Todd’s Blog

The pessimists have had plenty to talk about the last 18 months. Coming into 2023, the general consensus was that we were headed for recession, perhaps a nasty one, and that stock prices would remain under pressure. That hasn’t happened. If the Federal Reserve continues to raise the short-term interest rate, a nasty recession could still arrive. But it’s fair to say that the economy has handled the higher interest rates

The last 18-month period has probably been the most difficult economic environment I have seen in my adult life – if nothing else for the length of time that market forces have been battling each other.  As mentioned in a prior note, you are forgiven if you’re feeling some volatility fatigue.  But don’t despair, good things are happening, and I think we’re closer to the end than the beginning of this

After my last email on Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), I received several questions inquiring more specifically why SVB failed (and why are the other banks such a concern). Before addressing that, I want to emphasize that unlike some other broker-dealers, LPL does not own a bank.  Any banking services offered through LPL are offered through contractual arrangements with outside banks.  Therefore, LPL does not have the same risk exposure that other

The S&P 500 peaked almost 15 months ago and still remains nearly 20% below that peak. Moreover, the bear market in the more aggressive growth stocks began 25 months ago in February of 2021. Given those facts, you’re forgiven if you’re starting to feel some “volatility fatigue”. And now the 16th largest bank in the country failed. Where do things go from here? The honest answer is that it’s unknowable where

As we all know, 2022 was a tough one for investors. Both stocks and bonds declined significantly. In fact, it was the worst year ever recorded for bonds. When times get tough, the statistics tell us investors are prone to making more mistakes due to emotions. It’s therefore helpful to remember what guides us in our financial planning and investing decisions to stay patient and disciplined. Here are the general principles

To ease some of the burdens of the upcoming tax season, this helpful guide will help you become familiar with important dates, deadlines, challenges, and opportunities that may come up toward the end of the year. Of course, if you have additional questions about anything included in this guide, please call (303)647-1220. We look forward to working with you this tax season! Download Your Guide Here

As we’ve been discussing in this blog since the Spring, the Federal Reserve’s hiking of interest rates will result in one of three outcomes: a recession (perhaps a deep one), stagflation (combination of high inflation and low or even negative growth), or a “soft landing” (the economy avoids a recession while inflation comes down meaningfully). Here we are many months later, and the jury is still out deliberating - we simply