Newsletter

March 21, 2023

Charles Schwab himself wrote an article last week addressing the recent industry events around bank failures along with his perspective of safety with a company like Charles Schwab (which bought out TD Ameritrade). Specifically, he pointed out the following in regards to individuals who have their investment accounts with Charles Schwab (and also currently at TD Ameritrade). Having your investments at a company like Charles Schwab is different from the issues Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and now Credit Suisse have faced. Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade are simply “custodians” or recordkeepers of the investments our clients own. If those companies themselves went under, client investment accounts are not subject to their creditors and would be moved to another custodian.

March 13, 2023

Join us for another year of fun and prizes with our AJA March Madness bracket! Anyone is welcome to enter (at no cost) for a chance to win a prize! Gift cards will be given to winners – $150 to first, $100 to second and $50 to third place. Click on the newsletter to register here to enter your bracket. If you do not already have a CBS Sports login, click on the “Sign Up” button in the top right corner to register. The password to enter is AJA2023. You can track your bracket once the tourney begins. Good luck!

March 6, 2023

Join us for another year of fun and prizes with our AJA March Madness bracket! Anyone is welcome to enter (no cost) for a chance to win a prize! Prizes will be given to first, second and third place winners. We will be sending out the registration link next week once the bracket is released. Be on the lookout!

February 27, 2023

For the 13^th year in a row, Andrew and John spoke to the senior class of Montgomery Bell Academy. The presentation is on personal finance and investing. Every year, we are impressed with the questions and interest that these students show. Personal finance is not something directly taught in most schools and we love the opportunity to share some things we wish we had known at their age.

February 21, 2023

We wanted to send a reminder that our phone number changed last year. The new number is (615) 709-8709. Please make sure to update this number in your phone or address book.

February 13, 2023

TD Ameritrade will be sending another round of communication regarding setting up paperless preferences for account mailings. If you prefer to keep paper statements and or trade confirmations, there is nothing you need to do. However, if you would like to change to electronic delivery and receive emails rather than paper letters, please follow these steps.

February 6, 2023

We enjoyed having Tana Keil join us for a conversation around 2022 and 2023 tax filing. We covered many items related to the Secure Act 2.0 and the main changes we feel could affect our clients. Click on our Newsletter to view the video on YouTube. The slides can be found in the video description. Or email us if you would like us to send you a copy.

January 30, 2023

It always seems like a balance of keeping important records versus knowing what you can purge. Documents can quickly stack up over time. We wanted to pass along an article from Hartford Funds discussing various documents that you need to keep and for what time period. The answer on some items is pretty clear, while others can be gray. But overall if in doubt, keeping an electronic copy may be the best answer.

January 23, 2023

The beginning of the year is a great time to review your beneficiary designations on your insurance, investment and other accounts. Even bank accounts can have one listed. These designations actually supersede your will but often need to be coordinated with your will. Have you experienced a life change (marriage, divorce, birth of a child), or has something changed with one of your beneficiaries? Do you understand how the primary, contingent and “per stirpes” language affects who would receive your asset?  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

January 17, 2023

TD Ameritrade will begin posting 2022 tax forms based on the above schedule. Correction cycles will begin March 9, 2023. Corrections are made when the information provided by the investment companies (not TD Ameritrade) is updated. TD is essentially the messenger and must update 1099s accordingly. If you receive a corrected 1099, you may need to update the information on your tax return if you already filed.

January 9, 2023

The relationship between unemployment and inflation is known as the Phillips Curve and is generally downward-sloping. As the unemployment rate decreases it is expected that inflation will increase, and vice-versa. This relationship has changed over time, especially over the past decade when both unemployment and inflation were extremely low.

January 3, 2023

Congress passed a series of laws heading into 2023 that stand to overhaul many parts of the retirement system. It includes dozens of retirement policy changes that go into effect over the next decade but many kicked in immediately. Some of the changes include Required Minimum Distributions, missed RMD penalty relief and new exceptions to the 10% early withdrawal penalty.

December 27, 2022

Per the White House’s projections, income taxes are slated to contribute $2.35 trillion. Another $1.59 trillion will come from payroll taxes. This includes $1.10 trillion for Social Security, $342 billion for Medicare, and $55 billion for unemployment insurance. Corporate taxes will add another $284 billion. The U.S. government’s total revenue is estimated to be $4.71 trillion for FY 2023.

December 19, 2022

CPI is a commonly cited measure of inflation. It uses a basket of goods and services to track price changes for consumers. In order to measure the underlying trend in inflation, rather than temporary shocks to food and energy, economists often focus on Core CPI. Inflation remains at four-decade highs but there are early signs that price pressures may be cooling. The CPI index measures the change in prices paid by consumers for goods and services.

December 12, 2022

The Fed is raising interest rates as it responds to high inflation, especially on food and shelter which affects consumers. The market expects the Fed to continue along this path of rate hikes through mid-2023. The chart image tracks the Federal Funds Rate lower bound limit. The dotted lines indicate the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) participants’ median assessments of appropriate path for the Federal Funds Rate, based on the Summary of Economic Projections.

December 5, 2022

We had a great time on Saturday taking photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus! It was fun to see the excitement of our clients’ children who came to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. This was a very fun event and we plan to do it again next year!

November 28, 2022

This year we are bringing in Santa and Mrs. Claus for some holiday fun and cheer! Join us this Saturday morning to get your children’s picture taken with the jolly couple. Donuts, hot chocolate, fruit and other yummy refreshments will be provided. We know holiday schedules are very busy, so we thought it best to offer specific time slots to sign up for! Click here to view time still available.

November 21, 2022

We have recently had a few clients become victims of sophisticated scams on their computers. In both instances, their computers froze up and a message with a contact number was given for them to call. If you find yourself in this position, DO NOT CALL the number listed on the screen. You need to reach out to someone independent of the matter to make sure you are receiving legitimate help.

November 14, 2022

With Charles Schwab’s acquisition of TD Ameritrade, we now have access to the Charles Schwab Money Market Fund. Rates have been increasing over the last several months and currently the fund is paying 3.70% annualized. If you are interested in having your cash in this fund, please contact our office and we can get an account set up for you.

November 7, 2022

The third year of a presidency and the year after midterm elections have historically been good for investors. Regardless of which party controls the Senate and/or House of Representatives after the midterm elections, investors may stand to benefit. The year after midterm elections has delivered stronger performance than other years regardless of the election outcome. The chart is provided by Hartford Funds.

October 31, 2022

We had a great conversation last week with Margaret Smith regarding Medicare and the current open enrollment window. We discussed the various parts of Medicare as well as Medicare Advantage plans and answer questions that were submitted by clients.

October 24, 2022

The 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 65 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2023. Increased payments to more than 7 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 30, 2022. (Note: some people receive both Social Security and SSI benefits)

October 17, 2022

As we continue to look for ways to deliver useful information to our clients, John and Andrew are taking on video blogs! This first one is simply a welcome to AJ Advisors, an introduction to Emily Triano (for clients who have not met her in person) and information for future events and ideas.

This content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information as of the date of publication, and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Please consult your financial professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All investing involves risk, including risk of loss.