All US equity boats moved higher over the shortened Thanksgiving trading week. The Standard and Poor’s 500 increased 1.04%, the Dow Jones .75% and the Russell 2000 led the way, up 2.28%.
Over the pond equities partially followed the US with the Developed Market MSCI EAFE Stock Index trading higher by .52% however the Emerging Market Stock Index fell (.80%).
Bonds continued to move slightly higher as interest rates remain contained at the current low rates with the 10 Year US Treasury yield closing last Friday @ 1.78%.
On-Line Shopping Hit a Record 
Black Friday was a WOW, with approximately 7.4 BILLION DOLLARS of on-line sales!!!!!! Cell Phones, Laptops, iPads are certainly the current way to do most shopping… Certainly no surprise with great sales, low cost and/or free shipping, AND the fact that you do NOT have to drive and wait in long lines.
It was reported in a CNBC article that physical, in-person shopping is down by 25% this year for retailers such as Macy’s and Kohls.
Amazon, certainly not a surprise, has reported that on-line sales in 2019 have increased by 20%.
Do we really need the number of various brick and mortar stores today as yester year? My guess is NO…. There are several items that most of us want to see in person, however with the ability to return items via UPS, FedEx and other methods, why get frustrated with all the talented drivers in our area? It’s so frustrating when you are behind a car, when the traffic light turns green & the driver is obviously busy texting which delays you from moving forward.
I think texting has certainly added to road-rage. When this happens, I suggest smiling, waving and saying out loud “have a nice day”. I think you’ll remain much calmer.
Question of the Week…
Following are a list of potential advantages of doing Roth IRA Conversions. Which is NOT an advantage?
- Future Tax-Free Income
- Income Tax Savings when you do the conversion
- Roth IRA distributions will not impact your Medicare Premiums
- Roth IRA distributions will not be included into the Provisional Income Calculation for taxing your Social Security Retirement Check
For information on how to decide if a conversion is in your best interest, contact our office!
Answer to last week’s question…!
There are a handful of strategies available to arrange for your retirement income. Which strategy arranges your investment assets in a way that the funds you need each year are already in separate buckets and invested based on specific criteria and your time horizon.
- Systematic Withdrawal Approach
- Time Segmentation Approach
- Certificate of Deposit or a Bond Ladder
- Interest/Dividends only for income
The correct answer is #2: Time Segmentation Approach
If you have questions about your income options and how best to arrange your assets, please give our office a call to arrange a complimentary consultation.
