Bulls & Bears on a Collision Course?

Markets never move in a straight line. If you’ve not heard this saying around our office, you probably haven’t met us. The current environment feels ripe for trotting out this old market axiom as momentum favors the bulls while the macro-economic environment provides plenty of warnings. Chris Beard and Jesse Hansford walk through the two…

Debt to Income Ratio

This month we’re talking about debt to income ratio which measures the amount of debt you have to your overall income. Do you know your number? #debttoincomeratios #debt

Word Clouds & Cage Matches

The world is a crazy place right now… maybe it always has been, but between the mixed signals confusing the inflation fight & markets, we also have two of the richest men on Earth threatening each other to a cage match. WHAT?!?! This week’s Random Gleanings gives Jesse Hansford & Chris Beard a chance to…

The Consumer: Strong? or Running Out?

Consumerism is the economic engine in America. As such, Chris Beard & Jesse Hansford look at how the consumer is doing right now, and what is anticipated over the coming months to help broaden the view beyond the markets on economic factors that are affecting the companies our clients invest in. 0:00 – Intro &…

Radically Neutral

Halfway through the year, and the most predicted recession of all time still has not presented itself. Can the Fed claim victory on a soft landing? Is the recent positivity, expected rate pause, persistence of low unemployment, and slowing inflation a sign we are out of the woods? Perhaps it is, yet historically bearish economic…

Pre-tax vs Roth 401(k) Contributions?

In this month’s A$AP, Kelly Eldridge, CPFA offers some thoughts to help with a common question: Should I contribute to my 401(k) with pre-tax or Roth contributions? Have a question? Send us an email at retirementplans@proplanwealth.com #401k #financialwellness #rothira #roth401k

Higher for Longer – A New Bull Market??

With the first episode in June, Jesse Hansford & Chris Beard celebrate the arrival of summer. The guys discover that the Chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, has kicked off his summer with a bong bang, the S&P is finally breaking above a first level of resistance, but that not all parts of the…

Divergent Signals

Random Gleanings this week has Chris Beard & Jesse Hansford focusing on some of the mixed signals within the markets at present. To this point in the year, stock performance of the world’s largest companies have run away from the performance of smaller companies. One measure of inflation (Headline CPI) has cooled off dramatically from…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Macro Concerns

“It just occurred to me that the opposite of Artificial Intelligence is… Real Stupid.” – unknown It has only been six months since the initial release of ChatGPT but already artificial intelligence has seemingly taken over the social consciousness dominating the headlines of news articles and serving as the promise of a better, more productive…

Investment Management: Avoid the Left Tail

This week’s Random Gleanings has Chris and Jesse talking Tails… the left and right tails of a bell curve. When planning for a future financial goal (ie. Retirement), so much of the plan is built on the assumption of average outcomes. As such, the maintenance or improvement upon the average is important in achieving the…