We continue to see the promising potential for extended life spans in an age of rapidly advancing technology and medicine. If you are 20, you have a 50% chance of living to be 100 or more. If you are already 60, you have a 50% chance of living to be 90 or more. Plus, there are emerging technologies that could extend lifespans even longer. While this is a somewhat futuristic perspective, we should ask ourselves: Are we prepared for our […]
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A year ago at this time, Fed Chair Jay Powell gave a very short and direct speech at Jackson Hole. Most people were surprised at how short his comments were, but no one misunderstood his powerful message which he followed through on ever since. I do not expect Powell’s speech to be as short as 2022 nor as direct and sharp. I expect him to continue to be mildly hawkish and report that the Fed’s job is almost but not […]
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Understanding how to manage your Social Security benefits is crucial to your overall retirement planning success as you approach retirement. As the owner of a Registered Investment Advisory firm in Woodbridge, CT, and a fiduciary financial advisor, I get to help individuals prepare for a successful retirement by answering questions such as: When should I start taking Social Security benefits? Can I still work while collecting Social Security? Will my Social Security benefits be taxed? How do withdrawals from retirement […]
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Friday’s reversal from early losses looks interesting on a chart for sure as you can see below in the S&P 500, but Tuesday also showed a less impressive reversal. This time it was to the downside. While I expected more from the bulls after Friday, perhaps I am being a bit too impatient. We will have to see. In what has become the most anticipated earnings report in a long time, Nvidia reports after the close today. The chart is […]
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A new video has been posted! State of the Pullback – Where It Ends, When and What to Buy On Friday we sold RSYYX and levered S&P 500.
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I remember when COVID hit and NYC was the epicenter. The hysteria around metro living was pervasive and most predicted mass exoduses from the major cities for years and years to come. After all, who in their right mind would ever get into an elevator with other people? Who would ride subways and busses packed with others? Well, as I walked across town, the city was more crowded than ever, both in vehicles and walking. I didn’t see a single […]
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Tuesday was an “OUCH” day. The stock market was set up for a bounce and perhaps a multi-day bounce as I wrote on Monday. The bears pulled the rug out and it was a day that hurt the bulls. As you can see at the end of this post we ended up selling a good number of positions as the set ups failed and I was wrong. I mentioned before, but it’s important enough to reiterate. A few weeks ago […]
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Good Monday morning everyone. Mine began by being 5 minutes early. So, I decided to move a bag of fertilizer from the front of the garage to the back. I had to squeeze by my car which didn’t look to difficult. But it is a Monday morning. On the way to the back I smashed my left hand into my side view mirror of my car. Seeing stars quickly ensued. Then the swelling, throbbing and transition to black and blue. […]
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Stocks are through with most of earnings season and you know what? The major stock market indices haven’t gone anywhere and I don’t not believe they are set up to explode higher just yet. My tempered enthusiasm remains. Besides the big picture, short-term challenges, I am really having trouble finding things I want to own, regardless of my market take. I thought low volatility ETFs like SPLV would get some love along with utilities and staples, but the plunge in […]
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Sorry for the late post. I just returned from Scotland yesterday and I am playing catch up, and one of my bags decided it wanted some time in London before returning to the States. It was a small, but motley crew and an epic trip to the Highlands. Only 1507 pictures taken. As you know, I have greatly tempered my enthusiasm for stocks over the past week or so. The bull market remains intact. Even this big leg […]
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As I wrote about the other day, markets were not happy that second rate rating firm, Fitch, using an odd combination of stale and subjective data downgraded the debt of the U.S. Stocks and bonds were hit hard, each losing more than 1%. As I tweeted on Thursday morning, more selling should be expected before the first short-term low is in. My tune remains the same. The bull market is alive and reasonably well. This pullback was one I started […]
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August is here and the month doesn’t have an upward seasonal bias. Overall, it is one of the more challenging months of the year, coming in at 0% on average, but weaker lately. The first day of August is also the single worst first day of the month in the calendar. However (isn’t there always?), because of how well July closed, the first week of August is a seasonally strong period. In other words, buy weakness to begin the month […]
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Retirement is a distinct phase of life that everyone aspires to reach. It is the time to enjoy the rewards of a lifetime of hard work, saving, and sacrifice. However, it’s important to know that successful retirements require strategic planning by an expert to avoid critical errors that have dire consequences. That’s where the services of an experienced retirement planner in Woodbridge, CT, can be the difference between winning and losing the race. In this article, we’ll share five of […]
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It cannot be July 31st. No way. Can we get summer to slow down a bit? I am sure those in the sweltering and parched areas of the country don’t want to see that, but I do, especially after we finally got a glorious Sunday with golden sunshine, low humidity and temps in the low 80s. It was so nice that after we grilled and ate outside last night, I built a fairly substantial bonfire that began slowly with some […]
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The Fed did exactly what everyone knew they would and for the first time in many meetings, Jay Powell’s press conference was boring and plain vanilla. Stocks did very little which is what the model suggested after the rally muted much of the usual edge. Thursday brought lots of fireworks with stocks ripping higher at the open, only to completely fade by the close. If you asked me at 10am what the odds were of losing that entire gain in […]
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Jay Powell and his friends on the FOMC are going to hike interest rates by 1/4% today at 2pm. That is all but certain. Between now and then, the model of the day calls for plus or minus 0.50% in the S&P 500 and then a bigger move after 2pm. Given the strength into the meeting and the fact that the stock market sits at a fresh 52-week high, the odds and edge are somewhat muted and not worth the […]
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Over the weekend I was chatting with an industry colleague who is usually bearish. He’s a glass quarter full kinda guy, but super, super bright and always has high conviction. At the beginning of the year we had this fierce debate about how 2023 would treat the stock market. You already know how bullish I was. His position was that there was no way stocks could rally simply because the Fed was selling assets from its balance sheet to the […]
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The markets gave us an interesting clue to where the rally stands on Thursday. Both Tesla and Netflix reported earnings that were generally fine. There were a few tiny pieces of negativity, but nothing really big. Both stocks were hit hard as was the NASDAQ 100. You can see Tesla and Netflix below, which we own in our Unloved Gems strategy. Look all the way to the far right of the chart to see the decline. Both stocks have had […]
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Over the past few weeks I mentioned a number of opportunities in the markets as well as posting the trades we made to execute. I talked about gold bottoming at the end of June. I discussed some moves away from the big winners like the NASDAQ 100 and into lower risk areas like the Dow Industrials. It’s not rocket science. It’s prudent movement of funds to take advantage of solid risk/reward set ups. That doesn’t mean they will always end […]
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Yes; I am very happy and I had a great weekend! Someone emailed me concerned that I did not add my usual two cents about the upcoming weekend. In my rush to bang out Friday’s blog, I must have forgotten. Fear not, we spent Friday night with a bunch of couples at our friends’ house with some gourmet food and great conversation. Mother Nature wasn’t so kind for most of the weekend, but I did squeeze in some outdoor activities […]
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