Hail to the Chief
The third Monday of February marks Presidents Day, a federal holiday commemorating the nations’ Commanders in Chief. The observance usually falls on or near George Washington’s February 22 birth date. Today, being Presidents Day, our Secured Retirement office, as well as most financial institutions will be closed. The New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ will also be closed.
At Secured Retirement, we’re passionate about all topics that impact families in maximizing their income in retirement, especially when it is affected by government action. Although our office will be closed today, and there will be no Market Huddle, we invite you to join us at these upcoming events.
Monday, February 28 Lunch and Learn: Our holistic approach recognizes the critical role taxes play in retirement. Whether you use a preferred CPA, do-it-yourself, or use our in-house service, most will file taxes. Joe Lucey, CFP® will host a workshop to share what our Retirement Planners look for on a tax return to conduct a look-forward 2022 financial plan. Please join us either in-person at our Saint Louis Park office or watch by livestream.
Monday, March 7 Market Huddle: Your social media can serve as a login to important financial accounts and to act as a digital wallet. Learn how to safeguard your social media with two-factor authentication and to what risk your account and identity may be exposed when not properly secured. Join us at 12pm for this online event.
Monday, March 14 Market Huddle: Your tax-deferred IRA accounts are shared with the IRS. Join Joe Lucey, CFP® and special guest Andy Ives, CFP® AIF®, an IRA expert from the Ed Slott Company, to learn of Two Critical Financial Milestones at age 72 for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). Join us at 12pm for this online event.
Monday, March 21 Market Huddle: The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is expected to raise interest rates when it meets on March 15 and 16. We’ll recap the Federal Reserve report, provide an outlook for interest rates and what it may mean for inflation. Join us at 12pm for this online event.
Thursday, April 28 Secured Retirement presents “America’s Fiscal Future and What It Means to You” with David Walker, Author, and Former U.S. Comptroller General
David Walker is a nationally recognized expert on fiscal responsibility and government accountability. Secured Retirement is pleased to bring David to the Twin Cities to speak on the dramatic increase in federal government autopilot spending and the impact of fiscal metrics. Registration is required for this free event. Please contact info@securedretirments.com to register today.
State of the Markets
From an economic perspective, the growth story remains primarily intact with better-than-expected retail sales and employment being reported, both of which play a major role in our economy. Despite ongoing inflationary pressures from supply chain issues and higher input costs, corporate profits remain strong and continue to increase, as evidenced by the recent earnings reports. Even though all seems well on the economic and corporate fronts, volatility continues in the markets. This has been caused by the threat of higher interest rates, inflated stock price valuations and perhaps of largest significance over the past couple of weeks is the potential of an attack on Ukraine by Russia which could lead to a larger conflict. At this time markets are ignoring the underlying data and are instead focused on geopolitical events. Until this subsides or is fully resolved, it is quite likely the volatility will continue.
Looking Ahead
The markets will most likely be whipsawed as the news from Ukraine remains at the forefront. In addition to this situation weighing on the markets, the next Fed meeting is approaching quickly and it remains widely anticipated they will begin to raise interest rates. Now the question is by how much with some speculation it could be a half-point increase, instead of the more traditional quarter point. Geopolitical events continue to drive energy prices higher which will have a larger effect on the broader economy since higher prices will most likely lead to more inflation.
On this President’s Day we recognize that long-term government policy and spending, from both the legislative and executive branches of government, has a much larger influence on the economy than the actions of a single president. We are vehement in our analysis of how government action affects individual citizens! That said, it is our greatest passion to educate our clients on the impact of your own personal economy to best prepare you for the retirement of your dreams.
We wish you well on this Presidents Day.
Nathan Zeller, CFA, CFP®
Chief Investment Strategist
Secured Retirement
nzeller@securedretirements.com
Please contact us if you would like to review your individual financial plan or learn how the TaxSmart™ Retirement Program can help you.
