News or Noise

Dive into the world of "Bidenomics" in this thought-provoking YouTube video! Explore whether it's groundbreaking news or just political noise as we dissect President Biden's economic policies. With the 2024 election on the horizon, we analyze the strategies behind "Bidenomics" and its impact on the economy. Discover the contrasts between Bidenomics and Reaganomics, exploring their divergent approaches to tax policies, government in...

Many investors who follow the markets love to discuss economic theory and the virtually nonstop government data releases. I'm here to tell you you're wasting your time. The vast majority of these topics, discussions, and data, while intellectually interesting, will not improve your investment returns. 99. %+ of the data that is released is a complete waste of your time and energy. It's noise.

Do you need a retirement plan that go...

In 2022, near the height of the network news swirl on inflation fears, the OHFG investment team put out a piece of research trying to dispel the notion that inflation would remain at 7-8% for very long. That history said that the odds were high that inflation would peak and drop quickly, albeit not to 2%.

Front page stories about inflation are news for your investments, for you and your family because it does drive investor sentime...

After having the best month in stocks since 2020 in January, which triggered a "golden cross" on the S&P500 on February 2nd, the rest of February saw a broad-based decline across equity and bond markets. The market's pullback started pre-open on Friday, February 3rd, with a BLS jobs report far better than any economic bull could have imagined. Based on market seasonals, it shouldn't come as a big surprise that equities struggled in...

Over the last three months, most of our country's largest and best-known technology companies have announced layoffs. Most management teams cite fears of a recession in 2023 as the reason for these cutbacks. Clearly, job cuts are bad for employees and workers who lose their jobs. I've been in that group a couple of times in my career. It is horribly anxiety-provoking, and I wish it on no one. However, are announced job cuts sometim...

Over the last 3 months, most of our country's largest and best-known technology companies have announced layoffs. Most of the management teams are citing fears of a recession in 2023 as the reason for these cutbacks. Clearly, job cuts are bad for employees and workers who lose their jobs. I’ve been in that group a couple of times in my career. It is horribly anxiety provoking and I wish it on no one. However, are announced job cuts...

On Friday morning, BLS Payroll Data was released, and December's jobs were better than most economists had expected. Bloomberg TV said, "the US labor market stayed resilient last month, while wage gains cooled, raising hopes that the economy may dodge a recession and the Federal Reserve will further slow its aggressive campaign of interest-rate hikes." Click here for more details!

Do you need a retirement plan that goes beyond allo...

China is cracking down on COVID with severe prejudice, and the markets are reacting accordingly. Does this affect your portfolio? What are the long and short-term implications for the everyday investor? Click here for more!

Does this news affect your investments? Is it news that you can use to decide when and how to invest? Is this topic Newsworthy, and should you be paying attention?

So with that said… News or Noise?

Do you need a...

In a much-anticipated move, the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the US, raised short-term borrowing rates to a target range of 3.75-4%. While this was expected, interest rate moves are always news for your money. Click here for more!

Fed moves are almost always news for you, your family, and your money. As it has been all year, markets were once again whipsawed on the day of the Fed's interest rate increase.

Does this news aff...

New home sales were released for the month of September last week, and in one word they were, abysmal. According to the HUD and the Census Bureau, sales of newly constructed homes dropped 10.9% and were down 17.6% from a year ago. Existing home sales were even worse, dropping -24%. This was the eighth straight monthly decline this year, making it the longest decline since 2007. The number of new home listings fell by 22%. Click her...

Relevant retirement news? Similar to the income planning-related news released two weeks ago on Social Security benefits for 2023, because of the highest inflation rates in years, last week, the IRS announced higher federal income tax brackets and standard deductions for 2023.

Because of higher inflation in 2022, the IRS has boosted the income thresholds of each tax bracket for next year, applying to tax the year 2023 for returns f...

Do you have losses in your bond holdings? Bond markets have declined in unison with stocks year to date primarily for one reason. The Federal Reserve has moved with historically large and fast interest rate hikes. They’ve done it at one of the fastest paces in 100 years. This after being overly easy from a monetary standpoint for years. I’ll say it. The Fed’s moves in 2022 have been unprecedented for the last 50 years. Only Alan Gr...

Retirement Planning: Social Security Benefits will Increase in 2023. Watch the video to know by how much. Most likely have noticed the price of basic goods and services such as food, energy, and housing has been consistently rising in 2022. COLA, short for Cost-of-Living Adjustment, social security beneficiaries will be receiving a generous increase in their benefits next year in 2023. Click here for more!

COLA is short for Cost of...

2022 has been a bad nine months for investors in stocks and bonds globally. While our team had expected our first market correction since the Covid bottom, Investors suffered the first broad bear market in years. Stocks roundtripped two years of gains through the end of the third quarter, which while common during Fed rate increases, is not enjoyable. Click here for more!

What's the culprit? Treasury bond interest rates increasing ...

2022 has been a bad nine months for investors in stocks and bonds globally. Stocks have now almost roundtripped two years of gains, which while common, is not enjoyable. What's the culprit? Treasury bond interest rates increasing at the fastest pace in decades. Take a look at the Change in Fed Funds Rate chart on how fast the Fed is raising rates vs prior cycles. Over the last 40 years, only Greenspan in 1994 comes close. Click her...

2022 has been a mess for long-term investors globally. Few asset classes have positive returns, and if they do, they have huge volatility. What’s the culprit? Treasury bond interest rates increasing at the fastest pace in decades. Here’s a chart on how fast the Fed is raising rates vs. prior cycles. Over the last 40 years, only Greenspan in 1994 comes close. Click here for more information!

It tends to be the speed you drive, not t...

Are annuities really that bad and boring? 2022 has been a mess across virtually every asset class globally. Few asset classes have positive returns, and most of those that do, like energy and a few commodities, have had huge year-to-date volatility. Two asset classes that have not experienced high year-to-date volatility are Fixed Annuities (FA's) and Fixed Indexed Annuities (FIAs) issued and guaranteed by insurance companies. Clic...

Year to date, there is almost ...

Retirement planning alert last Thursday on September 1st, In a filing with the SEC, semiconductor maker Nvidia disclosed that the U.S. government told the company on Aug. 26, about a new license requirement for future exports to China. This includes exports to and from Hong Kong. The rule's rationale was to reduce the risk that their products may be used by the Chinese military. Click here for more.

This week we cover the Biden adm...