Blog

Gold has been a valuable and highly coveted commodity for centuries. Unlike other common investment asset classes, you can touch gold, see gold, and keep it in your physical possession. And since gold values tend to move inversely to the stock market, it is often sought after when the markets tank or the value of the US dollar weakens as it is now in the summer of 2020. Gold is also touted as a good way to hedge against inflation. But despite its historical popularity and namesake as being a “safer” investment option in a financial crisis, investing in gold is not without its own risks.

Read the full article...

Herding refers to the instinctive habit of people to imitate the financial behavior of a majority. Herding is based on the idea that people feel most comfortable following the crowd and tend to assume that the consensus view is the correct one. In financial markets, this takes place when investors believe others to be better informed than themselves and follow them almost blindly, disregarding their own information and market fundamentals.

Read the full article...

Since hitting record lows in March, the stock market has made quite a rebound, with the S&P 500 up more than 36% through the end of May. Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic catalyze one of the quickest bear market drops in history, but also one of the fastest rebounds! How can stocks be soaring if the economy isn’t getting any better? How can we account for this timely bounce back without any key performance indicators to signal a recovery?

Read the full article...

Has your college canceled its in-person and online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Unfortunately, this has become the norm this spring. Social isolation has rendered continuing education for the 2019-2020 school year impassable. A plethora of students are unable to complete their courses prompting many colleges to offer refunds for tuition and fees. But what is the best way to repurpose your college refund for the future?

Read the full article...

Do insurance options seem overwhelming at times? It can be tricky to navigate the many different plan types and terminologies to find the right fit for your needs. Unfortunately, most people know very little about insurance, 90% of Americans aren’t even comfortable explaining basic terms like premium or deductible. Insurance needs to change as we age and move through different stages of our lives. The same policy or plan that benefits you today could very well be a poor choice for you later down the road.

Use this guide to help determine which policies you do and don’t need throughout your life.

Read the full article...

Unfortunately, many investors aren’t aware that there are ways to leverage market downturns to take advantage of future recovery periods. Consider following some of these strategies our financial planners have recommended to recovery gains and potentially improve your long-term returns.

Read the full article...

Published in the Baltimore Business Journal on April 2, 2020

There is a certain comfort knowing everyone, including the most seasoned investment managers, has been blindsided by the COVID-19 virus and that we are all going through the same thing. Gary Williams has been a financial advisor for 25 years, let's take a look at what he has been telling his clients about their investments and the markets.

Read the full article...

Imagine spending decades meticulously planning and conscientiously saving for retirement only to experience a bear market shortly after leaving the workforce. Suddenly, you’re ready to begin relying on your investment income and it isn’t all there.

What will you do? Will your portfolio be able to sustain your anticipated annual withdrawal rate? Or will you be forced to reduce your lifestyle to avoid outliving your assets?

Read the full article...

In an effort to help Americans better save and prepare for retirement, Congress has passed the first pivotal piece of retirement legislation we have seen in over a decade—the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act. The following outlines some of the most notable provisions of the SECURE Act and how they could affect your retirement or estate planning strategies now and for the foreseeable future. 

Read the full article...

Have you ever heard someone touting how they got in on the “ground floor” of a publicly traded stock and it skyrocketed from there? What did they mean by “ground floor”? Most likely what they are referring to is that they bought a company’s initial public offering (IPO) when the company “went public.”

Read the full article...