It’s the merry month of May; flowers are blooming and the trees are green with new leaves. This year, there’s ample reason to celebrate Spring, even if we still need to maintain social distancing protocols. The S&P 500 established yet another record high, rising by 7.45 points to close at 4187.62 on Monday, April 26.1 As the busiest period of corporate earnings season approaches, expectations are high. Of the S&P 500 companies that have already delivered results, eighty-four percent reported positive earnings surprises.2 This is all extremely positive news but some headwinds, including rising cases of COVID in some parts of the world, particularly India, and concerns about President Biden’s plans to increase the capital gains tax for wealthy investors, are likely to continue introducing some jitters into the market. While expectations for the coming months are broadly positive, we remind clients to focus on the long-term potential of the markets and remain disciplined, which, in our opinion, is the best way to stay on track to meet long-term financial goals.
Our first offering this month is a helpful chart to illustrate how periodic downturns in the market (remember those jitters) don’t guarantee down years. The next article can help investors assess how COVID has impacted their retirement plans and important steps to take to remain on track. With many companies offering early retirement packages to reduce payroll expenses, our third article discusses what you should consider before accepting such an offer. Next, we include a brief, animated video that details the potential benefits of the investment approach we follow—factor investing. We end with an overview of apps and websites to help save you money when you shop online or in-store.
As always, we do our best to offer the solutions, insights, and expertise to help you achieve your financial objectives.
Articles of Interest
Do Downturns Lead to Down Years?
Stock market declines over a few days or months may lead investors to anticipate a down year. But the US stock market had positive returns in 16 of the past 20 calendar years, despite some notable dips in many of those years. Here’s an informative chart that clearly illustrates how market downturns don’t necessarily lead to down years.
COVID-19 and Retirement Planning: 5 Actions to Take Now
Over the past year, the global pandemic has created enormous hardship for people around the world. As if concerns about our own health and that of our loved ones wasn’t enough, for many the economic impact of the pandemic has caused enormous financial disruption. Now, as the country and the economy begin to recover, it’s time to reevaluate your financial position—where you are now and where you want to be in the future—and take steps to achieve your long-term financial goals.
How to Evaluate an Early Retirement Offer
With companies considering a multitude of strategies to navigate the pandemic and its financial consequences, some employers are offering early retirement packages as one way to manage expenses and reduce payroll. While such an offer might be tempting, there are many factors that weigh into the decision. Learn more about what you should consider when contemplating such an offer. Accepting the wrong terms could derail years of planning.
The Factors of Investment Returns
Factor investing is a strategy that focuses on specific drivers of return in your portfolio, and these factors have been identified through many years of academic research. Factor investing offers the potential for higher returns over time or reduced risk, and it is one of the strategies we use in many of our clients’ portfolios. Click on the link to watch a 3-minute, animated video that describes the benefits of this Evidence-Based approach to investing.
15 Apps and Web Sites to Help You Save Money at Checkout
Who doesn’t enjoy saving money? We’d all rather spend less than more but clipping coupons and looking for deals can sometimes seem like a lot of work. Fortunately, there are apps and websites that can make it easy to save money through discounts and cash back offers. Read on and start saving.
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Symmetry does not provide tax or legal advice and nothing either stated or implied here should be inferred as providing such advice. Due to various factors, including changing market conditions and/or applicable laws, the content may no longer be reflective of current opinions or positions.
Symmetry Partners, LLC is not affiliated with any firm mentioned in this material.
