Welcome Andi Long, CFP®

by Joe Pitzl on
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We are pleased to announce the addition of Andi Long, CFP® to the Pitzl Financial team! Andi will be working as an Associate Wealth Advisor on our team, and will be responsible for organization, analysis, preparation, and follow-up for your financial plan.

The Fall of SVB and Signature

by Justin Gabriel on
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During the past week, we have seen a return to the volatility trends that were prevalent through much of 2022. The past two trading days have been especially active, with the S&P 500 going negative on the year for a brief period on Monday before ultimately turning positive.

An Ode to the Shoeshine Boy

by Justin Gabriel on
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In 1929, at the height of an economic boom in America, Joseph Kennedy Sr. (father of JFK) was working as a stockbroker on Wall Street. As the story goes, Joseph was walking around when he decided to sit down for a shoeshine. While polishing his shoes, the young worker gave Joseph some of his favorite stock picks. When Joseph heard the shoeshine boy giving out stock tips, he figured the party was about to end, and it was time to get out of the market. Joseph proceeded to exit his positions in the market and bought short positions that bet on the market going down.

People Have Memories. Markets Don’t.

by David Booth on
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One of the best things about markets is that they don’t have memories. They don’t remember what happened last week or last year. They don’t even remember what happened a minute ago. Prices change based on what’s happening right now and what people think will happen in the future. People have memories. Markets don’t. And that’s a good thing.

Recapping 2022

by Justin Gabriel on
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The start to a new year was a welcome sight for investors. On the heels of a couple of very positive years, 2022 presented a year of struggle across every asset classes.

Feeling SECURE 2.0 Heading into 2023

by Justin Gabriel on
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In what has become a recurring theme, Congress pushed through a new piece of tax legislation in the closing days of 2022. SECURE 2.0, named after its predecessor SECURE Act, brought with it over 100 changes to taxation and retirement plans. Many of these changes involve complex rules and restrictions for retirement plan administrators, and a limited amount for individuals to be concerned with.

Elect to Leave Your Portfolio Alone

by Joe Pitzl on
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On November 8, US voters will cast their ballots for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate. Many investors are concerned with the effect of election results. Do past results suggest a useful strategy to deal with election-year uncertainty? The answer is yes.

A New Cash Option

by Justin Gabriel on
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Over the past couple of years we have started working with an online bank called Flourish. This is an online bank that works specifically with financial advisors. A few of our clients have already started using this platform to hold their emergency savings. Until now the rates offered have mirrored those at Ally and Capital One fairly closely. But that has now changed.

Elections and Markets

by Justin Gabriel on
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As we enter the final months of 2022, we are greeted with yet another election cycle. This version, much like its predecessors, has led to an increase in client inquiries about market ramifications relating to the results.

I Bonds - Still in Style

by Justin Gabriel on
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Back in April we wrote about an investment vehicle known as I Bonds. These Treasury Bonds, which are tied to inflation, started to offer higher yields than anything you could find on the open market. With high levels of inflation still being reported these bonds are still a sound investment, but likely for a limited period of time.

Update on Student Loan Forgiveness

by Justin Gabriel on
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President Biden announced on Monday that the application for student loan forgiveness is now open. A reminder on the restrictions around this forgiveness can be found on our post from September, or on the application webpage.  

Fall Frenzy

by Justin Gabriel on
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Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a conference in California. This conference was a lot different than many of the conferences I had attended before. During a normal finance conference the attendees will bounce around between windowless conference rooms, wear business casual attire, and eat subpar chicken. This conference was set on a boardwalk overlooking the ocean with local food trucks coming in to cater. It’s safe to say that getting to walk around in flip flops on the sand was a nice change of pace! Unfortunately, the picturesque weather was the complete opposite of what was going on in the financial world.