A Changing Landscape
A subtle change is occurring in the investing world that we, at Rockbridge, have been noticing for some time. In fact, I am happy to see the trend accelerate. Investors are utilizing an increasing amount of market-tracking funds and ETFs, rather than using active management. Active management is the process of trying to outperform the […]
Market Commentary January 2015
Stock Markets The accompanying chart shows domestic stocks up and international stocks down over the past quarter and one-year periods. Real estate investment trusts (REITs) were up substantially in these same periods. The largest U.S. companies have been especially strong recently and, because these are the stocks followed by the mainstream media, we have the […]
It’s A Girl! And I Need More Life Insurance…
My wife Amanda and I welcomed a baby girl (Norah Marie Wells) into the world on December 17th. As a planner by both nature and profession, I wanted to make sure we had all of our ducks in a row prior to her arrival. One of my top concerns was purchasing additional life insurance and […]
Long-Term Bond Yields
Ten-year Treasury rates continue to stay at historic lows following the “Great Recession” of 2008. The prevailing sentiment is that rates will climb as the economy continues to recover. On the other hand, it is important to give this view a historical context. There have been times where long-term bond yields have remained below average […]
TIPS – Designed to Protect Against Inflation, But Do They Belong in Your Portfolio?
We added TIPS (Treasury Inflation Protected Securities) to many of our client portfolios several years ago. We are now selling them out of client portfolios, as we no longer expect them to fulfill their intended purpose. History TIPS were created in the late 1990’s. Issued by the U.S. Treasury, they pay a low, fixed, nominal […]
Market Commentary October 2014
The indices in the chart at right, except for those of domestic large companies, show that stocks in the third quarter gave back some of their recent gains. International stocks and those of domestic small companies were down over 5%; stocks traded in emerging markets and Real Estate Investment Trusts were down by a lesser […]
Rockbridge Named a Top 100 Wealth Management Firm by CNBC!
“Rockbridge Investment Management Named a Top 100 Wealth Management Firm by CNBC” SYRACUSE, NY – Rockbridge Investment Management, an independent, fee-only investment management firm serving individuals and families, has recently been named as one of CNBC’s Top 100 Fee-Only Wealth Management Firms. Rockbridge is the only Central New York firm to join the elite list […]
NYSaves 529 Plan
If you have children approaching or in college, the end of summer means one thing: a fall tuition payment! Fortunately, as New York State residents, there is a little tax break for college expenses. By contributing to the NYS 529 College Savings Plan, you are able to deduct up to $10,000 for a couple ($5,000 […]
Market Commentary July 2014
Stock Markets The first chart at right shows returns from various stock market indices over several periods ending June 30, 2014. Equity markets have rewarded those of us who stayed the course. Why? I offer three culprits: Surprises associated with an improving economic environment Lack of return opportunities in bond markets “Animal Spirits” These things are […]
Rockbridge – Planning for Generations
The question of firm strength and continuity has surfaced more and more this year. Both new and long-time clients are concerned that their financial planning firm will be around for the rest of their lives as well as for their children and grandchildren. The good news is that over the past few years, Rockbridge has […]