Opinion: The stock market’s rally was a head fake and the smart money now is with the bears
The stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 Index SPX, +0.53%, has fallen below the 4100 level. That is significant because there previously was triple resistance at that level, and when SPX broke out above that level in late January, it seemed as if the next leg of the “new” bull market was underway. […]
Opinion: No ‘soft landing’ is in the cards from Fed rate hikes. Look for recession and a buying opportunity once stock prices decline.
Is the bear market of 2022 over? Are we already in the early innings of the next great bull market? The S&P 500 SPX, -0.16% finished 2022 with a 19% decline (its biggest pullback since 2008). Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.26% lost 8.8% and the Nasdaq COMP, +0.13% tumbled 33%. It’s been […]
Opinion: Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren’s bold tax hike to shore up Social Security
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders want to shore up Social Security by raising the top rate of income tax by a third, and the top rate of capital-gains tax by more than a half. The Democratic senators have made the proposals in a new bill that would balance Social Security’s books, and expand benefits. It […]
Opinion: Market pros are so happy about stocks right now, you have to wonder if they’re too bullish
There’s an old saw about how if you lay all the world’s economists end to end, they still won’t point in any one direction or reach a conclusion.There’s no such adage about market technicians, but in the past six weeks it appears that the diehard group of technical analysts have all reached the same eventuality, […]
Opinion: Apple offers breadcrumbs for a forecast, but is that enough to reassure Wall Street?
Apple Inc.’s breadcrumbs lead back to a familiar place: The iPhone is all that matters. After posting its largest revenue decline in more than six years — led by underwhelming iPhone sales — in its fiscal first-quarter earnings report Thursday, Apple once again refused to provide a traditional forecast for the coming quarter or year. […]
Opinion: Leverage ozone, acid rain wins to tackle microplastics and fresh-water pollution now
As an advocate for the health of fresh water, I always have mixed feelings entering a new year. Hope for the newness of what is to come, coupled with a realization that a new calendar doesn’t mean any of our environmental concerns have miraculously disappeared. But it’s not all doom and gloom. A committee of representatives from the four […]
Opinion: Investments in a rut? Maybe it’s the Wall Street industrial complex.
The Wall Street establishment doesn’t want you to read this article, and I’ll tell you why.If you’re an investor and not getting all the returns you deserve, there are lots of possible reasons. Perhaps the biggest one is that Wall Street likes it that way. Giant firms like Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan […]
Opinion: I took Social Security at 62 and now regret it. Is there a way to increase my Social Security benefit?
Recently I had a conversation with Sue, an acquaintance who started receiving her Social Security benefit at age 62. Sue’s now 63, and she told me that she thinks she might have made a mistake. The problem is that she has realized that starting Social Security early reduced the benefit significantly, and she’d been wondering if it was possible to […]
Opinion: Opinion: More rotting assets are lurking in the shadows of the financial system
Like a lightning bolt that suddenly throws a landscape into sharp relief, higher interest rates have exposed where the financial system could buckle or break—but higher borrowing costs will last longer than a flash. The nonbank sector—made up of the thousands of private-equity funds, hedge funds, and insurance companies—now plays role the biggest banks used […]
Opinion: Cognitive decline in a loved one: how to spot it, what to do
Both as a financial adviser and in my prior role as an attorney, I’ve seen families struggle with cognitive decline of an aging parent. Financial and estate planning can’t take away the heartache, but they can help families avoid some wrenching situations.In this article, I’ll share two scenarios drawn from real-life circumstances I’ve observed. One […]