By Aoifinn Devitt, Chief Global Investment Strategist It has been a week filled with newsflow and our weekly update is coming to you a little later than usual. As we turn the corner into February,…
By Aoifinn Devitt, Chief Global Investment Strategist Words matter. That part is clear. When the Federal reserve started to sprinkle the word “transitory” into its assessment of inflation from 2022 onwards they sent a clear signal.…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Global Market Strategist As the Midwest shivers through its first real cold spell of 2024 we see the realization that a another thing has gone the way of the landline…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer After a bruising 2022, 2023 was the “comeback kid” of a year. But in the fourth quarter, it seemed to defy gravity itself. All year, the rumblings of a…
Chris Kamykowski, CFA, CFP® – Head of Investment Strategy and Research Tim Side, CFA – Investment Strategist Download the PDF MONTHLY OBSERVATIONS Strange, Long Year Ends on High Note The doldrums of August-October were a…
“The problem isn’t getting rich, it’s staying sane.” -Charlie Munger[1] The current environment is rife with uncertainty. Following two seismic events, the COVID-19 pandemic and the first ground war in Europe since World War II,…
Tim Side, CFA® – Investment Strategist “From thirty years as a practicing historian, I have come to the conclusion that there is but one, singular, lesson of history. It is this — there are no permanent winners…
Tim Side, CFA® – Investment Strategist “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” -Niels Bohr[1] The current environment is rife with uncertainty. Following two seismic events, the COVID-19 pandemic and the first ground war…
Investment Team Click here to download the PDF Monthly Observations Santa Claus Rally in November? Markets rebounded with a vengeance in November after Fed comments indicated less potential for future monetary tightening which spurred a…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer We are into December and have already given “thanks” for the harvest. But this is the busiest time of year for that other kind of harvesting – of tax…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer Here in Chicago Thanksgiving was sunny but brisk. Now it is just very brisk. It is a reminder that winter – albeit delayed – comes around after all. The…
Work with a Certified Financial Transitionist® when managing your winnings from the lottery. “When I win the lottery…” Most of us have said this at some time or another, followed by a laugh. The odds…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer As the holidays approach, there is a miracle in the air. But not the usual festive kind. Consumers were already starting to expect lower inflation – and Tuesday’s CPI…
Investment Team Click here to download the PDF Monthly Observations No Calendar Effect This Time October was a challenging month for investors as both stocks and bonds fell lower. While markets initially looked through the…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer October turned out to be a little spooky after all. The month launched somewhat unsteadily, reeling from a “September effect” which did exactly what it said on the tin…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer Many of our clients have read this recent article in the Wall Street Journal and have asked us to respond. It cites the banner performance of the traditional 60/40…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer It’s cooling down outside now, but earnings season is heating up. As expected the outlooks are looking warm and cozy, at least so far, with a wide range of…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer The quarter started with a bang but ended with a whimper, as a surging stock market in July was cut short by a more subdued month of August and…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer Temperatures are dropping, leaves are turning and everywhere there is a chill in the air. The tragic events playing out on the geopolitical stage, now in the Middle East,…
Tim Side, CFA® – Investment Strategist Rick Bettger – Investment Research Analyst Click here to download the PDF Monthly Observations September Lives Up to Long-Term Reputation September has the reputation as the worst performing month of…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer Just as the weather started to cool down, inflation has been picking up. The latest inflation figures released this week showed a small uptick in month-on-month inflation, largely attributable…
Chris Kamykowski, CFA®, CFP® – Head of Investment Strategy and Research Tim Side, CFA® – Investment Strategist Click here to download the PDF Monthly Observations Historically Weak Month Proves Weak Volatility turned upward after a calm…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer Summer’s lease hath all too short a date. Sonnet 18, William Shakespeare As we near the end of official summer, the economy continues to hum along like a lazy…
By Aoifinn Devitt, CFP® – Chief Investment Officer It must be mid-August because the Halloween candy and costumes have hit the store aisles. Like corporations and their earnings stores have become adept at telegraphing activity like holidays…