Bull Market
Happy 10 Year Anniversary
This Wednesday marks the 10 year Anniversary of the Bull Market that started on March 6th, 2009. On that infamous day, the S&P 500 closed @ 666. Today we’re at approximately 2800.
This week’s Blog will not serve as a reflection of the past 10 years, well, because it’s the past. What’s most important to Investors is what’s going to happen this week, next month, next year and so on.
The only comment I’ll make about March 6, 2009, is that I hope your Asset Allocation/Rebalancing was appropriate to your financial situation back then and I certainly hope that today, your money is positioned specifically based on your need for current/future retirement income and an enjoyable retirement.
Markets Last Week
US Equity Markets were mostly higher last week, with the Dow rising .02%, the S&P 500 up .39%, the Nasdaq Composite rising .90% and the Russell 2000 down a slight (.03%).
Bond Yields rose as the 10 year US Treasury yield finished last Friday with a yield of 2.75%, up from the prior week of 2.65%.
International Markets were mixed, with the MSCI EAFE International Index up .78% and the MSCI Emerging Market Index down (1.28%).
2018 US GDP
The US Economy looks to have grown by 2.9% in 2018, up from 2.2% in 2017. I believe the rise in 2018 is attributable to increasing Corporate Earnings, a low unemployment rate, increasing wages, deregulation and lower corporate and personal income taxes. Most prognosticators are predicting between 2% and 2.5% growth for 2019. Not many people are expecting a contraction in GDP in 2019. As always, time will tell!
Question of the Week
Medicare: The 2 basic parts of Medicare are Part A (Hospitalization) and Part B (Medical Services). Many Medicare Beneficiaries choose to supplement Parts A & B with a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policy.
If you have Parts A and B with a Medicare Supplement and you have a hospital stay. Which parts of Medicare will pay your bill and who will pay first?
a) Part B will pay first, and your Medicare Supplement will pay second.
b) Part A will pay 100%
c) Part A will pay first and your Supplement will pay second.
d) Part B will pay 100%
To register for our next Medicare Planning workshop on March 26th, please click Medicare Workshop.
Answer To Last Week’s Question
Many people are now reading their news exclusively on a mobile phone.
What is the Percentage of adults, age 65 plus that are now receiving their news via a mobile phone?
a) 25%
b) 50%
c) 75%
d) 67%
The correct answer is:
d) 67%. The trend seems to moving higher with more and more people obtaining news on-line versus print. I do enjoy the newspaper, especially on weekends.
Please join us for our next Workshop!
Medicare Workshop
Tuesday, March 26, 2019 – 6:30 pm–8:00 pm
Moorestown Community House – 16 East Main Street, Moorestown, NJ