Thought Leadership Resource Center
The investing world mourns the loss of a true legend as Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, passed away on Nov. 28 at the age of 99. Munger had been known as Warren Buffet’s closest business partner and right-hand man since he joined Berkshire in 1978.
Read MoreIn late October both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 entered correction territory following a weak third quarter for equity prices. The reasons behind falling stock prices have been higher interest rates and weak earnings guidance from corporate executives worried about the threat of an escalation to the war in the Middle East. By the end of the month, the S&P 500 closed about 10% below its recent peak in late July.
Read MoreIn the ever-evolving landscape of wealth management services, ensuring that our clients have easy access to their financial documents and sensitive information is paramount. That's where the Clearwater Capital Portal’s secure digital vault comes into play. Integrated into your client portal, this digital vault offers clients a streamlined way to manage and safeguard your important documents. Here's how clients can utilize it and why they should seriously consider doing so.
Read MoreThe U.S. government continues to spend more than it makes as detailed in the final budget results for fiscal year 2023 (ending 9/30/2023). To quickly set the stage, the government makes money through taxes (income, corporate, social security, etc.) and spends money on various programs/services (social security, healthcare, Medicare, defense, etc.) For fiscal year 2023, government receipts totaled $4.4 trillion, government outlays totaled $6.1 trillion, resulting in a $1.7 trillion deficit, roughly 6% of GDP. Out of the last 50 years, we’ve only had 5 years in which we had a budget surplus.
Read MoreAs I wrote in a 2019 post, the potential impact of future taxes is often an important consideration for retirees when choosing to move to another state. Besides moving to an area with a warmer climate or closer to family and friends, the goal of minimizing expenses, including taxes, is often at the top of the priority list.
Read MoreOver the past several months I have warned of potential weakness in equities following a rally earlier in the year that saw the S&P 500 rise by as much as 20% from the beginning of the year. It appeared that valuations were being stretched as the market breadth narrowed. In other words, equity prices were rising faster than corporate earnings and the gains had become dominated by only a handful of mega cap names in the communication and information technology sectors.
Read MoreIn July, I had the opportunity to attend the Family Wealth Alliance’s (FWA) Women’s Summit held in Boston—an event dedicated to "Elevating Women in Family Wealth”. The atmosphere was charged with energy and enthusiasm as women from the Multi Family Office industry gathered to collaborate, exchange ideas, and celebrate the achievements of women advisors.
Read MoreBy 2030, women will likely be in control of $30 Trillion (with a T) according to a recent McKinsey study1. To put this in perspective, the US GDP hit $26.84 Trillion at the end of the 2nd quarter of 2023 (US Bureau of Economic Analysis).
To prepare for this transfer of wealth, it’s critical every woman has a financial plan in place that incorporates these five components.
Read MoreWith another summer winding down and kids heading back to school, we are entering the month of September with a bit of trepidation. Not only have U.S. equities rallied this year against the backdrop of declining earnings, but September has also historically been the worst month of the year for stocks. If investors could choose to skip past any month based on the historical action, September would be it.
Read MoreWith the kids going back to school, many parents are coming down from the summer fun and realizing they are one year closer to paying for college.
Read MoreBack in March, we published a list of legislative changes the Secure Act 2.0 brought. The IRS has since released some clarifications that will impact savers.
Read MoreDeciding on your retirement date can be one of the most important decisions in your lifetime. Here are three steps to take the guesswork out of choosing a date that is right for you and your retirement plan.
Read MoreA couple of weeks ago Clearwater Capital released our full Mid-Year Update report of our Outlook 2023. Even as the U.S. equity markets continue to rally, we remain cautious. Our base case calls for a short and shallow recession to develop later this year, or early in 2024.
Read MoreFirst, it must be recognized that there is no way to truly be prepared for the death of a spouse or partner. In addition to the emotional toll, the financial decisions about what to do when our loved one dies can be overwhelming.
Read MoreMaking informed decisions about when to claim Social Security benefits is crucial for couples to maximize their retirement income. The optimal claiming strategy depends on various factors, including each spouse's earned benefit, ages, and their ability to invest excess Social Security income. This case study explores three scenarios to show how and when the math changes on benefit maximization.
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Welcome to the 2023 Mid Year Update. In our original Outlook 2023 report, we assessed economic and market conditions coming into the new year with a cautionary perspective. The macro headwinds in 2022 were very real and generally hostile. We had the highest inflation in 40 years, with the most aggressive monetary tightening campaign in decades. We also had the war in Ukraine, political upheaval, and the collapse of the crypto ecosystem, among many other problems.
Following the most aggressive monetary tightening cycle in the past 40 years, stock prices are approaching the threshold of a new bull market - rising almost 20% from the bear market low last October. A cursory look at U.S. equity price movement so far in 2023 would suggest that stocks have been able to shrug off a wide range of troubling issues.
Read MoreOn Saturday, June 3rd President Biden signed the debt ceiling bill, avoiding a potential waterfall of economic headlines. His signing comes just 2 days before the date the Treasury said the government would run out of money. Understanding this critical component of fiscal governance is vital in grasping its potential impact on the nation's economy and financial stability.
Read MoreMany have sought to put a monetary value on the benefit of an advisor, but it is difficult to pin down quantitatively due to the essential uniqueness of each client-advisor relationship. There are many components to creating a cohesive, clear, and personalized financial plan to grow and adapt to the many different stages of life. A few of the many forms of strategic advising include tax planning, estate planning, business succession planning, charitable and philanthropic planning, and investment management. The overarching goal of these various components is to make wealth complement an individual's lifestyle and discover what a meaningful use of wealth means for each client.
Read MoreThe Federal Reserve and Chairman Jerome Powell will hold its latest policy meeting on Wednesday, May 3rd. The central bank is largely expected to deliver on another 25-basis point hike to the Fed Funds rate, bringing the benchmark rate to a range of 5.00% - 5.25%. This would mark the 10th straight rate hike this cycle and take the Fed Funds rate to its highest level since 2007.
Read MoreDisclosures:
THIS COMMENTARY HAS BEEN PREPARED BY CLEARWATER CAPITAL PARTNERS. THE OPINIONS VOICED IN THIS MATERIAL ARE FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE OR BE CONSTRUED AS PROVIDING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR SPECIFIC INVESTMENT ADVICE OR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL. ALL ECONOMIC DATA IS DERIVED FROM PUBLIC SOURCES BELIEVED TO BE RELIABLE. TO DETERMINE WHICH INVESTMENTS MAY BE APPROPRIATE FOR YOU, PLEASE CONSULT WITH US PRIOR TO INVESTING. INVESTING INVOLVES RISK WHICH MAY INCLUDE LOSS OF PRINCIPAL. This material is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities, insurance products, or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of the date of writing and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and nonproprietary sources deemed by Clearwater Capital Partners to be reliable, are not necessarily all-inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. Investment involves risks. International investing involves additional risks, including risks related to foreign currency, limited liquidity, less government regulation and the possibility of substantial volatility due to adverse political, economic or other developments. Index performance is shown for illustrative purposes only. You cannot invest directly in an index. S&P 500 is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services, a division of S&P Global (“S&P”) DOW JONES, DJ, DJIA and DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE are registered trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings (“Dow Jones”). NASDAQ-100 Index®, NASDAQ-100®, NASDAQ Composite Index® are registered trademarks of The NASDAQ OMC Group, Inc. The two main risks related to fixed-income investing are interest rate risk and credit risk. Typically, when interest rates rise, there is a corresponding decline in the market value of bonds. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of the bond will not be able to make principal and interest payments.
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