Spring 2015 Newsletter
By jporterPosted on April 5th, 2015
Greetings!
If you haven’t heard, Stephanie and I had a healthy baby boy last week; Bennett Ross Fissel. We’re so happy he arrived safely and doing very well. It’s nice to have Bennett home except for between the hours of midnight and six!
Enjoy Easter weekend with your family – I know my kids are excited for the Easter Bunny to come to our house!
Best Wishes,
Mark Fissel
Market Recap
Volatility continued to rule the domestic equities markets. After losing ground in January, the major indices had a strong February. March saw early losses, then solid gains, with the Dow industrials, S&P 500, and Russell 2000 all hitting closing highs… (Read More)
Quarterly Snapshot (Markets & Economy)
- The Fed removed “patience” from it’s previous statements. While not imminent, rate increases should be forthcoming.
- GDP confirmed growth for 2014 was 2.4% according to BEA.
- US added 295k jobs in Feb; dropping unemployment from 5.7% to 5.5%. Hourly wages up 2% year over year.
- Existing home sales rose 1.2% in Feb.; Sale prices continue to rise on low inventories.
- Consumer inflation turned up .2% in Feb. Over the last 12 months, it’s been effectively flat.
- Durable goods orders dropped 1.4% in Feb.
- European Central Bank instituted quantitative easing to the tune of $1.3T in March
- Questions surround Greece after parliamentary elections chose the “anti-austerity” party.
- China cut it’s growth forecast to 7%. 2014 forecast was 7.4%
Retirement Withdrawal Rates
How much can you safely withdraw from savings every year in retirement? (Read More)
Will I Pay a Tax Penalty With Obamacare?
If you don’t have qualifying health-coverage, you may be penalized on your tax return. (Read More)
9 Hot Trends in 401(k) Plans
I find it interesting the impact behavioral finance principals play in retirement readiness and investor understanding. Here is a list of nine trends that have taken hold in the 401(k) community. (Read More)