During October, Schwab eliminated commissions on most equity and ETF (exchange-traded funds), and also announced plans to offer fraction share ownership in the near future. In this communication, I walk through the changes and the benefits as we see them.

Variable annuities have over the years earned a well deserved bad rap. As the title implies, I have, ahem, never really been a fan. However, positive changes are trickling in that could make them more practical going forward. In this communication, we explore how they have worked and were sold, and positive changes that are happening in the industry.

The Fed rate decision on July 31st was seen by some as a necessary boost to economic and market confidence, yet since the decision, market volatility and the risk of recession has only increased. What happened? In our new blog post, we follow up on the Fed decision from July 31st, the new tariffs announced on August 1st (since rescinded), and what to make of it.

This week has the potential to be an interesting one for the markets. On Wednesday, July 31, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to reduce the Fed Funds Rate by 0.25%. On the surface, this may not seem like that big of a deal, but the decision by the Fed could set the stage for heightened market volatility over the near to intermediate term, either for stock markets, bond markets, or both—not only for the near term, but potentially well into 2020.

The trade rhetoric that began in earnest back in 2018 has ramped up yet again. What could investors expect going forward?

This past week, volatility sent us a message that said, “I’m still here and I’ll be home soon.”  Normal will someday make a comeback, and to get to normal from current risk levels, some shared pain will need to ensue. Now is the time to ask yourself the question of the day: how do you plan to cope with it?

“Take these antibiotics and, oh, try doing nothing for a while.”

After seeing my physician for a nagging "gut ache," this was the prescription to the diagnosis of my body being locked in a funky fight-or-flight mode caused by my near obsession with the business side of life. The bad news was that I was now somehow going to need to figure out how in the world to do nothing.