Montgomery Community Media

To raise or not to raise? That has been the question for most of the past few years if you are a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The FOMC is the arm of the Federal Reserve Bank that votes on the direction of interest rates. The challenge is that while the […]

To raise or not to raise? That has been the question for most of the past few years if you are a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The FOMC is the arm of the Federal Reserve Bank that votes on what they want to do with interest rates. The challenge is […]

To paraphrase Jim Morrison, summer’s almost gone. While it was hopefully fun filled and full of great memories, for many young people this summer was also a chance to earn a few dollars before heading back to college. During the summer, the labor force participation (LFP) rate among youth aged 16 to 24 generally increases. […]

It’s that time of year again. Before we know it, our kids will be walking into their classrooms for the first time this term. This is the time of the year when my office is asked almost daily, “Can I afford this private school tuition?” The national average private school tuition is approximately $10,096 per […]

So far this year, the “sell in May and go away” strategy has been a flop as the U.S. stock market continues its summer rally. What might be more surprising is that some of the year’s biggest winners have been the emerging markets and high yield bonds. The high yield recovery is something we have […]

This is Part 2 of my 2-Part series on how a Republican, Democratic, or Libertarian presidential win would impact a person who is near retirement or recently retired. In Part I, I focused on each candidate’s positions on Social Security. This part will focus on Medicare, Medicaid, and will touch on other issues that are […]

I often write about what my clients ask me and lately they’ve been asking about the election. The election’s impact on the stock market has been discussed at length on Forbes and in other publications. . This is a great topic, but I think what is missing in the personal finance media coverage is information […]

The Markets:  The U.S. investment market’s mid-year report card is a mixed picture. Bonds continue to do well while stocks continue to be flat to down year to date. All those who said interest rates couldn’t go any lower and avoided the bond market, continue to miss a nice rally. Of course, the high yield bond […]

Many economists and market analysts have predicted that we will continue to see heightened market volatility for the near future. As a financial advisor, I’m asked about volatility often. People first want to know how they should react. I tell them that these periods of volatility underscore why you need to have a financial plan […]

During these uncertain times, it’s easy to get caught up in the market volatility news coverage. While we know that we should look beyond the markets, it can be hard to imagine an alternative. Near retirees, your alternative is to look inward and assess not only your current financial status but also your future financial […]