Two consecutive quarters of negative GDP (Gross Domestic Product) – this has been a reliable rule of thumb to accurately determine if a recession has occurred. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) uses more complex formulas to officially declare a...
People take risks every day. Some of them are more obvious like driving a car, but we forget the less obvious such as falling in the shower. There are four things you can do to mitigate your exposure to risk, including financial risk, (although that won’t help with...
Emergency funds are undervalued until they are not. The pandemic sheds the financial spotlight on people prepared and not. In all fairness, there is a difference between being prepared for income interruption or an unexpected expense and having an entire economy...
There is little doubt that America finds itself in a recession at the moment. Jobs are lost, and some businesses will never recover. What about the earnings of the companies that do survive? Are the earnings deferred, delayed, or vanished forever? It depends on the...
Are you familiar with the term intrafamily loan? The low-interest-rate environment stemming from the 2008-09 recession created ideal opportunities for intrafamily lending. Our current environment has brought the concept back to the forefront with an additional need –...
What have you learned so far in the quarantine? What positive changes have occurred in your life? Personally, I have committed to Yoga for 30 days straight and have completed 5, one hour sessions with my trainer via Zoom as I write this article. Zoom is a technology...
Headlines cause people to stop, take notice, and read. Headlines sell newspapers and get clicks online, but do headlines control your retirement accounts? The evidence says yes. Headlines drive markets. The current economic crisis has been driven by fear and caused...
Every crisis that America has endured, we have come out better than before. The 1987 crash is being discussed widely during these times. Recently, we have had the two worse days in the market since the 23% drop 32 years ago. My career in finance started just two...
By: Andrew Thrasher, CMT I have the great honor to serve as a Portfolio Manager for an RIA, the Financial Enhancement Group, in central Indiana. We serve families across the state as well as the country, helping them plan for and invest for the retirement and future...
When new families join our firm, “I can’t live through another 2008!” is a common statement. Naturally, we assure them that we have no intention of being trapped by a systemically broken market ever again. The main observation here for most of them making the...
Planning for retirement requires preparing for the unexpected. Creating sound contingencies is important, but even more, is addressing the likeliness of that event to occur. The term “risk” or “risky” is used by many salesmen to scare people into buying their “safe”...
Inflation lives a tormented existence. We want our homes to appreciate, but yet we want our food cheaper and cable TV for less. Both changes in the price stem from inflation. One side loved, and the other deplored. Inflation is a necessary part of a growing...
Our educational system was founded on the notion that more information leads to better decision making. Perhaps at some point, this was true, but today I would beg to differ. That theory came from a time when our information was delivered by primarily three news...
The art of comparison creates many challenges for our personal and professional lives but especially our finances. The desire to keep up with the “Jones’” next door in the newest car, biggest house and best vacation hopefully fades as we age. Other aspects of...
Business CEOs and their boards must make many decisions: Where do they invest in their business? Do they add new business models, buy competitors or dive deeper into their niche? What do they do with leftover profits? Amid all of these questions, a key...
Do as I say not as I do! There are two schools of thought on what to do with a large single payment regarding investing. The math clearly states you are better off to invest the lump sum rather than put in money over time. The key is your holding period or how long...
Here is this week’s radio show, hosted by Joe Clark, CFP.
Welcome to this week's Consider This with Big Joe Clark radio show, hosted by Joe Clark, CFP. This episode originally aired on December 1, 2018. To find our podcast, check out Consider This Program. In this episode you will find information about: Volatile Markets,...
Welcome to this week's Consider This with Big Joe Clark radio show, hosted by Joe Clark, CFP. This episode originally aired on November 17, 2018. To find our podcast, check out Consider This Program. In this episode you will find information about: An Apology to the...
Welcome to this week's Consider This with Big Joe Clark radio show, hosted by Joe Clark, CFP. This episode originally aired on October 13, 2018. To find our podcast, check out Consider This Program. In this episode you will find information about: Buying-a-Home...
Economic numbers can be confusing and they are more often than not revised over time. They are still good indicators of the trends in economic growth which is far more important to the equity market than a static snapshot of a single time period. The higher the...
Welcome to this week's Consider This with Big Joe Clark radio show, hosted by Joe Clark, CFP. This episode originally aired on July 7, 2018. To find our podcast, check out Consider This Program. In this episode you will find information about: Special Needs, Required...
Welcome to this week's Consider This with Big Joe Clark radio show, hosted by Joe Clark, CFP. This episode originally aired on June 23, 2018. To find our podcast, check out Consider This Program. In this episode you will find information about: CD's, Active Managers,...
Welcome to this week's Consider This with Big Joe Clark radio show, hosted by Joe Clark, CFP. This episode originally aired on June 16, 2018. To find our podcast, check out Consider This Program. In this episode you will find information about: Social Security...
Welcome to this week's Consider This with Big Joe Clark radio show, hosted by Joe Clark, CFP. This episode originally aired on May 26, 2018. To find our podcast, check out Consider This Program. In this episode you will find information about: Value of the Dollar, Tax...
Complementary spending is an economic phrase that reminds investors that where one dollar is spent, more dollars are likely to follow. As a hiker, when I buy a sleeping bag I am also likely to buy a tent if I don’t already own one. There are a few other “needed”...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text]Like many things in life, economic development is all about sustaining momentum. Rarely does a stock market, an economy...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] The Madison County Chamber of Commerce headed to Washington D.C. last week. Comprised of Republicans and Democrats,...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] The 45th President of the United States of America was inaugurated on Friday. More than two months after the electoral...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] Perhaps my memory is fading, but I don’t recall a President-elect addressing the nation’s business interests as...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] Whether you are happy with the election results or not, the fact remains we have a new President, new administration...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] Over the years, some voices have argued that our great country’s economy is interconnected with the economies of other...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] The Brexit vote is in the books, although the economic and political uncertainties have just begun. If you care about...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] Spring winds are often accompanied by an increase in housing activity. How are the housing winds blowing at the...
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/4" offset="vc_hidden-xs"][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id="sidebar-main"][/vc_column][vc_column width="3/4"][vc_column_text] Among Bill Gates’ classic observations, the following statement may be the most prophetic. "We always overestimate the...