Viewpoints: February 2021 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 Winter is Here: Over 2.5 million homes…
Coronavirus Stimulus 2.0 At the end of December, the latest $900 billion Covid Relief bill was passed out of congress and days later, signed into law by the President. Though smaller than the stimulus package passed in March 2020, this will provide much needed relief for many Americans. The main focus of the package is…
Beyond Your Finances, Education Planning
College Students: Financial Checklist & Survival Guide The college experience in the time of COVID-19 is sure to be unlike any other semester. In our August edition of Viewpoints, we shared how college and university campuses are preparing for the return of students for the fall semester. Continuing on that topic, we wanted to share…
August 2020 Financial Markets Summary 2020 has been a year for the record books… and it’s only August! The markets have experienced an unprecedented amount of volatility with the fastest 30% or more domestic stock market decline in history, the biggest quarterly decline in GDP since 1947 and many well-known company bankruptcies such as Hertz,…
Stress & Happiness During these unprecedented times, many of us are struggling with stress, anxiety, and feelings of unhappiness. According to a recent survey by Gallup, the percentage of U.S. adults who consider themselves to be “thriving” has dropped to 46.4%, nearly 10% lower than the previous year’s survey results, and matching the low point…
Volatility The Random Walk Theory suggests that stock prices take a random and unpredictable path, therefore past trends are irrelevant to future stock price movements. We should consider renaming it the Random Sprint Theory after the volatility we’ve seen in 2020 thus far. Recent Heightened Volatility Financial markets have been moving at breakneck speeds, both…
July 2020 Financial Markets Summary Growth vs. value, large vs. small and domestic vs. international are some of the most common ways to categorize stocks. However, James Investment Research, Inc. has recently coined a new label: reopening vs. quarantine. James suggests that in this market, there have been two type of stocks, the reopening and…
Giving Back During the COVID-19 Pandemic PDS Planning established PDS CARES, a charitable fund with The Columbus Foundation, in 2015 as a way to give back to our community. PDS CARES and PDS Planning employees have given over $4,000 to COVID-19 related efforts including donations to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio, the TCF…
June 2020 Financial Markets Summary The economic data and news continue to be overwhelming and devastating. The national unemployment rate recently soared to a post-World War II high of 14.7% and will inevitably continue to increase. Company earnings have been slashed and consumer spending has dropped at an unprecedented pace. Industrial production declined faster than…
May 2020 Financial Markets Summary April was a strong month for markets (in fact, the best month since January 1987) as the number of new COVID-19 cases started to plateau, prospects of a potential vaccine improved and plans to reopen economies were laid out. However, we wanted to look at this through a longer-term perspective. …
Scam Alert: COVID-19 Con artists are working overtime during these trying times. The Federal Trade Commission says coronavirus-related scams have cost Americans $13.4 million so far this year. To avoid falling prey, they recommend the following: Don’t respond to texts, emails, or calls about checks from the government Ignore online offers for vaccinations Be…
Diversification: U.S. vs. International Stocks In the midst of the current market turbulence, many of our clients are paying more attention to financial markets and their investment portfolios than they otherwise typically might. Rather than allowing headlines to influence our emotions, at PDS Planning we rely upon longer-term data and historical context to put the…
Viewpoints: April 2020 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 Tech Titans: The top 5 stocks in…
Diversification: Stocks & Bonds In the midst of the current market turbulence, many of our clients are paying more attention to financial markets and their investment portfolios than they otherwise typically might. Rather than allowing headlines to influence our emotions, at PDS Planning we rely upon longer-term data and historical context to put the current…
Technology to Make Social Distancing Easier Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, many of us have discovered new ways to use technology to make social distancing easier. We recently shared how we’re adapting to Ohio’s Stay at Home Order in our “What’s Happening” blog post. Our Fall 2019 Client Education Workshop featured speaker John Diehl of Hartford…
