WHY CONSIDER DIVIDENDS? Dividend income has represented roughly one-third of the total return on the Standard and Poor’s 500 since 1926. According to S&P, the portion of total return attributable to dividends has ranged from a high of 53% during the 1940s — in other words, more than half that decade’s return resulted from dividends […]
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Interest Rates Rising… What About the Stock Market?
• What is the relationship between interest rates and the stock market? • Can stocks rise in a rising interest rate environment? • Do interest rates impact all stocks the same? Logic, and recent stock market volatility, would seem to suggest an inverse relationship between interest rates and stock valuations. Interest rates have been low […]
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Inflation Doesn’t Retire When You Do
The need to outpace inflation doesn’t end at retirement; in fact, it becomes even more important. If you’re living on a fixed income, you need to make sure your investing strategy takes inflation into account. Otherwise, you may have less buying power in the later years of your retirement because your income doesn’t stretch as […]
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Holding Equities for the Long Term: Time vs. Timing
Legendary investor Warren Buffett is famous for his long-term perspective. He has said that he likes to make investments he would be comfortable holding even if the market shut down for 10 years. Investing with an eye to the long term is particularly important with stocks. Historically, equities have typically outperformed bonds, cash, and inflation, […]
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What Rising Rates Could Mean for Your Money
After years of keeping the benchmark federal funds rate at historic lows, the Federal Reserve has been raising it gradually. Near-zero rates were an emergency measure, and gradual increases reflect greater confidence in the U.S. economy. However, rising rates can affect you as a consumer and investor. WHAT IS THE FEDERAL FUNDS RATE? The […]
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Are Your Cash Investments Fully Insured?
As many of you know, a person’s bank accounts are only covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation up to $250,000 per person. Many people may be unaware that any cash held in a savings, money market and checking accounts over that balance may not be fully insured. For people who do have large checking, […]