Hopefully, everyone has been enjoying their summer. Here in Wisconsin, similar to the recent stock market increase in July, our temperatures have recently hit the high mark for the year-to-date. However, the path for both the temperature and investments has not been on a linear path. This newsletter addresses how these non-linear paths are important…
It can be awkward, uncomfortable and even depressing to start a conversation with your parents or other elderly loved ones that centers on the fact that they may no longer be capable of living on their own. It's hard to admit that someone who once cared for you may now need care themselves, and often…
In a month or so, America heads into the summer "vacation" season and it makes sense that people are busy planning their getaways. Having a financial plan is a lot like having a travel plan in that it identifies where you're going, how and when you'll get there, how much it'll cost, and things to…
"If owning stocks is a long-term project for you, following their changes constantly is a very, very bad idea. It's the worst possible thing you can do, because people are so sensitive to short-term losses. If you count your money every day, you'll be miserable."- Daniel Kahneman Daniel Kahneman, the winner of the Nobel Prize…
The "4 percent rule" was a retirement spending approach that became mainstream in the 1990s. The rule suggested that a retiree with an average portfolio distributed between stocks and bonds (approximately 60-40) should withdraw 4 percent of his or her retirement funds each year (adjusting each year for inflation). If the retiree could stay limited…
Here at McCarthy Grittinger Financial Group we understand that tax season can be a stressful time of year. It's annoying and, for many, expensive. But despite its unpopularity, some people are determined to make it even worse: tax scammers. Wherever there is money, there is someone willing to steal it. Tax season provides thieves with…
"We really can't forecast all that well, and yet we pretend that we can, but really can't." -Alan Greenspan "In order to be successful, an investor has to understand not just finance, accounting, and economics, but also psychology" - Howard Marks, Co-Chairman Oaktree Capital Predictions and Investor Psychology As we put together our 2016 outlook…
'Tis the season to review lists that we made either at the beginning of the year or at the beginning of the holiday season (and maybe even check them twice if you are like Santa). Lists are a great tool for many things. They give us a goal. They keep us focused. They give us…
Social Security may be one of your largest assets. What and when you collect will make a huge difference to your lifetime benefits and changes to the program are important to understand. This month's newsletter provides an explanation of recent changes. In November 2015, Congress passed a law that raised the national debt limit and…
"October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others areJuly, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February." - Mark Twain It has been told that Mark Twain was a terrible investor and the reason being that he ended up gaining knowledge through his own poor…
