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Answering Your Questions About the Fitch Downgrade Presented by On August 1, Fitch Ratings—one of the top three international credit rating agencies—downgraded its credit rating for the U.S. government from AAA to AA+, and although this may seem like bad news for U.S. markets, this isn’t likely to have a long-term effect. To better understand why this may not be cause for concern, it’s important to take a look at the reasoning behind this decision as well as the U.S.’s history with downgrades. 

It’s easy to summarize in one word what dominated headlines last week: banks. The collapse of three banks, with several more under pressure, caused confusion and panic, leaving many Americans wondering whether their money was safe, among other concerns. Let’s delve into the questions that arose from this situation and explore what it all means—and why it matters

Americans have suddenly witnessed three very large bank failures in only a few days’ time. The first was the collapse last week of Silvergate, also known as “the Crypto bank.” Soon after, we read the news of both Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank collapsing. These are some of the largest bank failures in U.S. history. What is going on here? Should we be worried? Is another financial crisis on the horizon? The short answer is no.

The topic of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing has become increasingly popular over the last two to three years, sparking many discussions and questions. What is, at its core, a simple attempt to make better investment decisions, has surprisingly caused quite a bit of controversy. So, what are we talking about when we discuss ESG investing, and what is fueling the debate?

The headlines this week have warned that we’re nearing a “debt ceiling crisis.” What does this mean? It’s estimated that on January 19, 2023, the United States will have borrowed as much money as it’s legally allowed to borrow and will be prohibited from borrowing more. Why is this happening? In short, the new Congress has failed to pass a law allowing the Treasury to borrow the money that’s needed to make required payments. The Treasury, therefore, will have to use cash on hand right now, as well as any inflows, to pay the outstanding bills for as long as possible—until the money runs out.

It has been said that days go by slowly, and years go quickly; however, the year 2022 made that statement feel quite a bit different. There were times when it felt as though the year might never end. Now that it has, we wanted to take some time to recount, reflect, and reaffirm our strategy to you, our valued clients.

On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, an omnibus spending bill that includes the SECURE 2.0 measure (a.k.a. the Securing a Strong Retirement Act 2.0). Broadly, SECURE 2.0 is intended to make retirement saving more straightforward and accessible to a wider range of people. As such, it encompasses many aspects of financial planning and retirement saving.

In 2022, we faced rising prices, market volatility, and recession fears. Can we expect some good news in the new year?

We always strive to keep you informed and help you stay on track toward your long-term financial goals. Today, we present a 2023 outlook provided by Brad McMillan, CFA^®, CAIA, MAI, chief investment officer at Commonwealth Financial Network^®, the firm we partner with to serve you. Brad summarizes the economic risks we face, along with his predictions for the economy and markets in the coming months. And, to answer the question above: yes, there is good news here.

For many of us, the holiday season is a wonderful time of year. Unfortunately, it can also be an especially profitable time for cybercriminals. With many consumers shopping online, we almost always see a significant increase in cyberscams during November and December. To help you avoid becoming a victim of holiday cybercrime, watch out for these common scams.

On October 21 2022, the Internal Revenue Service released Notice 2022-55, announcing cost-of-living adjustments that affect contribution limits for retirement plans and retirement accounts in 2023. The list below, though not exhaustive, highlights key changes that retirement plan sponsors should be aware of, as well as several limitations that remain unchanged from 2022.