Buy or Lease?
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State of The Union
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“State of the Union”
by Steve Wolff
Certified Financial Poet
The U.S. economy has recently awoke,
It’s not just a matter of mirrors and smoke.
Unemployment is now at a mere 3.8,
That’s a low percent one can’t berate.
Inflation is on a slight upward trend,
Which means interest rates will likely ascend
But rates are still historically low,
So unless they go skyrocketing, the economy should grow.
In the last 18 months, the market’s a beast
While jobless claims have been decreased
Taxes are down, regulations erased
economic good news is really broad based
Of course there are always issues to fear
This time it’s a trade war that might be near
Or the country’s differences with politics
Or a 20 trillion dollar debt that can’t be fixed
But one thing I know is always true
No matter what it is, your particular view,
There’s a saying that’s been uttered by many a sage,
That markets don’t die just from old age
It’s death will come when the numbers say so
When that will happen, we really don’t know
Why it will happen is right now a mystery
We’ll only know why through the lens of history
We’ll keep our eyes peeled for what might go wrong
When the market might sing like a sad country song
But at present our bias is slightly upbeat
For now we’re ok with the corporate balance sheet
Steve Wolff is a Managing Partner at WWM Financial in Carlsbad California. Steve can be reached at 760-692-5190 or Steve@WWMFinancial.com.
401k Catch Up Contributions
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#SavvyUp
Tariffs, Taxes and War – Certified Financial Poetry v.4
Watch the video of Steve’s Reading by clicking on the following link https://youtu.be/nvoj4uAwDKg or the image above.
Certified Financial Poetry
Since taxes are on our minds because Tuesday is the deadline for getting your income tax filed and since the stock market has been jostled around due to talk and tweets about tariffs these days, I am reminded of the outcome of one country’s undertaking dealing with this subject…
Today’s Certified Financial Poem is titled…
Tariffs, Taxes and War
By Steve Wolff – The Certified Financial Poet
Tariffs are nothing new,
Here’s a history lesson for you.
The American Revolution was fought,
Due to taxes the British brought.
In 1765,
the Stamp Act was derived.
And with that law set in stone,
The seeds of revolution had grown.
Taxes supporting Brits’ forces?
Their guns and ammo and horses?
From Boston to Philly they said,
These guys are nuts in the head.
Soon the Townshend Act came to be,
Taxing paper, glass, paint and tea.
That was in addition to the Sugar act,
Make no mistake, that’s a fact.
“No way,” the Colonists said,
This feeling, it quickly spread.
“These taxes are an abomination,
And we have no representation.”
But it was the Tea Act of ’73,
that was truly the real key.
The Colonies said, “No more,”
And hatched a plan from the Eastern Shore.
Let’s disguise ourselves at night,
We’re ready for an all out fight.
Board their ships and cause commotion,
Then throw their tea out in the ocean.
The Brits reacted with scurrilous rage,
But the Colonists mood they poorly gauged.
They passed the Coercive Acts bill of ’74.
And set the wheels in motion for the revolutionary war.
The act said no more governing yourselves,
Put that idea back on your shelves.
Hey Boston, your now part of the Crown,
And seriously, we don’t care if you drown.
“IT’S WAR,” said the Bostonian in its largest font
And we’re ready to fight if that’s what they want.
Your tariffs and laws, we know we don’t need ‘em.
It’s now time now for us to fight for our freedom.
Newton said that for every single action,
There’s an opposite and equal counter reaction.
That’s why a tariff can be a sticky thing,
Cause you never know what the outcome will bring.
By the way, there’s a fun song about this topic that I found called “The Boston Tea Party Song” that’s a parody of the Pharrell Williams song called “Happy.”
Here’s the link….
I hope you enjoyed today’s poem and will share it with others.
You can find more of my Certified Financial Poetry by going to WWMFinancial.com.
And remember poetry fans, “Always take the road less travelled.”
Steve Wolff is a Financial Advisor and Managing Partner at WWM Financial in Carlsbad California. Steve can be reached at 760-692-5190 or Steve@WWMFinancial.com.
#liveyourlife
Will The Trump Trade War Sink The Stock Market?
