Blog
The Ghosts Of ’08-’09 May Be Surfacing, Is A Financial Crisis Looming?
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...
Read More
SECURE Act 2.0: An Overview
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...
Read More
2022: Worst Year Since 2008…What Now?
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...
Read More
Inflation Cruises to a 40-Year High: The FED is on the Ropes
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...
Read More
Nowhere to Hide: Stocks and Bonds Get Slammed After a Short-Lived “Fed Rally”
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...
Read MoreShow All
US Economy and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine – The Clouds are Rolling In
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...
Read More
2022 Contribution Limits
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...
Read More
A $2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill is on the Way: What Can We Expect?
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...
Read More
IRS Delays 2020 Tax Filing Deadline to May 17
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...
Read More
Week In Review: Stock Rally Takes Pause As COVID-19 Cases Surge
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...
Read More
September Fears and the 2020 Election: The Headwinds are Gusting
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...
Read More
Massive Government Stimulus Fueling the Fire: Can it be Trusted?
Did we fix any fundamentals? Or did we just fix prices?
Read More
The Eye of the Storm: Stocks Register Their Worst First Quarter on Record
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...
Read More
That’s $2 Trillion: With a “T”
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...
Read More
US Senate Passes Historic Fiscal Bailout: What’s in the Bill?
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...
Read More
Anatomy of a Bear Market: When Can We Recover?
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...
Read More
Equity Roller Coaster Ride: Can We Find a Bottom?
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...
Read More
Market Meltdown: The Global Takedown Rolls On
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.
Read More
Alligator Blood: Coronavirus Fears Won’t Let Up
“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...
Read More
Wall Street Bloodbath: Global Markets Crash Over Coronavirus, Oil, and All-Time Low Interest Rates
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...
Read More
Volatility Strikes Again: Robinhood Goes Dark During Crucial Market Events
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...
Read More
The Algos are in Control as Coronavirus Fear Rattles Markets
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...
Read More
US Stocks Plunge Amid Coronavirus Fears – Time to Panic?
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...
Read More
Impeachment Articles Are Filed. Do Stocks Care?
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...
Read More
Stocks Plummet as Bonds Warn of Recession – Is There One On The Way?
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...
Read More
Market Recap: Trees Don’t Grow to the Sky
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...
Read More
Making Sense of this Year's Stock Market Movement
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!...
Read More
Market Update: Complacency is not a Strategy – Part II
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...
Read More
Complacency Is Not A Strategy
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...
Read More
2019 Market Update: Recovery on the Way?
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...
Read More
Trade Talk: The Plot Thickens...Or Does It
(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...
Read More
2018 Market Recap. And a little perception.
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...
Read More
Is 401(k) Plan Consolidation On Your "To-Do" List?
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....
Read More
Long Term Investors: Stay the Course - For At Least an Hour and a Half
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...
Read More
Wall Street & Main Street: The Tale of Two Markets
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...
Read More
Information Overload
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...
Read More
Market Update
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...
Read More
Market Volatility Rolls On
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...
Read More
Extreme Volatility – Take Two
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?...
Read More
Another Professional Athlete Unknowingly Gives Up Control of Retirement
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...
Read More
Social Security: What you need to know
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...
Read More
Pulling Back the Curtain: Find Out How Investment Fees & Expenses Really Work
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...
Read More
Why We Diversify
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...
Read More
The 3 "Ts": Trump. Tariffs. Trade.
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...
Read More
The Headline Risk Is Back
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...
Read More
Lackawanna College: Prepared for the Future Through a Look Back in Time
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...
Read More
Service matters...are you getting enough from your financial advisor?
Service matters...are you getting enough from your financial advisor?
Read More
Fee Disclosure & Advisor Transparency
Investors deserve 100% transparency when they put their hard-earned money with a financial advisor.
Read More
The Importance of a Trusted Advisor
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...
Read More
What Professional Baseball Taught Me About Financial Planning
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.
Read More
The Truth About Account Minimums
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....
Read More
Market Volatility: Lessons Learned
Market Volatility: Lessons Learned
Read More
Market Volatility
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...
Read More
Affordable Healthcare, Reform or Reconstruction?
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...
Read More
Excessive Fees Could Make Your Company’s 401(k) Plan the Next Target of a Class Action Lawsuit
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...
Read More
Ringing the Retirement Bell
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...
Read More