its journey, the chick meets other animals who believe the panicked chick and…
Here is the link to the 2nd Quarter PDS Investment Webcast in case you missed it today! This quarterly call started with a recap of what has taken place so far this year. We spent time reviewing the synchronized global growth market, along with the lack of volatility around the world. We also discussed the…
Economic and Investment News Bits The average credit score has reached an all-time high of 700. There are now more U.S. consumers rated “super-prime” (800+ credit score) than there are rated “subprime” (<600 credit score). You can obtain your free credit report and score at: freecreditscore.com. (Source: FICO) 44% of adults could not pay for…
July 2017 Financial Markets Summary At the halfway point in the year, with the exception of commodities, most asset classes have performed quite well. International stocks have led the way with emerging markets (China, India, Brazil, etc.) increasing by almost 19% and developed markets (Europe, Canada, Japan, etc.) by almost 14%. Domestic stocks are not…
