Tape Talk | Investing, Business, Wealth, and Your Money

On this week's shortened episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel discuss the recent headlines making news as well as what it means to time the market in this environment.

On this week's episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel welcome spring with some tips for spring cleaning your financial life.

If you didn't already do so at the end of the year, it's time to rebalance your accounts which don't automatically do so themselves. This is an important part of any investment strategy to ensure you stay aligned with the investment objectives you set out for yourself. Additionally, it's important to take this to review your investment allocation and ensure it is in line with both your risk tolerance and your risk temperament.

With one month left to go before the 2018 tax filing deadline, it is a good time to consider any last minute 2018 retirement account contributions. Additionally, while taxes are on the mind and all your paperwork is handy it is the perfect time of year to review your retirement savings strategy for 2019 and how it can be best optimized.

While you already have many of your financial statements in front of you for the tax filing season it is a good time to review your will. This important legal document is something most people don't think about until too late yet it can save you and your family much strife when it does eventually need to be utilized. Once every year or two, it is important to dust off this document, review it, and make any changes you might need.

Insurance policies tend to be a "set it and forget it" type of situation in our financial lives. However, insurance is directly related to the areas of our life that are being insured and these areas tend to change from year to year. Because of this, it's important to review your various types of insurance policies to ensure they still meet your goals and objectives. Further, if you are unsure the amount or type of insurance you need in any circumstance, it is a good time to set a meeting with a financial planner.

If you don't know it already, it's time to get to know your required rate of return. If you knew it in the past, it's time to revisit. Tax season is perfect for financial planning because many of your financial numbers are already in front of you. By doing a planning, or updating an existing one, you can be sure you know and understand the rate of return you require to meet your goals as well as what this means for your overall financial life.

If you are interested in learning more about our financial planning services and discovering your required rate of return CONTACT US!

On this week's episode of Tape Talk, we consider the recent headlines about Social Security. Is this program, that millions of Americans rely on, in jeopardy or is the news just static?

Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this week's show we start off with some of the week's biggest headlines!

Twitter (TWTR) is in the news this week after the stock extended its recent rally with the news that it would be replacing Monsanto in the S&P 500 Index. We look beyond the price action and consider what this means for investors. For instance, this may be a prime example of the index momentum factor. Every S&P index investor who may have never owned Twitter in the past will now own this company that was already up 60% year to date before the news. And, as more money goes into index funds more shares will be bought thus providing additional demand for the stock that might not have been there otherwise. This doesn't mean it has to go higher forever but simply a good example of the effects of index investing on the wider market.

AT&T (T) was downgraded this week on continued concerns of cable cutting affecting its entertainment subscription business. While this is not new news it did send the stock lower initially before later recovering. We'll take a look at the recent move lower in the stock and consider what this might mean for investors, especially the dividend investors typically attracted to this telecom stock. Is there an opportunity here to buy a decent yield at a good price or is this a dividend trap that investors should avoid?

With the news out this week that social security is going to dip into its trust fund reserves for the first time in decades, it may be a good idea to get on the same page of how this program works for the wide population of Americans who depend on it. For instance, while many know that they fund the program through their paychecks, few know where this money goes or how it's invested once it gets there. Furthermore, we need to explore what the potential headwinds for this type of program might be before we can discuss some potential solutions going forward.

It's no secret that social security has had some issues coming down the road for some time now. In fact, it's often a hot topic around Washington and Congress that something must be done yet little ever happens. This is why we'll take some time to review some of the key issues surrounding this social program and how they might be resolved.

Think you have the solution for fixing the social security program? Check out this neat tool by the CRFB to see how your ideas might play out. Social Security Reform Simulator

Most people know that retirement planning is a moving target but they may assume some aspects of their retirement are set in stone. As we consider that social security is a large portion of income for many retirement plans while at the same time the program requires fixes to be sustainable, it becomes clear that it may be time to take this aspect of your financial plan more seriously. If you haven't yet, it may be time to start developing your financial plan and laying the roadmap for your retirement. The sooner you start the more you can adjust as needed before you hit your target. To take the first steps, find out more HERE.

In this week's episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel review what's going on with the trade wars which have slipped out of recent headlines.

While the headlines have been somewhat quiet this week that doesn't mean there is nothing going on in the market. We've seen earnings from some big bellwether which investors will use to assess the fallout from the recent trade wars and any potential economic slowdown.

Quint and Daniel talk to Quint Pottinger of Affinity Farms to discuss how the trade war, as well as China's purchase of agricultural goods, is playing out in the trenches. You might be surprised to hear that the headlines are not all smoke and mirrors as farmers are actually seeing increased prices with China returning to US markets for products.

Quint discusses three key companies that he's watching here for an indication of the health of the economy going forward. Unlike the popular FAANG stocks which encompass a technology-heavy lean these three stocks represent areas of the market that may give helpful clues about the broader economy overall.

On this week's episode of Tape Talk, Quint and Daniel discuss strategies to navigate the diverse newsflow here. From the Fed's upcoming rate hike, corporate earnings, and negative headlines, investors have a lot to digest while stocks push to new highs.

The market is pricing in a definite rate cut at the FOMC's next meeting at the end of the month. While it's hard to see strong evidence to support this cut beyond a simple precautionary step, it does appear the Fed has broadcasted this move heavily and the market is listening.

Corporate earnings for this most recent reporting season have seemed to broadly beat investors' expectations. It appears many companies have been able to navigate the trade hurdles well. However, many seem to point to potential or actual price hikes in the future.

If you didn't know where the stock market was trading recently, many recent headlines might lead you to believe we are in the midst of a significant correction. This is a good example of how news can move from informative to static which investors need to be cautious about digesting.