Looking Back at 2013
Was 2013 a terrific year for stocks? Absolutely. The good news wasn’t limited to Wall Street, however: the employment rate fell, the economy revved up, home prices rose and inflation pressure was minimal.
Why 2014 May Be a Very Good Year
HAPPY NEW YEAR! More improvement may be in store for the economy & the stock market...
12/30/13 Weekly Update
A short trading week saw the S&P 500 advancing another 1.27% to 1,841.40, the Dow climbing 1.59% to 16,478.41 and the NASDAQ gaining 1.26% to 4,156.59
12/23 Weekly Update
S&P 500 HAS BEST WEEK SINCE MID-OCTOBER - the broad benchmark closed at 1,818.55 Friday, gaining 2.44% in five days. Weekly gains for the DJIA (2.96%) and NASDAQ (2.59%) were even greater. The NASDAQ wrapped up the week at 4,104.74, the DJIA at 16,221.72.
12/16/13 Weekly Update
Signals of an improving economy also brought worries about a December taper by the Federal Reserve. As a consequence, the S&P 500 (-1.65% to 1,775.32), NASDAQ (-1.51% to 4,000.98) and Dow (-1.65% to 15,755.36) all staged 5-day retreats
12/9 Weekly Update
After strong employment and personal spending data arrived Friday, the S&P 500 snapped a 5-day losing streak. The Dow gained 198.69 Friday. The week was not as terrific. While the NASDAQ rose 0.06% in five days to settle at 4,062.52 Friday, the S&P lost 0.04% to close the week at 1,805.09 and the Dow lost 0.41% to wrap up the week at 16,020.20.
RMD Precautions & Options
An important reminder about mandatory withdrawals from IRAs & other retirement plans...
12/2 Weekly Update
The NASDAQ was the frontrunner among the big three U.S. indices last week, rising 1.71% to 4,059.89. Both the S&P 500 (+0.06% to 1,805.81) and Dow (+0.13% to 16,086.41) realized tiny gains during the abbreviated trading week. Turning to the NYMEX, oil and gold both had poor Novembers: on the month, gold slid 5.46% to $1,250.60 an ounce and light crude dropped 3.60% to $92.72 a barrel.
Should You Retire Now or Later?
Increasingly, baby boomers are urged to work until full retirement age or beyond. If your health and workplace allow this, it may be a good idea for a few notable reasons...
Getting it All Together
Where is everything? Time to organize and centralize your documents - here is a list and step-by-step instructions for you to consider.
11/25/13 Weekly Update
While the October Federal Reserve policy meeting minutes revealed the possibility of tapering QE3 in “the coming months,” stocks still pulled higher on the week. The Dow (+0.65% to 16,064.77), NASDAQ (+0.14% to 3,991.65) and S&P 500 (+0.37% to 1,804.76) all shrugged off midweek dips.
Social Security in 2014
Next year’s small COLA isn't the only adjustment related to the program.
End-of-the-Year Money Moves
Even if your 2013 has been relatively uneventful, the end of the year is still a good time to get cracking and see where you can plan to save some taxes and/or build a little more wealth.
11/18 Weekly Update
DOW...16,000? S&P...1,800? NASDAQ...4,000? Soon, the major U.S. indices could top those psychologically important levels. Friday saw another record close for the S&P 500: 1,798.18. The Dow settled Friday at 15,961.70 (also a new record close), the NASDAQ at 3,985.97. Weekly performances were as follows: S&P, +1.56%; DJIA, +1.27%; NASDAQ, +1.70%.
11/11 Weekly Update
Rising 1.08% on the day and 0.94% on the week, the DJIA settled at a new all-time peak of 15,761.78 Friday. The S&P 500 rose 0.51% across five days to settle at 1,770.61 at week’s end, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ lost 0.07% in the same stretch, closing Friday at 3,919.23. Incidentally, the S&P is now riding a 5-week win streak, its longest since mid-February
What's Next in the Debt Ceiling Debate
At first thought, it seems inconceivable that Congress would want to go through another protracted fight like the one that shut things down for 16 days in October. That could occur, however, if a new budget panel doesn’t meet its deadline.
11/4 Weekly Update
On October 30, the Federal Reserve announced no tapering of QE3 and no change to interest rates. This helped the S&P 500 go +0.11% for the week and close at 1,761.64 on Friday. The Dow settled at 15,615.55 Friday, rising 0.28% for the week; the NASDAQ lost 0.54% in five days to settle Friday at 3,922.04
Annual Financial To-Do List
What financial, business or life priorities do you need to address for 2014? Now is a good time to think about the investing, saving or budgeting methods you could employ toward specific objectives. Some year-end financial moves may prove crucial to the pursuit of those goals as well.
Medicare Open Enrollment
The open enrollment period for 2014 runs from October 15-December 7, 2013. This is not only a period where you may enroll for the program, but also switch providers for your comprehensive health and drug coverage. Here are some key dates to remember...
10/28/13 Weekly Update
Rising 0.88% for the week, the S&P settled at a new peak of 1,759.77 Friday, and both the DJIA (+1.11% to 15,570.28) and NASDAQ (+0.74% to 3,943.36) advanced with it. Friday’s NASDAQ close represented a 13-year high.