Gold IRAs and Hidden Fees: The True Cost of Holding Physical Gold in Your Retirement
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Gold IRAs and Hidden Fees: The True Cost of Holding Physical Gold in Your Retirement

For investors who value the stability of precious metals, the idea of holding physical gold or silver in an IRA can be enticing. Companies like GoldPro and Birch Gold Group have built entire businesses around facilitating this, promising to help you secure your retirement with tangible assets that have stood the test of time. But what many investors don’t realize is the steep price of this privilege: these companies often charge significant fees that can quietly erode returns, making the allure of physical gold in your IRA far more costly than it seems.

Read More
YOLO, Meme, and EMH: What’s Your Investment Style?
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

YOLO, Meme, and EMH: What’s Your Investment Style?

You only live once! Social media investors have banded together on unconventional platforms to drive up the prices of a handful of “meme stocks,” seemingly without traditional evaluation of investing risks and rewards. They made headlines with their “short squeeze” of GameStop (GME), and, as they garner media attention, their tactics continue. While it’s not the intended victim of the YOLO traders, will the efficient market hypothesis be a casualty of these events? The answer depends a lot on your definition of efficient markets. Perhaps long-term investors would be better served questioning the potential impact on their investment philosophy.

Read More
RISKALYZE
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

RISKALYZE

Riskalyze quantifies the semantics of the financial advice industry, replacing confusing and subjective terms like “moderately conservative” and “moderately aggressive” with the Risk Number®, a number between 1 and 99 that pinpoints a client’s exact comfort zone for downside risk and potential upside gain with a 95% Probability Range. Advisors then build an investment portfolio to match the client’s Risk Number and chart a clearly defined path to achieving the client’s goals.

Read More
Independence Day Optimism
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Independence Day Optimism

While we’ve faced several health, social, and economic crises this year, July Fourth is a good time to think about how lucky we are to live in this great country and to remember the resilience and perseverance we’ve demonstrated over the past 244 years. History has shown us that better times will come.

Read More
Looking Forward
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Looking Forward

As we look ahead to the summer months, we can’t help but think what a challenging year it’s been so far. At the same time, we’re encouraged by the resiliency and accelerated innovation among US businesses and the efforts by our national, state, and local governments to support our communities. And we continue to be amazed by the unparalleled dedication and cooperation among our front-line healthcare professionals and medical researchers to see us through to the other side of this health crisis…

Read More
Better Times Are Coming
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Better Times Are Coming

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald

The economic struggles in our country are among the worst we’ve ever seen. In April, a record 20 million people lost their jobs, and 36 million people have filed for unemployment since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in mid-March. Record drops in consumer confidence, manufacturing, and spending are all adding to the immediate economic fallout. Specific industries have been devastated, with names like J.C. Penney, J.Crew, and Neiman Marcus filing for bankruptcy…

Read More
Nowhere To Go But Up
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Nowhere To Go But Up

Investors like labels for the economy and financial markets—many of them with the word “great” in them. The Great Depression. The Great Recession. The Great Lockdown. Well, we’ve moved into what we might call the Great Disconnect. How can stocks have rebounded so strongly in the last month amid so much suffering and economic damage? What’s Wall Street seeing that so many on Main Street are not?

Read More
How We Respond Matters
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

How We Respond Matters

As the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic continues, how we respond to it will determine how we beat it. Continued sacrifices range from everyone in the medical community working on the front lines to the thousands of truck drivers across our country keeping goods flowing, parents who have become homeschoolers, and folks missing their family events to help stop the spread of this terrible outbreak. As Lou Holtz said, we can’t control what happens, but how we respond to it is what matters. Our response to this crisis has shown the resolve and strength of the human spirit, which is why we will overcome.

Read More
Managing Volatility & Looking For Some Green Shoots
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Managing Volatility & Looking For Some Green Shoots

Fears over the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) have gripped the country and sent stocks in the US and around the world into bear markets. Thursday’s nearly 10% decline in the S&P 500 Index was one of its worst days in history and the largest one-day percent decline since the 1987 crash. What makes pandemics so much more personal than other crises is how they are felt by everyone, as nearly all major events have been cancelled, major league sports seasons have been postponed, travel restrictions have been put in place, many employees are being sent home to work remotely, planes are empty, and many shoppers are staying away from stores and restaurants.

Read More
Pandemics &amp; the Markets</a>
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Pandemics & the Markets

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has our attention. We can’t turn on our radio or TV without hearing about how the number of infections continue to rise. Our smartphones provide a steady stream of fear-inducing content on how this new virus might bring a shock to our economy and financial markets.

Read More
Bull Market Reaches 10 Years
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Bull Market Reaches 10 Years

The S&P 500 Index has staged an impressive rally after nearly entering a bear market December 24, with U.S. stocks notching their best start to a year since 1991.

Stocks have climbed the “wall of worry” once again, but global uncertainty persists as the bull market nears its tenth anniversary. While the road to new market highs could get a little bumpy as investors deal with Brexit and China trade concerns, investors are encouraged to focus on the fundamentals supporting economic growth and corporate profitability in 2019.

Read More
Stocks Warm Up in January
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Stocks Warm Up in January

While most of us have been shoveling our driveways and setting by the fire, the stock market been warming up after a chilling December. Since the lows in December, the market is up more than 16% (as of Feb. 6, 2019). Some recent reports have been encouraging and point to a steadily expanding economy. Meanwhile, market participants have become more comfortable with the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) message. While these are positive developments, the likelihood for further volatility persists. Investors are encouraged to remain focused on the fundamentals that support a positive outlook for continued economic growth and stock market gains in 2019.

Read More
Sell in May? Let's Talk...</a>
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Sell in May? Let's Talk...

May’s arrival has brought warmer weather to many parts of the U.S. (finally), but it also brings talk of one of the most widely cited stock market clichés in history. “Sell in May and go away” is a longstanding investment adage because historically, the six-month period from May through October has been the weakest stretch of the year. However, before you spring into action, it’s important to step back and look at the big picture of what’s really driving our current market environment. The fundamentals of impressive earnings, modest valuations, and a strong economic backdrop may be better indicators to watch.

Read More
Putting Recent Volatility in Context</a>
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Putting Recent Volatility in Context

The volatility that is often associated with the month of October has arrived with the market sell-off on Wednesday, October 10. Experiencing market declines and increased volatility can be unnerving for any investor, but if we can take a step back and see the big picture, that the market and economic environment remain positive, it can be easier to weather these challenging periods.

Read More
Key Factors to Watch in Q4
Market & Investments Jeff Comstock Market & Investments Jeff Comstock

Key Factors to Watch in Q4

The first day of fall may be in September, but the beginning of October is when that autumn feeling really kicks in. Whether you’re mourning the end of long summer days or embracing the return of pumpkin spice at your local coffee shop, October also signals that we’ll soon be closing the books on another year. And while the start of the fourth quarter may trigger a look back on the year so far, it doesn’t mean things are slowing down.

Read More