As 2020 nears, we continue to be constructive on both stock and bonds, albeit with a continued focus on corporations that demonstrate a competitive advantage, financial flexibility and digital capacity. Corporate profitability growth will become increasingly tied to these three core competencies, in our opinion.

With your Halloween candy stash dwindling, your sweet tooth may be acting up.  But don’t despair! Turkey Tax Planning Day is coming in hot with pumpkin pie and spicy tax discussion.  This Thanksgiving, pretend you’re eating dinner at Stephen Paul’s house and get your annual refresher on tax planning alongside your mashed potatoes and stuffing.

Headed into the final quarter of the calendar year, we turn our attention to the upcoming holiday season, specifically to the sustainability of U.S. consumer spending in this important period for the economy.  Will we finish the year with the gift of sustained positive year-end market returns or finish with a bag of coal like we experienced last year?  We believe that sustained U.S. consumer spending trends will provide part of the answer to this question.  Although we are still positive on sustained U.S. spending growth, we acknowledge increased risks. 

Marie Kondo’s “Konmari” method of tidying has truly swept the nation in the last few years. In this month’s Viewpoints Director of Financial Planning, Allison Grebe Lee shares how to adapt the Konmari way to help you clean up your financial matters.  

As the warm summer nights give way to cooler temperatures and the green leaves begin turning autumnal, our minds naturally turn to more indoor activities such as watching football, drinking pumpkin spice lattes and … financial planning.  In this month’s Viewpoints Director of Financial Planning, Allison Grebe Lee discusses Allen Trust Company’s financial planning process.

As global investors consider the options for income and yield in investment portfolios, the inverted U.S. yield curve has become topical. Does it indicate a looming recession or is it simply the result of the global opportunity set? This month, Julie Bryan, Allen Trust Company’s Chief Investment Officer, considers whether there might be a paradigm shift occurring.

Whether you are a connoisseur of fine art or you just can’t let go of your 1990s baseball cards like Allen Trust Company’s Tax Specialist, Stephen Paul, we all have a penchant for accumulating stuff over the years.  This month, Stephen considers what us collectors should be looking out for.

As we watch the rain and snow fall in the doldrums of winter, our thoughts often turn to sunnier days and second homes by the sea or the mountains. This month Allen Trust Company’s Director of Financial Planning, Allison Grebe Lee, suggests topics to consider when dreaming of buying a vacation home.

Much of the uptick in volatility experienced in early 2018 continued into the end of the year and remains a factor in early 2019.  Our Portfolio Manager Julio Quinteros addresses the increase in volatility as the market shifts away from a synchronized global growth view to one that is now navigating a variety of global risk factors.

The Yield Curve, The U.S. Budget Deficit, Market Volatility and Asset Valuations, and Differentiation: Year-End 2018 provided significant insights into the implications and opportunities for financial assets in 2019. Our Senior Portfolio Manager Julie Bryan addresses the question: Is the Economic Cycle Turning Downward?

2018 has been a year of transition. Federal Reserve "policy normalization", geopolitics, and the outlook for corporate profit growth are acting in concert to generate disconcerting volatility in the financial markets. This month Allen Trust Company’s Senior Portfolio Manager Julie Bryan discusses our views on the financial markets for 2019.

The Holidays are upon us, which means tax season is right around the corner.  This month, Allen Trust Company's Tax Specialist, Stephen Paul, prepares us for both of his favorite seasons.

Despite a more tenuous global backdrop, the prospects for the U.S. economy remain positive and supports the case for higher interest rates. A higher interest rate backdrop will likely result in further market volatility as stock valuation expectations adjust to interest rate moves. This month, Julio Quinteros discusses a rising interest rate environment as a significant variable that limits market returns, and could spill into other areas of the U.S. economy.

Private investors in the United States hold an estimated $6.1 trillion in unrealized capital gains.  But why? Taxes, of course!  This month, Allen Trust Company’s Tax Specialist, Stephen Paul, discusses the options available to owners of low basis stock and other highly appreciated assets.

While the current global economic expansion is estimated to reach 3.9% for 2018 and 2019, the medium-term risks are moving to the forefront. This month Allen Trust Company’s Senior Portfolio Manager, Julie Bryan discusses the implications of global divergences.

Despite a noisy backdrop, at the midway point in 2018, U.S. equity indices are leading their global counterparts. This month Allen Trust Company’s Portfolio Manager, Julio C. Quinteros, Jr. discusses the recent divergence in performance between U.S. and international markets, with a focus on year-to-date weakness in emerging equity markets.

The 2018 Social Security Trustees Annual Report was recently released and the news media outlets have been in overdrive reporting on the findings. This month Allen Trust Company’s Financial Planner, Allison Grebe Lee, discusses the recently released Social Security Trustees Annual Report and answers a few questions about what it all means.