Articles

Market Update: April 2012

The recent market activity in April has given us at least some of the negative correction we had been expecting from markets. As we stated we would do last month, we took the opportunity to reinvest client’s assets in some different ways to capitalize on what we believe the future trends will be. As usual, we will delve into the topics that we believe will have the greatest impact on the market over the near future. Since I am a bad news first kind of guy, please do not panic too much about the first section. I will cover the more positive data further on in the article Read more »

Market Update: March 2012

Markets have risen nicely this year, mostly thanks to significant actions by world central banks and a seeming invincibility to a number of troubling world events. Read more »

Market Update: February 2012

It appears that the volatility will continue to be with us for some time to come. A very real risk for 2012 is that the politicians will continue to implement policies that they have followed many times in the past: devaluing national currencies and creating inflation. This would spell disaster for those who have placed the bulk of their savings in cash or bonds as citizens' purchasing power deteriorates. We simply must not be caught in the wrong asset classes as this occurs. Read more »

Tax Time Check-List

There were several changes last year regarding tax reporting that should make tax time MUCH easier for you this year. We recommend that you provide a copy of this article to your CPA so that he or she can assist with the process as needed. Read more »

Market Update: January 2012

It is a brand new year that is bound to be full of new surprises. As always, we will take a closer look this month at some economic data points we feel will have an influence on how financial markets will perform this year. Improving domestic data, like unemployment and real estate, have set the scene for potential value growth, while issues in Europe still continue to plague markets and will likely cause of a great deal of volatility this year. Read more »

Market Update: December 2011

Last month, I wrote about the overwhelming evidence (at least to me) that the political manipulation of the past several years has worsened financial problems on both a global and national scale. You might think that I am feeling extremely bearish because of the ineptitude of our supposed leaders. With that as back drop, let me spread some Christmas cheer! The human endeavor is simply too vast for any government or even a consortium of governments to screw it up for long. I am short-term bullish and very bullish for the long term. Why? According to National Public Radio, we exceeded a population of 7 billion people on the planet a few weeks ago. I submit that those people have the same basic motivations as we do. We want security for ourselves, our children, our friends, and neighbors, and so do they. Read more »

Holiday Recipe: Leche Flán

From client Judy T. comes this luscious holiday “Leche Flán,” a variation of a traditional Filipino recipe. Your CWM team was lucky enough to sample this decadent treat, thanks to Judy, and it comes with our full stamp of approval. Delight your holiday guests with this original melt-in-your-mouth dessert. Read more »

2011 IRA Contributions

Some important reminders regarding 2011 IRA contributions. Read more »

Market Update: November 2011

Hopefully, the subtitle of this missive is enough to elicit your interest. I freely admit that most of this communication is my personal opinion, backed by over 56 years of life and 39 years of investment experience. When the discussion turns to investment history, it will be documented, but for the most part, this is an editorial piece concerning what I believe are huge mistakes, past and present, which are costing the American people their prosperous futures. I think it is time I weighed in on what I unenthusiastically describe as the most frustrating period of time I have ever seen in an investment career spanning from 1972 to 2011. Read more »

Market Update: October 2011

The last month of stock market activity can only be described as utterly perplexing, with both significant positive and negative market swings. This volatility is not overly surprising after noting the complete ambiguity of government policy in the main economic countries of the world. Policy action around the world has been one of the main driving forces in market movement over the last few years, and thus a lack of clarity in this area should be expected to cause some turmoil. Drama in Europe continues to be the primary daily market mover, but China is now working its way into the headlines with its own set of troubles, and polarized politics here in the U.S. are also having their own destabilizing effects. Nevertheless, there are still some reasons for optimism even in the current environment. As always, we must consider all of the positives and negatives when deciding on future investment exposures. Read more »

Market Update: September 2011

August was one of the most volatile months in market history. There are quite a few issues to examine this month, including recession concerns, weak economic data, the uncertainty of future Federal Reserve policy, and how the stock market will react to it all. Europe also remains a significant concern, but the story remains substantially the same as described in last month's newsletter. Read more »

Market Update: August 2011

We at CWM expected some market volatility over the last month, but not at the historic levels we have seen the last few weeks. Fortunately, our market disciplines substantially limited CWM investment portfolio volatility when compared to the overall marketplace. Since most investment portfolios are now very cash heavy, it is important to examine the current environment and start planning for the eventual reentry so that we will not be left behind when markets begin to rise again. Current major market-moving events worth considering are the potential affects of the S&P U.S. debt downgrade, the ongoing European debt crisis, current weak US economic data, and potential new Federal Reserve economic support. Read more »

Market Update: July 2011

The CWM investment team suspects that the remainder of July will be very dramatic and volatile for world stock markets. Not only does the Greek debt crisis continue to be an issue, but now there is the two-headed dragon of rising unemployment (again) and the more serious U.S. debt ceiling debate with which to contend. The question also remains about what, if anything, the Federal Reserve will do to continue supporting economic recovery. These issues are the most likely factors to affect market movement in today’s investment environment. Read more »

Market Update: June 2011

As usual, there are many new events and updates to old news to be considered when forming the current investment strategy. The big movers of the last month and likely of the near future as well are the U.S. debt ceiling debate, mostly weak domestic economic indicators, the continuing Greek debt crisis, and emerging economic weakness in China. We will take a look at all of these items in some detail and then discuss what your CWM team is doing in response to them, as well as the recent market sell off. Read more »

Market Update: May 2011

Last month, the market experienced plenty of volatility, though this is hardly surprising given the situation with the falling dollar, rising food and energy prices, and recent government actions. While the devaluing dollar is perhaps the issue of greatest concern, it is important for investors to be aware of the many issues affecting current market prices. Read more »

Market Update: April 2011

Over the last month we saw both brand new economic events and twists to old issues that must be considered when deciding a future investment course, including the natural disaster in Japan, skyrocketing energy prices, inflationary pressures, and the continuation of the housing problems. Read more »

Market Update: March 2011

This month, potential inflation, the effects of rapidly rising oil prices, social strife across the Middle East and North Africa, and other smaller developments continue to be major sources of concern when planning for the future. Read more »

Property Casualty and Umbrella Insurance Coverage

At CWM's most recent Coffee Talk event, Allstate insurance rep Barry Hasson shared some valuable information and tips about the importance of various types of Property Casualty and Umbrella insurance. This article can help you determine whether your own coverage is sufficient for your situation. Read more »