Broker Check
(570) 587-7800
capstonewealth@capstone-wealth.com
Account View

Clarks Green Office

285 East Grove Street,

Clarks Green, PA 18411

Blog

Thursday, January 25, 2024

In 2022, the markets got killed.  The S&P 500 lost nearly 20%, the Nasdaq Composite Index crashed over 33%, and the bond market, for the first time in 46 years, suffered a double-digit hit, plummeting nearly 15% on the year. As...

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Yesterday, Fitch Ratings downgraded the United States of America's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) from 'AAA' to ‘AA+’.  At the same time, and despite that downgrade, the agency changed its...

Monday, March 20, 2023

If you’ve been reading my blog posts over the past 15 months, you should know clearly that the advisors at Capstone Wealth Management Group have been observing caution and making investment adjustments to lower overall risk in...

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

From the worst bond market crash we’ve seen since 1949 to a crypto bust that may be leading to the biggest financial fraud in history, investors were tested, to say the least, in the year 2022.  Those investors that made it...

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

2022 was brutal.  Stocks closed out the year on Friday with the S&P 500 finishing in bear market territory after falling 0.25% on its final day of trade – closing out 2022 down 20%.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average...

Show All

Friday, June 10, 2022

The CPI inflation rate reported this morning rose for yet another consecutive month in May by a full 1% taking the headline number to a staggering 8.6% as prices of almost every good and service in the economy remain stubbornly...

Friday, May 6, 2022

You know that it’s bad day when you see that the best performing stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average are just “less negative” than the rest of the market...

Monday, February 28, 2022

It’s been a while since I messaged clients with market updates and information regarding Capstone’s asset management strategies.  I’m overdue, so let’s dig in.  The first two months of 2022 have really...

Friday, November 19, 2021

Retirement savers will be given a bit more flexibility when the calendar flips this year. Last week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced new contribution limits to various retirement savings vehicles effective for the 2022...

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

After Trillions have been spent on what we all hope will soon be a “post-Covid 19” world, even more spending appears to be on the way. The Biden administration has announced, as most Americans know, that $2.25 Trillion of...

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

The IRS announced on Wednesday that it is extending the 2020 tax filing deadline by one month, effectively giving taxpayers up until May 17th to file their 2020 returns. This marks the second consecutive year where the deadline to file...

Monday, December 14, 2020

Stocks retreated last week on rising COVID-19 infections and slow progress on an economic relief bill.The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.57%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 dropped 0.96%. The Nasdaq Composite index...

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Historically, September has proven to be the worst month in the stock market since the late 1800s and so far, the market has been following that pattern “to a T”. U.S. stocks fell sharply yesterday amongst a growing list of...

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Did we fix any fundamentals? Or did we just fix prices?

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

The first three months of 2020 were down-right brutal. Stocks recorded their worst showing in history as the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed out of today’s session down 411 points, capping off its Y-T-D losing streak at...

Friday, March 27, 2020

The largest stimulus plan in history is now signed into law. Soon, checks will be in the mail to over 150 million American households, small businesses will have access to working capital loans, the US health care system will get a much...

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Over the last few weeks, as the stock market has been thrown around like an innertube during a hurricane, we have had dozens of conversations with clients regarding our take on the markets and where we think things are headed from here...

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

This morning, prior to the opening bell on the NYSE, the Federal Reserve, in what seemed to be a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding in the markets, announced an asset purchase program where the government will be buying different...

Friday, March 20, 2020

After yet another crazy, volatile trading day, where investors saw sharp declines at the opening bell on Wall Street, the S&P 500 managed to claw its way into the green by finishing up around 0.50% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq...

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

So, are you ready to give up yet, sell all your stocks, and get out the coffee can? Well, there’s a lot at stake if you do…Let’s try to break this down again.

Friday, March 13, 2020

“Out of an Abundance of Caution”….We need to get used to hearing those six words. As Corona hysteria continues to unnerve global markets, almost all investment asset classes are seeing red as the seemingly endless...

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Perspective’s going be tough here. Today, after losing a staggering 2,013 points or 7.8%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, along with all major market indices, entered into bear market territory in one of the worst days the...

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Over the last few years, Silicon Valley’s darling and popular “fin-tech” trading platform, Robinhood, has attracted millions of millennials (my generation) to trade stocks, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and even...

Friday, February 28, 2020

In many of my past messages to clients, I expressed concerns about being sure that investment portfolios are balanced and that investment risk is in check at all times. During 2019, there were plenty of opportunities to take profits...

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

If you look at labels on most manufactured consumer goods, it might read: “Made in China” and if the Coronavirus were to wear a label, it would have the same message. However, today, on news that the virus had been exported...

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Yesterday, in an historic event, US House Representatives voted in favor for the impeachment of President Donald Trump and the stock market couldn’t be bothered. Today, off of the heels of the 3rd impeachment filing in our...

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

For a good part of this year, I have been posting updates about the stock market and, since April, the advisors at Capstone Wealth Management Group have been making adjustments in client portfolios and advising all other investors to...

Monday, August 5, 2019

In messages to clients this year, I have tried to make sense of the “noise” surrounding markets and impacts on investors as the headlines swing from one end of the extreme to the other. The markets crumbled going into the...

