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Tuesday, August 29, 2023

On The Mark: Back to the Future 60/40 As students head back to school getting ready for anotheryear of learning, we question whether we should learnfrom history and whether it’s time to go back to the 60/40portfolio for future...

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

The “Artificial” Magic in the Stock Market Rally The stock market (S&P 500 index) is up nearly 17% for thefirst half and has proven surprisingly resilient despitenumerous challenges. These include ongoing recessionworries,...

Thursday, June 22, 2023

Avoiding a “Self-inflicted Recession”Recession fearsAfter the dramatic events in the banking sector, many investors are worried about a potential recession, and for agood reason. Recessions have real-world impacts...

Monday, May 22, 2023

The Retractable (Debt) CeilingThe clock is ticking on US debt ceiling negotiations.Treasury Secretary Yellen informed Congress that cashbalances are estimated to run out by early June, the socalled X-datei. With the deadline fast...

Monday, April 17, 2023

Demise of the US Dollar: Greatly Exaggerated or Destiny?Dollar fearsAfter a decade of relative strength, the US dollar hasdeclined sharply over the last six months. This hascoincided with media reports that the world may reducedollar...

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Thursday, March 23, 2023

Fed Decision - Aiming for StabilityThe Road So FarOver the last two weeks, the FDIC assumed control ofSilicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. Both banks hadexperienced losses in their fixed-income portfolios andwere unable to attract...

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Why did this happen?In its simplest form, banks gather deposits from clients (individuals and corporations), and they pay those clients a short-term interest rate. They then invest some of those deposits in fixed income securities,...

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Opportunity in Growth, Value, or Both?Defining Growth & ValueFor many, the growth and value styles of investingmay be foreign terms. Let’s begin with definingthem.Growth companies tend to be those with revenuesgrowing faster than...

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

What is The Debt Ceiling?On January 19, the US government reached its legal $31.4trillion (T) debt limit1. The debt ceiling is about paying thebill on purchases already made, just like paying your creditcard bill. The difference,...

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Three Takeaways from 2022o 2022 was an exceptionally bad year as inflation andhigher interest rates wreaked havoc on markets.o 2022 is the only time in history where stocks andbonds each fell by more than 10% and eventraditional...

Friday, December 30, 2022

Whether it's the price of bread, gasoline, or rent, we all feel inflation. As consumers, we often feel inflation differently than the Fed measures inflation. In this month's On The Mark, we explore three aspects of inflation – price change

Monday, November 21, 2022

What's the Alternative?This year has been a head-scratcher for most investors, given it has seen the worst period of returns for bonds while alsoseeing an equity bear market. Alternative investments have been used by institutional...

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Is the 60/40 Portfolio Dead or Just Dazed?Key Takeaways• 2022 has dealt a blow to the 60/40 portfolio. Whilelosses in a 60/40 portfolio are not unusual, losses instocks and bonds simultaneously are unusual.• Since 1928,...

Monday, October 10, 2022

The Bear Market is Back, Will it Hibernate Soon?After a summer rally, volatility is back in full swing. 2022 has challenged investors’ patience as almost every investmenthas had negative returns, with the exception of...

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Midterms & MarketsKey Takeaways• Historically, midterm elections have cost theincumbent presidential party seats in the House ofRepresentatives.• During midterm election years, market returns tend tobe range-bound and...

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Defend with an Inflation BufferWith US inflation experiencing record highs and financial markets in correction territory, investors and their portfolios arebeing stress tested for the first time since the pandemic-induced drawdown of...

Friday, August 19, 2022

Confused About the Economy? It’s OK.Record high inflation and negative economic growth, asmeasured by US GDP growth, have fueled recessionfears. The bond market is similarly flashing recessionarysignals. Despite this, the S&P 500...

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Investing is HardInvesting seems easy when markets rally and are generally calm. But markets don’t just move up or in a single direction.Markets adapt, gyrate and create new cycles with each being slightly different than the one...

Friday, August 12, 2022

When volatility strikes and stock markets decline, it can rattle even the most experienced investors. As behavioral science tells us, the pain of an investment loss is felt more keenly than the enjoyment of an investment gain.

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Are we in a Recession (Y/N?) Depends on who you ask. That's pretty confusing, right? Let's discuss.

