Wealth Management News 2022

What has changed for you in 2022? This year has been as complicated as learning a new dance for some. Did you start a new job or leave a job behind? That's one step. Did you remarry? There's another step. Did you retire? That's practically a pirouette. If notable changes occurred in your personal or professional life, you might want to review your finances before this year ends and 2023 begins. Proving that you have all the right moves in 2022 might put you in a better position to tango with 2023.

Stocks took investors on a roller coaster ride in the third quarter, with an early summer rally coming to an abrupt end after the Fed pledged to continue fighting inflation.

In mid-October, China's Communist Party will hold its five-year planning meeting, during which President Xi will most likely be elected to a third term and possibly "president for life." This meeting will also craft China's five-year economic framework and foreign policy.

A classic retirement preparation rule states that you should retire on 80% of the income you earned in your last year of work. Is this old axiom still true, or does it need reconsidering?

Some new research suggests that retirees may not need that much annual income to keep up their standard of living.

You wake up, and markets are down.  Wall Street has turned pessimistic, and the gloom seems pervasive.  The good news is, if you are saving for retirement and invested in equities, there may be an upside for you – not necessarily today, but in the future.

Market cycles may herald opportunities.  If you are the typical retirement saver who directs a set amount of money per month into your retirement accounts, a market drop may let you acquire a greater number of these shares – at a cheaper price.

Stocks and bonds were rattled by rising interest rates as the Fed took aggressive monetary tightening steps to combat accelerating inflation.  Higher rates and continuing supply chain bottlenecks sparked recession fears.  Stocks continued their slide in June as a red-hot May inflation read heightened fears of a more aggressive Fed, while worries of an economic slowdown grew.  Like May, stocks staged a powerful rebound toward month-end, as falling energy prices and declining bond yields triggered hopes that the Fed may not need to be as aggressive with rate hikes.  Prices stabilized as the quarter came to a close–a welcome development–but it was not enough to take the edge off a difficult second quarter and the first half of performance. 

Across the country, people are saving for that “someday” called retirement.  Someday, their careers will end.  Someday, they may live off their savings or investments, plus Social Security.  What is missing is a strategy – and a good strategy might make a great difference.

Whether you dream of endless Saturdays or dedicating your time to volunteering, remember that retirement is a beginning.  There's no better way to prepare for what may come, than to practice in the present.

Financial markets abhor uncertainty, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine added new uncertainties to a market already wavering from accelerating inflation and the prospect of higher interest rates.  After a year of strong economic growth and solid stock market returns, heightened inflation and the unclear pace of monetary policy tightening triggered market volatility right from the start of the new year.  The potential of rising interest rates propelled bond yields higher and hurt stock valuations, especially the previously high-flying, high-growth technology names.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has made the Fed’s interest rate decision a little more complicated.

Much is out there about the classic financial mistakes that plague start-ups, family businesses, corporations, and charities. Aside from these blunders, some classic financial missteps plague retirees.

Calling them “mistakes” may be a bit harsh, as not all of them represent errors in judgment. Yet whether they result from ignorance or fate, we need to be aware of them as we prepare for and enter retirement.

The stock market kicked off the fourth quarter with a powerful rally in October and added to those gains into November until investors were blindsided by news of the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, and testimony by Fed Chair Jerome Powell that escalating inflation and an improving labor market warranted consideration of an acceleration of its bond purchase tapering plans.

Markets, as a rule, do not like surprises and uncertainty and the combination of a new variant and a suddenly more hawkish Fed sent stocks into a skid that largely erased the November’s accumulated gains. Market reaction to the Omicron news was exacerbated by when the news hit--on Black Friday, a day that typically provides less liquidity since many investors and traders are on holiday.