May 15, 2108

Brunner Opticians has been a landmark in Westfield for more than 75 years. When we first moved to Westfield, I was the proud owner of three pairs of new eyeglasses I couldn't use because the prescription was incorrect in all three. I looked for a local optometrist, found one at Brunner, and made an appointment to see if he could figure out what had gone wrong.  He did a thorough eye examination, wondered why my previous prescription was changed, and voila, vision problem corrected.

May 15, 2018

"I'm not going to live past 80!  I know it.  My Mother lived to 82, Dad died at 72.  Longevity doesn't run in my family.  Plus...who wants to live that long anyway?!"  I’m sure many of you have either uttered these words yourself or at the very least heard a friend or family member say them.  Digging into the underlying data, one might be surprised to see how long people are living these days.

May 15, 2018

Here are a few of the apps highlighted by MONEY Magazine¹ that may help make life a little easier (and less costly) to navigate:

Source: Direxion Funds

May 15, 2018

• Major US retailers closed 6,955 stores nationwide during calendar year 2017, a total greater than the number of closures that occurred in any single year during the global financial crisis that began 10 years ago.

• Student loan debt, equal to $1.38 trillion as of 12/31/17, has doubled in just over 8 years. Student loan debt was $690 billion as of 9/30/09.

• The US homeownership percentage (i.e. “owner” households as a percentage of total households) was 63.4% in 2016, the lowest percentage nationwide since 1965 or 51 years earlier when the rate was just 63.0%. The homeownership percentage rose to 63.9% in 2017.

March 31, 2018

I recognized the voice long before I saw the face. It was a voice I heard almost every weekday morning for ten years. It was a voice I vividly recalled from our early morning discussions when I walked into the post office to retrieve the mail.

March 31, 2018

By: John Zeltmann

My parents' estate planning attorney looked at me in disbelief: "Did you just say 'dry run'?"

My father had passed away ten days ago. My Mom, Sister, Aunt and I were sitting in a meeting room in the attorney’s office, reviewing my Dad's will and the immediate steps that had to be taken. Everyone was still in a bit of shock, reeling from the last few weeks. We had months to grapple with the prospect of life without Dad, but once he was gone, it still felt all too sudden.

March 31, 2018

According to a recent article published in Money¹ magazine, here are some tips to maximize the value of what you donate to charity.

Choose Right

Source: Direxion Funds

February 15, 2018

• Since 1950, there have been 59 different 10-year periods (i.e., the 10-years from 1950-59, 1951-60, 1952-61, . . . 2008-2017). The S&P 500 index produced an average annual total return of less than +7% during 15 of the 59 decade-long periods (25% of the time). 19 of the 59 periods (32% of the time) resulted in an average annual total return of at least +14%.

• During those 59 different 10-year periods, the S&P 500 has produced a positive total return result in 57 of the 59 decade-long periods (97% of the time), and at least 6% per (total return) in 48 of the 59 periods.

• After closing at 2873 on Friday 1/26/18, it took just 13 days for the S&P 500 to fall 10.2% (to 2581) by the close of trading on Thursday 2/08/18. The 13-day correction (i.e., a drop of at least 10% for the stock index) was the fastest correction in the last 50 years. The next quickest correction was a 20-day drop that occurred in October 1997.

February 15, 2018

Clients are sometimes surprised when we respond “no” when they ask if we saw a market drop coming. While we all may realize a market drop will eventually occur, we can never predict when that might happen. Though the volatility that returned to the stock market in early February was sudden and dramatic, it wasn’t altogether unexpected considering the exceptional run this market has had.   

February 15, 2018

By: John Zeltmann

You've probably noticed that Bitcoin has been in the news lately. While Bitcoin is not the only cryptocurrency (a cryptocurrency is a digital currency), it’s the most well-known, and the hype around it may bring back memories of long lines to buy Beanie Babies. But more than a few people use cryptocurrencies to conduct transactions over the internet, with companies such as Microsoft, Expedia, and Intuit accepting cryptocurrency for payment.