Blog
06/05/2024
When Bad News Becomes Good News… Why Stocks Can Do Well!
![stick figure with graph](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/653868/graph.jpg)
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06/04/2024
It’s Raining its Pouring, But Here’s the Good News!
The drought is over! And, our 3 and 6 month CD rates are paying 5.4% FDIC insured interest! That’s not bad. CD’s can be an important part of your retirement investment portfolio and your retirement income plan. CD interest earned in your IRA is tax deferred, and CD interest earned in your Roth is Tax Free. Call or email if you would like to learn more
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05/15/2024
Protect Yourself From Scammers!
![Protect your personal information](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/653874/Protect your personal information.jpg)
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04/23/2024
New Home Market Remains Solid!
![Barrons article](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/653890/4.23..24.jpg)
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04/18/2024
Back to the Charts- The Bull Market Continues!
![graph](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/653892/4.18.24.jpg)
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04/03/2024
Invest in the USA!
![graph](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/653894/4.3.24.jpg)
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03/26/2024
Strong First Quarter!
![S&P 500](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/653895/3.26.24.png)
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03/14/2024
There's a New Asset in Town!
![bitcoin](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/653896/3.14.24.jpg)
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02/27/2024
The USA is the Place to Invest for Growth!
![economy growth and the american flag](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/653897/2.27.24.jpg)
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02/20/2024
New Technologies AI & Bitcoin
![Technology trends 2024](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/653905/2.20.24.jpg)
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02/08/2024
Back to the Charts - It’s Looking good!
![graph](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/653908/2.8.24.jpg)
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02/06/2024
Stay Vigilant!
Hello All - I have been talking about a soft landing in the economy for a couple of years now, and finally the rest of the media and talking heads are drawing the same conclusion. As a result…..the stock market is popping! Here is my message to you. STAY VIGILANT!That’s right, try not to get caught up in the mania. Here’s what I mean: In the past 24 hours I’m getting emails and phone calls from clients all wanting to know about the same stoc
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01/23/2024
2024 Investor Outlook!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/653910/1.23.24.png)
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12/14/2023
Stocks Boom to New All-Time Highs
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/656688/12.14.23.png)
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12/07/2023
The Price of Oil has been Falling!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/656700/12.7.23.png)
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12/05/2023
Dow Jones Closes Over 36,000
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/656996/12.5.23.png)
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12/04/2023
Potential Year End Tax Deduction
Hello all, the end of the year is coming up fast. We have to act now if we’re going to do this at all. In Non-Retirement investment accounts, the law still allows for a $3,000 tax loss expense if we can capture it before the end of the year. It’s referred to as tax loss harvesting. In 1978 they set this at $3,000 and have not bumped it up since. This is a trajesty because inflation has nearly wiped it out over time. But, it’s still a small tax perk we can look
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11/16/2023
New Employee
Hello Everyone - I would like to introduce to you our new hire Carin Rezac. She joined us recently in an administrative and client services role. She brings with several years of this type of experience and has some banking experience as well. She is in training now with Ted, as well as with the rest of us, but will be actively involved rather quickly. We welcome Carin to the Wealth Management Team and look forward to her assistance in serving all of our clients more effectivel
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11/14/2023
Stock Rally Continues!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/656997/11.14.23.png)
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11/07/2023
Stock Market Retests the Breakout!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/604201/11.7.23.png)
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10/19/2023
Sideways for Now!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657000/10.19.23.png)
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07/13/2023
The Long View is Looking So Bright!!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657001/7.13.23.png)
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07/06/2023
Are Some of Your Investments Lagging this Year? Then Read on!!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657002/7.6.23.png)
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06/29/2023
The Economy Is Strong!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657021/6.29.23.png)
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06/15/2023
Another Big Day Up!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657026/6.15.23.png)
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06/13/2023
The New Bull Market and Your Financial Plans!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657030/6.13.23.png)
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05/26/2023
The New Bull Market!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657033/5.26.23.png)
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05/17/2023
What Could Go Right Here?
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657036/5.17.23.png)
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05/01/2023
Another Good Sign!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657040/4.28.23.png)
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05/01/2023
Back to the Charts......Are we getting close?
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657044/5.1.23.png)
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04/13/2023
Inflation & Stock Market Update
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657046/4.13.23.png)
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04/11/2023
Tax Due Date
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657065/Tax%20deadline.png)
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04/04/2023
Stocks are Rising!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657066/4.4.23.png)
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03/16/2023
How Much Time Does your Money Have?
Hello Everyone – With recent bank news I’m getting lots of concerned emails and phone calls, and I want you to know that I see them all. I encourage you to reach out because it’s real easy to feel like you are all alone in this and then to question what it is you should be doing differently.Remember what we’ve learned here. We’ve learned that successful investing is all about time. How much time does our money have to work for us? Some like to think that
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03/09/2023
Rates Keep Rising!