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Will Inflation Last ForeverHighlights:• Inflation hit 9.1% in June—its highest level in four decades.1• The Fed raised interest rates in an effort to slow US growth and moderate inflation. Fed officials are...

Monday, July 25, 2022

Not All Recessions Are Created EqualInvestors are currently grappling with the question of whether the recent rise in interest rates will lead to an economicslowdown (soft landing) or an economic recession (hard landing). While the...

Monday, July 18, 2022

Revisiting Bonds: The interest rate conundrumThe Federal Reserve’s recent attempt to tame inflation has resulted in a sharp decline in bond prices. The current situation is incredibly unique. Through May 31, 2022, core bonds, as...

Monday, July 11, 2022

Is a recession needed to tame the bear?There’s a “hurricane” coming for the US economy. Headlines from titans like Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase CEO, havefueled predictions about the next recession. This has clearly...

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Bear Essentials: A Historical GuideA bear market occurs when stocks fall 20 percent from a recent high.  On Monday, June 13, 2022, the S&P 500 fell 22 percent from the last high set on January 3, 2022, thus officially entering a...

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

History of Bear and Bull marketsBehavioral science tells us current events have a greater impact on our perception and decisions than the past. In 2022,investors are faced with extreme uncertainty given record inflation and recession...

Monday, April 25, 2022

Bonds are off to a rough start in 2022. The Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index, the proxy for core US bonds, has declined nearly 6% in the first three months of 2022. This loss is compounded by those from 2021, when the index returned - 1.5%

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

The First quarter of 2022 was rocky, the worst we've seen since 20201. Inflation, Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, and concerns about Federal Reserve interest rate hikes all contributed to the volatility and market losses.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Russia-Ukraine War: The Crude Awakening The Russia-Ukraine war has led to higher market volatility. However, the cost of an extended war and severe sanctions are likely to choke Russia's small economy.

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Some perspective on the grim situation in Ukraine and what could happen in markets.

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Monday, January 31, 2022

Monday, January 24, 2022

When is it time to step in? ​ Welcome back to our final video in our series on Aging Parents. When is it appropriate or necessary to jump in? Today's video will offer up a few things to look for.

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Power of Attorney What is a POA and why should I have one? Welcome back to the 3rd in our 4-part series on Aging Parents.  There can be a lot of confusion about what a power of attorney is and why it is so important to have in place.

Friday, January 14, 2022

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Aging Parents Tip #1: How to start the conversation. So the question is - How do we start a conversation with our aging parents?  Wills, estate plans, overall debt situations, investments for their retirement. These might be...

Monday, November 1, 2021

A fresh wave of positive corporate earnings surprises sent markets to new record highs last week.The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.40%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 1.33%. The Nasdaq Composite index picked...

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

At Greenstone Financial Services we love to give back to our community. What a honor it was to be a part of the Down Syndrome Awareness walk at the Milwaukee County Zoo. It was their 25th anniversary to help raise awareness , and...

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

It’s time for your life insurance checkup.September is National Life Insurance Awareness Month, so it’s a great time to review your coverage.1If you don’t have any life insurance, you’re not alone. Life...

Monday, September 6, 2021

In most states, December 31 is an important deadline for parents and grandparents contributing to 529 plans. To qualify for a state tax credit or deduction this year related to your contribution, you may have to meet that year-end...

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Recently, you may have seen headlines regarding the Securing a Strong Retirement Act, also referred to as the second version of the SECURE Act, or SECURE Act 2.0.As the bill moves from the House of Representatives to the Senate, many...

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

We are getting so excited for our Client Appreciation Picnic! Great food, Great fun, and Great conversation! If you haven't sign up yet there is still time. Hope to see you on August 7th. Click the link for more details and sign up....

Monday, July 5, 2021

Will your retirement dreams match your reality?That's perhaps the most critical question to ask people who are currently retired. Was your retirement what you expected, or was it something else?For more than 30 years, the Employee...

Friday, May 28, 2021

Memorial Day is so much more than a long weekend. It is a chance for us to remember those who gave all for this great nation and the freedoms it offers.This Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the lives and legacies of those who...

Monday, May 17, 2021

I am super thrilled for the new things that are happening for Greenstone Financial Services, one of which is this monthly blog. What’s on our mind? You can read about it in our blog. Whether it’s ideas from the industry or...