The sweeping tariff announcements by the Trump administration have pushed markets into a rapid selloff and added fuel to what was simmering volatility. At Financial Plan, we don’t pretend to know what the final resolution will be or where it will take us. However, we strongly believe that humans will continue to work through our […]
How Does a Government Shutdown Affect the Stock Market? Impact and Analysis
Another day, another crisis of leadership in our government. Fears of a looming government shutdown might have you wondering if it’s time to “shut down” your stock investments until this is all fully resolved. Currently, the government is only funded until November 17, 2023, igniting discussions about the financial implications of a shutdown. While the […]
Now is the time for a Steady Hand
Like many of you, this week I watched in horror and shock as Russia invaded Ukraine. Years of rhetoric and posturing had made many of us numb to Putin’s antics, and an actual invasion seemed a distant possibility just a few weeks ago. My heart goes out to the Ukrainian and Russian people, who are […]
Updated: Coronavirus: The Market Gets a Cold
Updated February 2, 2022 It’s been nearly two years since the economic impacts of Covid-19 and subsequent containment protocols first began hitting the markets. Given today’s (still, but for new reasons) turbulent market conditions, it seems to be a good time to reflect on the aftermath of the 2020 market drop. The thing I’m not […]
Lessons from GameStop Mania
By now, most of us have heard plenty about the frenzy going on around GameStop (ticker GME), a brick-and-mortar video game retailer. For quick background, GameStop is not in a good financial position and hasn’t been for some time. Their business model is based around retail malls selling a product that is rapidly becoming completely […]
Is the Inverted Yield Curve Reason to Worry?
If you’ve been paying attention to investment news, you might be aware of the recent consternation that the “yield curve” in financial bond markets has “inverted.” (If you’re not, or aren’t entirely sure what this means, read on.) For some, the takeaway from this is immediate: if you believe in the ability of sporadic market […]
Irrational Expectations (and 3 things you can do to guard against them)
Expectations are powerful things. They involuntarily override our logic and amplify our emotional response to events based on how those events measure up to our expectations. When it comes to making decisions about our finances, emotions make poor bedfellows. In the stock market, expectations are everything. A company can have a great earnings report, but […]
Market Volatility
Why is the stock market volatile? It’s a question that many of us have pondered at one time or another, especially when we are in the midst of a seemingly large spike or drop. As is often the case, the simplest answer is also the most accurate: It’s just nature. Just as a bird flies […]
How to Survive a Bear (Market) Attack
If you are going to invest in the stock market for any meaningful amount of time, you will at some point be faced with an angry “bear” market. A “bear market” is a sustained period of time when security prices are falling. Traditionally, a 20% fall in market prices is considered a bear market, but […]
Understanding Actual Returns vs. Average Returns
No financial planner can know what the future will bring, and none should pretend to. Markets, stock prices and ultimately return are all beyond anyone’s calculation or control. Any plan that reacts to market events is a plan that is doomed to fail, so a successful investor must appreciate that markets are unpredictable and accept […]