Keep Calm and Carry On in US Public Equity Markets

Here is a headline that you would not expect to see. Proudly for most Woodstock clients it shows how smart you are. “In the gloom that hung over the financial world in 2008, it would have been difficult to imagine US stocks were poised to embark on their longest bull run in history.

The S&P 500 Index was volatile in the first half of the year through June, and tallied returns that were a little better than break-even at the mid-year mark, +2.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was slightly negative at -0.72%, and the tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite Index was the mid-point winner, up a strong 9.36%. In the third quarter markets accelerated in July and August before slowing in September.

What You Don’t Know About Social Security Could Hurt You

In discussing various tax advantaged programs with the next generation there is nothing as important as their understanding the US social security program. A recent article discussed what most Americans don’t know about social security.[1] The key idea is that you need to work to benefit: “monthly benefits are calculated based on your 35 highest years of earnings”.