Hello Everyone, Just a quick note to tell you that we are seeing 18 month CD rates at 5.4% today. That’s the highest I’ve seen in years and years. Subtract your advisory fee rate from that and that’s what we can net for you.For example, a 5.4% gross interest rate, less .85% if you are over $500k under management, and your net would be 4.55% on the CD. These rates are changing regularly, but that’s what I’m seeing right now.The plan for many middle-aged w
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03/07/2023
Mike's 5-Point Financial Plan
Hello Again - It’s March 1st today folks, and my how time flies. This is my 23rd year in the business and it’s still exciting for me. The down markets are no fun, but time seems to take care of those if we just stick around awhile!So because time goes by so fast, it makes a lot of sense to plan. Let me introduce you to Michael Traxler’s 5 point financial plan. These are the things I’m looking at when I sit down with a client to help them r
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02/08/2023
Retirement Account Rules to Consider
Hello Everyone –Financial markets have perked up quite a bit in the past 4 months. Many different stock indexes have rallied as much as 15-20% off the lows so far. Just in the first 25 trading days or so of 2023, the S&P 500 is already up 8%. This means stocks are off to a good start this year.With the tax deadline coming up, here are some things to be aware of:RMD Rules for 2023 – This is the required minimum distribution each year from an IRA. Last year the req
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02/02/2023
Is Patience Paying Off!!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657068/2.2.24.png)
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01/26/2023
Is the Bull Market Showing Signs of Life?
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657069/1.25.23.png)
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01/18/2023
2023 Retirement Contribution Limits
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657114/FB%201.18.24.png)
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01/11/2023
Let's Update our Plans in 2023!!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/553757/1.11.23.png)
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12/15/2022
The Fed Slows Rate Hikes - The Long View!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657117/12.15.22.png)
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12/07/2022
Let's Take Another Look at Inflation!
Hello Again, I have to circle back to a key indicator folks. INFLATION! We all know that too much inflation is bad. It picks our pockets and destroys our wealth. So what’s the latest? Are prices still rising? In some markets, maybe, like rent and labor costs, but there are many other markets that have come down significantly. This data is taken from the website www.tradingeconomics.comFrom their highest levels, wheat is down 48%, steel is down 38%, p
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11/30/2022
Keeping our Client's Costs Down while also Investing in the Business
Hello Everyone – As you all know by now, inflation has caused price increases on so many goods and services. But the good news is this…….not so much here! Our fee rates have stayed the same for years, and the total cost to do business here can decline in two ways. First, we regularly seek new ways to reduce our client’s investment costs where possible. For instance, we recently made a decision to start using more ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) i
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11/16/2022
Let's Look at the Charts!
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657118/11.16.22.png)
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11/10/2022
Does Wallstreet like Gridlock?
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657119/11.10.22.png)
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10/27/2022
Let's Talk about I-Bonds
Hello Again - Last week we talked about brokered CDs, today I will talk about I bonds. I get a lot of questions about these. I bonds stand for Inflation Bonds because that’s what they are designed to do…..protect an investor from inflation. But there are some unique features to be aware of. It’s not a simple bond. It has cert characteristics.So, how do they work? I bonds have 2 rates that make up the total return. The first rate is the fixed rate. It do
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10/19/2022
Brokered CD Rates
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657122/CD%2010.19.22.jpg)
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10/13/2022
Interest Rates for Investors are Finally Rising!
Hello Again – Interest rates for investors and savers have been close to zero for years now, but that’s been changing…..and quickly. This gives us more tools to utilize for our client’s accounts and their investment plans. This is great news, and it’s a return to normalcy in some odd sense. It means the economy may actually be able to stand on its own two feet without requiring the steroids provided by the federal reserve. Long-term this is very promisi
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10/06/2022
Stock down 25% in 2022! What's an investor to do?
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657123/10.6.22.png)
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09/22/2022
Why is the Fed Raising Rates?
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/553773/9.22.22%20PPI~001.png)
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09/15/2022
What is Inflation at NOW?
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/553772/9.15.22.png)
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09/07/2022
Meet the Staff - Ernie Pepel
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657143/ErnieHS~001.jpg)
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08/31/2022
Minnesota's Best?
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/553827/Minnesota%208.31.22.jpg)
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08/24/2022
Rollovers and Best Practices
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/553767/8.24.22%20Blog.png)
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08/17/2022
Stocks Have Moved Up! Plus, It's Time to Consider Your RMD
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/553766/8.17.22%20Blog.png)
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08/15/2022
Small Caps Turn Up?
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/553764/8.11.22%20Russell%202000.png)
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08/04/2022
Looking Back in History......Deja Vu All Over Again?
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/553771/8.4.22%20short.png)
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06/17/2020
Retirement Changes for 2020
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657147/love-couples-marriage-relationship-happy-couple~002.jpg)
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05/26/2020
Market Updates with Mike - May 2020
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05/21/2020
The Value of Your Money & Inflation
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657150/101021-f-9892m-002.jpg)
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05/12/2020
The Financial Planner For You
![graph us population](http://mediahandler.broadridgeadvisor.com/media/657153/calculator-and-pen-on-white-paper-thumbnail.jpg)
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