Stonebrook Wealth Management Blog

Have you ever wondered how estate planning might fit into your overall, future plans? Even if you are just starting to build your estate and do not need complex estate planning, here’s a quick look at some steps you should consider taking in order to help prepare your family and to manage potential expenses in the event of your death.

And just like that, the calendar turned to October and volatility picked up in a big way, with three consecutive 1% moves for the S&P 500 Index to start the month. As we noted in our October preview, this month gets a bad rap for being a bearish month (it isn’t), but it absolutely owns the title as the most volatile month.

When the markets are shaky, it can be tempting to rely on political headlines or pending legislation to time your entry or exit points. However, letting politics drive your investment decisions can be a costly mistake. Learn more about what helps market trends endure beyond political administrations and why you should ignore the noise and focus on your investment fundamentals.

Since an unexpected death can happen at any time, life insurance is essential. While no amount of money can ease the grief that comes with losing someone, life insurance can reduce the financial burden that may arise. Here are the basics of life insurance:

In July, the president issued an executive order intended to "combat excessive consolidation of industry, abuses of market power, and the harmful effects of monopoly." More than a dozen federal agencies were directed to begin working on 72 initiatives that seek to promote robust competition in the U.S. economy, in some cases through new regulations.¹

Finance, in general, bases on rational and logical theories, and for the most part, tends to be somewhat predictable. Early financial theories assumed that people behave rationally and predictably and that outside factors and emotions do not influence people when making financial decisions. However, behavioral finance has proven people behave irrationally and differently in the real world.

It is human nature to seek advice when things aren't going well or when an unforeseen event occurs. Often, people seek financial advice from a professional only when the stock market and their investments are experiencing turbulent times. Reactive decisions made during periods of stock market volatility may cause investors losses they can’t recover.

Reducing your emotions can give you a better chance for investing success.

Money is always an emotional subject, but often when our emotions get involved with our investments we will make wrong decisions. And that can be a costly mistake.

A few days before the official start of summer on June 21st, Wall Street’s eyes and ears were on the Federal Reserve, and as expected, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) made no changes to the fed funds rate or the pace of asset purchases.

In March 2021, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.6%, the largest one-month increase since August 2012. Over the previous 12 months, the increase was 2.6%, the highest year-over-year inflation rate since August 2018. (By contrast, inflation in 2020 was just 1.4%.)¹