Thought Leadership By Our Team

With less than a month left in this calendar year, we want to remind you of a few last-minute financial moves that you might want to consider.

Although many of us have been enjoying the warm fall weather, the winter holidays are right around the corner! Please find our highly anticipated gift list:

Equity markets stayed positive all month despite slowing economic data and muted earnings reports. All major U.S. equity indexes were up with the only negative monthly return seen in emerging markets, down -3.1%.

With the upcoming “Millionaire’s Tax” ballot initiative in Massachusetts (“MA”) proposing to tax people earning over a $1,000,000 an extra 4%, and the fact that Massachusetts is one of only 17 states to have an estate or inheritance tax....

Constructing an appropriate estate plan requires a substantial investment of time, money and emotion. Once the documents are finalized, they often sit in a drawer and are forgotten, an item checked off a to-do list.

Equity markets already had the worst first half start in over 50 years, and after a late summer rebound, the S&P 500 found a new low by quarter-end. During the quarter, markets looked to the Fed’s harsher stance on combatting inflation and got less optimistic about a Fed rate pause and achieving a soft economic landing.

With significant stock market volatility since the beginning of the year, the Federal Reserve continuing to raise interest rates to quell inflation, the war in Europe dragging on, and the mid-term elections occurring next month, it makes a lot of sense to keep a portion of your investment portfolio in cash until markets settle down.

Equity markets started the month on a positive note, but fell into negative territory in response to Chairman Powell’s comments surrounding rate hikes.

The end of summer brings saying “goodbye” to your young adult child heading off to college. You’re likely feeling a mix of emotions: exhaustion from the process, worrying about how your child will adjust and for some, uncertainty about the change in family dynamics.

Equity markets had a good month as corporate earnings came in better than feared from some of the bellweather names like Apple, Amazon, and United Healthcare.

A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged investment account originally designed to help families pay for college. The earlier you start saving, the greater you will benefit from tax-free compounding. Withdrawals from these plans are tax-free as long as the funds are spent toward qualified education expenses.

Since the fall of 2021, the US inflation rate as represented by the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) has been steadily rising. The rate hit a high of 8.6% for the 12 months ending May 2022. This means, in May, prices were on average almost 9% higher than they were last May.

Family vacation homes are a treasure for many of us, often providing fond memories for multiple generations. Successful planning for a vacation home requires thoughtful consideration of all of the interests of family members involved both now and in the future.

Equity markets had the worst first half start in over 50 years with the S&P 500 dipping more than 20% below its record high in early January due to a variety of foreign and domestic factors.

We take great pleasure, twice a year, in switching gears and curating a list to appeal on a more personal level to our clients, friends and family; our Summer Reading List and our Holiday Gift Guide. As avid readers, we always enjoy putting our summer reading list together for you.