Light Reading

Many of our clients are both intentional and generous when it comes to charitable giving. Some of us also received a larger tax bill in 2022 than we expected. If you are looking for ways to reduce tax exposure and at the same time maximize the impact of your charitable giving, we have a couple ideas.

The S&P 500 rose to the highest level since March 2022 early in the third quarter but rising global bond yields, fears of a rebound in inflation and concerns about a future economic slowdown weighed on the major indices in August and September and the S&P 500 finished the third quarter with a modest loss.

Economists have been predicting a recession for the U.S. economy ever since the Federal Reserve began aggressively raising interest rates in 2022. This is Econ 101.High interest rates, which make it more expensive to borrow, are intended to tame inflation by slowing business and consumer spending.

Gone are the days when employees spent their entire careers with a single company. It’s much more prevalent during the course of a career, especially among younger generations, to move from job to job. However, amidst all this career movement, retirement funds often get left behind.

The S&P 500 ended the second quarter and first half of 2023 at a 14-month high and most major stock indices logged solid gains in the second quarter following a pause in the Fed’s rate hike campaign, stronger-than-expected corporate earnings (especially in the tech sector) and the relatively drama-free resolution of the debt-ceiling.

On June 8, 2023, the S&P 500 index closed at 4,293.93, just over 20% higher than its lowest recent closing value of 3,577.03 reached on October 12, 2022.⁽¹⁾ According to a common definition of market cycles, this indicated that the benchmark index was officially in a bull market after a bear market that began in January 2022.

First Quarter Recap: The S&P 500 Starts the Year with Gains Despite Continued Uncertainty. Markets showed strong gains in January, driven by decline in inflation indicators.

This is a reasonable concern many investors raised in the wake of three bank failures in March. Worries led investors to reduce deposits, but the larger fear was whether banking could be entering a larger financial crisis.

Artificial Intelligence, also known as AI, is technology that uses computers to mimic human knowledge and learning. The concept of AI has been discussed for years, but the rollout of ChatGPT launched it into the mainstream.

George was both our partner and friend. I had the privilege of working with George since 2002, first as a Securities Analyst and Producer at Northeast Securities and then as we launched Brixton Capital Wealth Advisors in 2017.