Bedel Blog

After the Federal Reserve began raising its Federal Funds discount rate, the headlines predictably shifted to guess whether these actions would cause an economic slowdown and a recession.

As equity and fixed income assets across the globe decline in unison, it is imperative to tune out the noise of day-to-day headlines and remain committed to the strategy of a personalized financial plan.

Cyclical markets can be unsettling: increased market swings and volatility can scare even the most seasoned of investors. But these market cycles can be used to your advantage. Jonathan explains how to make the market cycles work to your portfolio’s benefit.

Markets will not always go up, but they have rewarded the long-term investor over time. We know you get tired of hearing it, the best advice we can give is to stay the course and ensure that your portfolio is aligned with your financial goals.

The Fed has tremendous influence over the economy and the markets. After years of stimulus, it must navigate an unenviable balancing act of combating inflation without rattling confidence in the markets.

The current score for the Bedel Barometer is +3. While we all know “past performance is not a guarantee of future results,” our economic metrics continue to improve with the slow reopening of the economy.

Stocks inevitably encounter rough patches and periods of increased volatility. While investors have benefited from seven straight months of increases in the equity markets, it is important to remember the cyclical nature of markets.

Investors need to consider the current environment when managing their return expectations in the coming years. If you are becoming concerned about higher valuations and fear a downturn, a strategy to consider is becoming more defensive with your equity allocations.

The BItcoin hype is back, but it is important to keep in mind that most of the companies investing in Bitcoin are doing so in very small amounts.

You must do your research before investing in a hedge fund. You will want to be familiar with the investment strategy and understand the fee structure as well as their liquidation rules.

Investing in certain parts of the market without a plan can result in the same dynamic as gambling. Are you ready to make a bet?

After a surprisingly strong 2020, the stock market continued to perform well through most of January. No one knows what the rest of the year holds, so make sure that your portfolio reflects your long-term goals.

While many view the Gamestop "short squeeze" as a victory for the 'little guy,' the story remains unfinished. Many individual investors stand to lose out considerably if the share price falls back to realistic valuations.

After this year of volatility, some investors may want to reduce their portfolio risk and shift toward less risk or risk-free investments. These types of shifts provide protection with a small positive return. Right? Well, not always.

The addition of Tesla into the S&P 500 Index has been S&P's most controversial decision in recent history. What are the pros and cons of adding the highly valued car company to the Index?

Investing will always be met with uncertainty, whether the Dow is 20,000 points, 30,000 points, or 40,000 points. It is rarely a smooth ride to that next milestone.

SPACs, also known as "blank check" companies, have raised over $48 billion this year, and it seems like every day a new one gets announced. But what exactly are they, and how do they work?

Are you prepared for what the last stretch of 2020 could bring? With a disciplined approach and a solid financial plan, you should be equipped to weather any storm.

Apple (APPL) is one of the largest publicly traded companies and has a market cap that recently surpassed $2 trillion! So why are they splitting their stock, and how will it impact your portfolio?

Did equity markets fully recover from their March lows? Is the reopening of global economies sustainable, or are we on a path to another shutdown?

With large swaths of the economy closed for part of the first quarter, expectations for corporate earnings headed south in a hurry. What does this mean for the stock market?

The stock market has experienced dramatic daily and weekly swings, both positive and negative. While traditional economic data will likely continue to be negative for some time, it is helpful to pay attention to developments in other areas that also provide signals of the health of the economy.

Have you taken a look at your investment portfolio? During times of uncertainty, it is important not to get lost in the daily headlines. Concentrate on keeping everything in perspective. Let’s take a step back and remind ourselves of where we were not so long ago and look for where we might be headed in the next few weeks.

The past week has seen volatility creep back into the stock market, and after a long run of positive returns, investors now have to ponder how much risk is too much. What should you do?

There are many books and theories published around the correlation between election cycles and stock market cycles. Is it true that the stock market outperforms in an election year? We are here to debunk (or not) myths and share some facts.

While the impact of the Wuhan coronavirus may seem temporary and relatively mild, the scare does serve as a useful lesson for investors. It is a good reminder to investors to expect the unexpected and to not act impulsively.

Has the climb of stock prices caused investors to forget about the importance of having protection in their portfolios to guard against corrections? Maybe defined outcome investments are what you need.