Will The Trump Trade War Sink The Stock Market?
So here’s an understatement…there is some real volatility affecting the stock market these days.
In the last couple of months, the broader stock market is down around 12 or 13 percent from the highs. And from the beginning of the year the markets are down around 3 or 4 percent.
Some of the reasons for the decline? There’s technology stocks being overvalued, social media stocks getting pummeled for privacy concerns, and interest rates moving higher. But we believe the biggest reason for the recent stock market move is the tariffs that President Trump is putting on foreign goods. And exacerbating that is the indiscriminate selling of stocks, especially through Exchange Traded Funds, many of which have the large tech stocks as big holdings.
Will the tariffs be the reason the market will fall significantly from here?
Before we answer that, let’s take a look at what’s happening.
Trump says that other countries, especially China are already putting large tariffs on U.S. goods, and have been for many years. If you don’t know, a tariff is just another word for a tax. Trump is saying that those tariffs on U.S. products are creating an uneven playing field that puts the U.S. at a disadvantage. And to be honest, he is correct.
HIS solution is to put tariffs on foreign goods, especially those coming from China. This is causing China to up the ante with more tariffs on U.S. goods.
Let’s be clear, trade wars are never a good thing. Stock market investors and traders get very nervous when they start talking trade wars. Will this cause additional major erosion to the stock market going forward?
Certainly anything is possible, but the big cross current here is that we believe earnings for the first quarter, which will start being reported in the next couple of weeks, will come in pretty strong. Most of the economic metrics we have seen recently still show a strong economy. So unless corporate earnings are much worse than we think they will be, or the economic numbers start sliding, we believe the downside for the broader market is somewhat limited.
If you are a stock picker, there are some very good companies that are starting to look fairly inexpensive.
We do want buyers to beware that if indiscriminate selling continues, in other words panic starts taking over, it can take the market down significantly. But for the long-term investor, we believe the risk/reward is starting to look more favorable again.
For more market, investing and financial planning videos, please check out our website at wwmfinancial.com. And as our sister company, Savvy Women Wealth Management says, Savvy Up!!
Steve Wolff is a Managing Partner at WWM Financial in Carlsbad California. Steve can be reached at 760-692-5190 or Steve@WWMFinancial.com.
Forget Johny Rivers, Just make a plan Stan
Certified Financial Poetry v.3
This is Steve Wolff, the Certified Financial Poet. I heard this great little kids song called, “Planning Ahead” by the Lolliwinks.
Ok, so my taste in music is a little unorthodox, but hey, so is financial poetry. But the song gave me the idea for today’s poetic masterpiece titled:
Forget Johnny Rivers,
Just make a plan Stan
Retirement planning is just so boring,
There are other things you could do
Facebook, shopping, golf, TV
Just to name a few.
For some, playing cards is lots of fun,
A lot of people play bridge
But make a plan for the rest of your life?
You spend more time staring into the fridge.
A financial plan for your retirement years?
You devote more time planning vacations
But a plan to make sure you don’t go broke,
You’d prefer surgical heart ablations.
You spend more time watching infomercials,
Than planning the rest of your life.
It’s obviously more important,
To get Snuggies, a Bowflex and a Ginzu knife.
Having money to cover your lifespan?
Your thought is you’ll just play the lottery,
Of course, if that scheme doesn’t work,
It’s your choice to live life in poverty.
Take time to think hard on your future,
You’re probably going to be ‘round
Don’t listen to old Johnny Rivers,
And end up on the poor side of town.
Course there’s always another solution,
So your finances won’t fall apart,
You can always make your ends meet,
As a greeter at your local Wal Mart.
I hope you liked today’s certified financial poem and will share it with others. You can find more of Certified Financial Poetry and some other great financial videos on our blog at wwmfinancial.com.
You really need to hear the “Planning Ahead” Lolliwinks song, so I’ve provided a link in the video description below.
Thanks for tuning in and remember, “Always take the road less travelled.”
(Here’s the link to the Lolliwinks Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrgxtdTEt2Y )
Steve Wolff is a Financial Advisor and Managing Partner at WWM Financial in Carlsbad California.
He can be reached at 760-692-5190
#liveyourlife