Sunday, May 19, 2019

If you feel like the financial markets have been off to an unusually strong start to the year—you are correct. The S&P 500 Index has risen for four consecutive months, resulting in the strongest start in more than 30 years!...

Monday, May 13, 2019

I think I spoke too soon – or did I? Ten days ago, in my last message to clients, I wrote about complacency and how sitting on your hands during times of little or no volatility can be risky. I cautioned investors who might be...

Friday, May 3, 2019

In my February message to clients, I explained how 2019 had started with a “bang” and the seemingly endless headlines about trade wars & tariffs, government shutdowns, recession, rising rates, and inverted yield curves had...

Saturday, February 16, 2019

2019 has started with a bang. Markets have recovered nearly 16% from the lows posted on Christmas Eve of last year as corporate earnings and fundamentals replace media headlines replete with fear, anxiety, and skepticism. From...

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

(The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future...

Thursday, January 3, 2019

The media has been incessantly and ominously reporting that 2018 was “the worst year since the financial crisis in 2008” and most certainly forgetting to add a little context. Put into perspective, in 2008, the S&P 500 lost...

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

As we say goodbye to the year of 2018, take down those last holiday decorations, and send the kids off to school, it might be a good time to get back to basics and open up those old 401(k) statements that have been pouring in all year....

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Last night, I wrote to clients and investors to explain our views on how Wall Street and Main Street are a tale of two different markets and how the resultant, mushrooming volatility is tossing stocks around like ragdolls. I try not to...

Thursday, December 27, 2018

There is a clearly a very serious disconnect between the behavior of financial markets and the underlying economy, which, especially in the US, is in decent shape. The market’s mood is hypersensitive and problematic as it ignores...

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

As a follow up to our previous post regarding current market conditions, I thought it would be valuable to remind our clients that the media frenzy over recent market volatility, once again, is dominating the headlines as journalists...

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Stocks closed well off their session lows on Thursday after news broke that the Federal Reserve could tighten monetary policy at a slower pace than previously expected. The Wall Street Journal reported the central bank is considering...

Friday, October 26, 2018

U.S. stocks finished lower Friday with the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average turning red for the year as fear of a global growth scare builds and doubts regarding the trajectory of corporate earnings are on the rise. In the...

Friday, October 12, 2018

In February of 2018, after a huge, parabolic-like move upward in January, extreme volatility returned into the markets and investors saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average correct by over 8% in a matter of 6 trading days. Sound familiar?...

Friday, September 7, 2018

Kevin Garnett had an amazing career in the NBA. He goes down as the all-time leader in “on court salary” in history earning $326 million during his career…Today, he is suing because his retirement nest egg is...

Friday, August 24, 2018

Did you know that the age at which many workers will qualify for full Social Security benefits has risen to 67 from 65? If that's news to you, you're not alone: The majority of workers are still in the dark about Social Security...

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

The obscure nature of financial rules and regulations provides investment companies, with an information advantage when selling products and services to clients. Most investors do not understand the jargon and complexities that define...

Thursday, July 26, 2018

When managing investments, we, at Capstone Wealth Management Group, consistently emphasize the importance of diversification. Being properly diversified allows us, as investment advisors, to control risk and to provide balance within...

Monday, June 25, 2018

Stocks were on a wild ride today as the Dow Jones Industrial Average got hit nearly 500 points at its low over increasing trade tensions between the U.S. and key trade partners, including China. Last week, the markets were lower after...

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Are you hitting your savings goal?

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Earlier this year on February 6th, I remarked about the two day, 1,000 + point swoons hitting the markets and suggested that the volatility is likely to continue for weeks to come. I also mentioned that headline risk is likely to...

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

On Thursday, March 15th, I had the opportunity to participate in a mock interview event with students from Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania. As a former alumni, it was truly an honor to be back at the institution that...

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Service matters...are you getting enough from your financial advisor?

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Investors deserve 100% transparency when they put their hard-earned money with a financial advisor.

Monday, February 26, 2018

As Financial Planners, our goal is to provide our clients with trusted advice. We take on an approach which is ‘holistic’ in nature, meaning that we don't just stop at investment management, but rather, assist our clients...

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

As your favorite Major League Baseball team heads south this February, we know that spring is around the corner, and baseball season is heating up.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Have you recently lost access to your financial advisor and is your retirement now in the hands of a “home office call center”? If you answered yes to those questions, you should be unhappy and understand what is occurring....

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Market Volatility: Lessons Learned

Monday, February 5, 2018

Is recent market volatility grounds to panic for investors? The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a 666 point decline on Friday February 2, 2018. Although this was one of the largest one day drops in the history of the index, let us be...

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The Healthcare debate has been all but beat to death in the past year and half. This following a 2016 Presidential Election which was fueled in large part by opposing views of The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as it has commonly...

Friday, September 29, 2017

There’s an outbreak of class action lawsuits swarming businesses in America and they are focused primarily on plans with excessive fees, poor performing investments, and conflicts of interest – and too many plan...

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

It is not uncommon for one to not fully understand what it takes to attain success in retirement. According to a recent survey conducted by Merrill Lynch, a staggering 81% of American's admitted that they had no idea how much money...