Are you hearing chatter about an upcoming economic recession? Economists use a variety of economic data to formulate their opinions but they are often confusing and meaningless to everyone else. Here are some of the more common economic indicator data points and their significance.

The recent sharp downward move in interest rates, coupled with recent downturns in the market, has created an interesting situation for some investors – guaranteed negative returns on nearly 25 percent of bonds currently trading. What could this mean for your portfolio? Read on for the details.

When it comes to asset allocation, there’s no solution that’s one-size-fits-all. As you near retirement, it’s increasingly important to be sure that your balance of stocks to bonds is appropriate. We’ve detailed two methods to help determine what your asset allocation should look like.

Yesterday you had stock worth $100 per share. Today it’s worth 25% less! What happened? Spin-offs might not be a common stock market term for you, but it can be a common practice amongst companies. We’ve defined what a spin-off is, along with how you might expect it to affect your portfolio. Read on for the details…

Do you know what’s in your portfolio? While your answer might be “Yes,” it’s a good idea to look a bit closer to be sure you’re taking the amount of risk you intended. If you use index funds within your portfolio, be sure to understand the underlying stocks within each fund. This can easily alter how well your investments are meeting your expectations.

The Dow Jones and S&P 500 took investors on a roller coaster ride in December 2018. While the market volatility left investors feeling uneasy about their portfolios, it’s important to keep these fluctuations in perspective. We’ve compared the recent highs and lows to those of 2008 to better understand just how recent market swings really stack up.

This year’s Bedel Financial Forum was another great evening with an engaging and thought-provoking speaker! Jeffrey Kleintop, chief global investment strategist for Charles Schwab, joined us to discuss the state of the international market and what that could mean for investment portfolios. Read on for a recap of his insights.

Recessions are a fact of life in the world of investments, but there are ways you can help to protect your portfolio from periods of economic downturn. Because no one can accurately predict just when a recession will hit, it’s important to be prepared. Read on for our tips and strategies on preparing your investments to weather the storm.

Chances are you’ve heard of target-date funds…but do you really know what they are and if they’re a good fit for your investment plan? We dive into the particulars so you don’t have to! Read on for more information on the pros of target-date funds, as well as their downside.

A company’s annual performance can affect the stock market – but you might not have considered that how companies spend cash to benefit their shareholders can do just the same. We explore the ways companies routinely spend their cash to benefit shareholders, and what effect each of those ways has on the stock market.

It’s been just over a year since the Dow Jones reached 20,000 points. Since then, we’ve had a pretty easy ride without too much market volatility…until February. While it’s nearly impossible to predict the Dow Jones future, you can educate yourself on why there’s volatility in the market, as well as the best course of action to take when volatility strikes.

The featured speaker at Bedel Financial’s annual Financial Forum was Liz Ann Sonders, senior vice president and chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab. Liz Ann touched on a number of issues regarding the economy and the market. Here are the highlights!

Recently we’ve enjoyed a bull market with stocks nearing an all-time high. The Standard & Poor 500 Index is up more than 300 percent from ...

After years of underperformance compared to U.S. stocks, international stocks have sprung to life over the past 12 months. This is welcomed news for ...

Everyone has heard of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and probably even ETFs. But have you heard of “interval” funds? No? You might want to ...

Dow hits record high 20,000! Can it go higher? Will the bottom drop out? Should you buy, sell, or hold? These are all good questions with no easy ...

Are you your worst enemy when it comes to investing for your future? Behavior scientists may say “yes”. People want safety and comfort. ...

What’s going on with the international stock market? Prudent investors use international stocks to diversify their portfolios.

The UK is leaving the EU. Reaction: Yikes! What does this mean to you and me? Nothing or everything? Why did they vote to leave? What will change and how quickly?

It’s not fun to watch your portfolio decrease in value, but there is a way to make lemonade out of lemons!

As we write this, the stock market seems to be on course for its first down year since 2008. While not fun, drops in the stock market are natural and should be expected from time to time.

Does a 10% drop in the stock market scare you? Emotions lead to bad decisions. Be a smart investor. Understand that markets go up and down and invest only if you have the wherewithal to stay invested while everyone else is panicking.

Alibaba is the Chinese version of Amazon and eBay. However, it is already larger than both of them combined! It just went public and investors can now buy its stock on the New York Stock Exchange.