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More with Meaning: Aligning Your Life and Wealth
photo credit: Dreamstime As we turn the page to a new year, it’s natural to feel a mix of excitement, anticipation, and perhaps a bit of uncertainty. Are you looking forward to growth in your personal life, your relationships, or in the world around you? Or do you approach the future with caution, even concern,…
Read MoreDecember 2024
Summary Markets stumbled across the finish line to end 2024. Interest rates rose and stocks tumbled in December. The yield curve continued to steepen, and non-U.S. stocks held up better than domestic equities for the month. Traders shifted to more of a risk-off posture following some less-than-dovish commentary from the Federal Reserve Board early in…
Read MoreThe Buffett Indicator
Photo credit: ID 336907040 © Yaroslaf | Dreamstime.com What do lizards, Blizzards, and underwear have in common? Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. And do the lizard and the DQ Blizzard (and Berkshire Hathaway holdings, in general) predict a freeze in an exceedingly hot investment market? Possibly. More on that later. The Omaha-based conglomerate counts GEICO, Dairy Queen, and Fruit of…
Read MoreNovember 2024
Summary U.S. stocks rallied in November as investors responded favorably to a clear-cut presidential election result. Interest rates increased on the news of a President Trump return to the White House before easing a bit by month end. The Federal Reserve cut rates by 25 basis points, reiterating a commitment to a gradual easing of…
Read MoreCost of Living Adjustments 2025
The IRS recently released the Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) for 2025 related to 401(k) and Health Saving Accounts. This table provides these and other limits that are of interest to many plan sponsors and their participants. If you would like more information please call us at 440-808-1500. Highland Consulting Associates, Inc. was founded in 1993 with the…
Read MoreOctober 2024
Summary Markets gave back gains in October with most major indexes finishing the month in the red. Bond yields moved higher as September’s rate cut euphoria wore off in emphatic fashion. Stocks tumbled with markets keying in on a toss-up U.S. presidential election. U.S. GDP growth slowed in the third quarter but remained respectable at…
Read MoreTimes Are Changing – Should You?
photo credit: Pixabay In recent years, cash has enjoyed a period of higher yields, thanks to recent central banks’ aggressive interest rate hikes aimed at curbing inflation. This has made cash and cash-equivalents—such as savings accounts, money market funds, and short-term government securities—more attractive than they have been in over a decade. However, with rate…
Read MoreClients Ask: What Is a Yield Curve Dis-inversion?
Photo credit: Pixabay Clients Ask What is a Yield Curve Dis-inversion? Will Fed Rate Cuts Help a Slowing Economy? Or Will Fed Rate Cuts Re-ignite Inflation? Highland Responds After an extended period of inversion, the U.S. yield curve has recently undergone a significant change by dis-inverting. Our Highland clients have wanted to know what this…
Read MoreSeptember 2024
Summary Markets rallied across the board in September as the Federal Reserve made good on a well-telegraphed rate cut, trimming the Fed Funds rate by 50 basis points. The 2-year Treasury rate dipped below the 10-year yield for the first time since the summer of 2022, U.S. stocks marched higher, and the dollar weakened, providing…
Read MoreAugust 2024
Summary August typically brings calmer markets and light trading volumes, with investor interests skewed more towards wrapping up the last of summer vacations. In this sense, August 2024 was anything but typical. Surprise activity from the Bank of Japan thrust global markets briefly into chaos before a just-as-abrupt rebound. Cooler inflation and negative jobs revisions…
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