4505 Saucon Creek Rd,
Ste. 100,
Center Valley, PA 18034
Ste. 100,
Center Valley, PA 18034
Menu
A Moving Pendulum in a Seemingly Stable Financial SystemFrom interest rates and inflation to the job market and recession, we anticipate there will be a number of shifting elements in the economy for the remainder of the year and potentially into 2024. At the May meeting this year, the Fed increased its policy rate for the tenth consecutive time, pushing the upper bound of the fed funds rate to 5.25%, the highest since August 2007. The Fed’s aggressive rate-hiking campaign has been a focus for investors for over a year. Frankly, investors are probably ready to move on from the Fed being the centerpiece of most conversations.We expect the Fed to change strategy during the latter half of 2023 for at least two reasons. First, the Fed should have less pressure to react to a tight labor market as the job market is set to cool throughout the remainder of the year. And second, the Fed will likely be less concerned inflation could get out of control from sticky-services inflation, since we expect services prices to ease. One nagging inflation component that will ease in the coming months is rent, as a record number of new apartment units under construction…
In our latest staff spotlight, we chatted with our Insurance Specialist here at Capital Planning, Katherine Janis, FPQP™. Not only did we learn that Kate has a special place in her heart for her children and the occasional scoop of ice cream, but she may just be the world’s biggest Rick Springfield fan?Learn more here from the FULL spotlight here:What’s something you are proud of? This is easy for me to answer - hands down, it’s my children. All four of my children. Each one is different and unique in their own way, and I love them all so much. You only get 18 years with them to cram everything that they need to know before they go off and make their own choices away from your nest. When I look at my children, my heart is full - full of love and admiration for the individuals they are becoming. I am so proud, and I feel blessed!Have you ever met anyone famous?RICK SPRINGFIELD…several times. I am known as the President of his fan club. I have been a Rick Springfield fan since the early 80’s, and at this point I have seen him six times. He is still rockin’ at…
In our latest "Staff Spotlight," we have the pleasure of speaking with Wealth Advisor John W. Sullivan II, CLU®, ChFC®, MSFS, RICP®.Jack's diverse interests and unique experiences make for an intriguing conversation. From his love for winter adventures, interest in military history, to his unwavering loyalty to one specific college team (the Nittany Lions), we sure learned a lot! Read on for more:What’s your favorite season?I enjoy all of the seasons, each for different reasons. But unlike most people we know, who want to escape the cold and go south during the winter, my wife and I long for good snowstorms. We look forward to heading “north” in the winter to our home in New Hampshire to go snowmobiling and snowshoeing and sitting by the woodstove at the end of the day.What’s the best book you’ve read recently?I really enjoy reading early American history and U.S. military history, particularly the Civil War. I have quite a library of non-fiction material in those categories, including good biographies of our earlier leaders. Some of my favorite authors are David McCullough (who passed away in 2022 and the author of “John Adams” and “1776”) and Stephen Ambrose (wrote “Band of Brothers” and “Undaunted…
Today in our latest “Staff Spotlight”, we are chatting with Rebecca Berger, CFP®, RICP®, FPQPTM. What did we learn? Well, not only did we find out what seasons and holidays Becky loves, but we found out the unique place she ate on her wedding day. Learn more below:What’s your favorite food? Chick-fil-A. My husband Lee and I love going to Chick-fil-A! In fact on our wedding day we left the church and went to Chick-fil-A!What’s your favorite holiday?Christmas is my favorite holiday. Christmas is a time were I get to spend a lot of time with my family and I really enjoy that. One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was on Christmas Eve all the women in the family would make cinnamon buns and the men would all do last minute Christmas shopping. One of my favorite traditions these past couple of years is going to Longwood Gardens with some friends.What’s your favorite season? I like Spring and Fall. I really enjoy in the springtime when all the trees and flowers start to bloom. It just feels like the world has been transformed and everything has come back to life. I also have been enjoying fall. It’s nice…
Tanya Sheffer, our Client Relationship Manager, recently sat down with us to share a little bit more about herself. In our our latest “Staff Spotlight” we found out that Tanya isn't afraid of the outdoors, is super proud of her girls, and is the office go-to resource for healthy living. Learn more here: What’s something you’re proud of? My biggest accomplishment in life is raising my two daughters, Jordyn (27) and Phoebe (21). Being a single parent since my youngest was one, sure had its challenges. Through the highs and lows, and by the grace of God, I have been able to successfully launch them into adulthood. If you could have a career in anything, what would it be? While I have been in the Financial Services Industry for 20+ years and love serving our clients, I believe everyone in the office would agree on my passion for holistic health and wellness. If I had a “do over,” I would greatly enjoy helping others with their holistic journey. Don’t get me wrong, I have a weakness for a good burger and fries, so it’s not always 100% on track! What’s your idea of a perfect day? Sunny and 70*, of…
“Sell in May and go away” is probably the most widely cited stock market cliché in history. Every year a barrage of Wall Street commentaries and stories in the financial press floods in about this popular, but overused, stock market adage. Here we take our annual look at this historical seasonal pattern which, as you will see below, has started to lose some of its street cred recently.What is sell in May?“Sell in May and go away” is the seasonal stock market pattern in which stocks generally produce the best returns from November through April and the worst returns from May through October. This pattern has been strong enough—and the adage popular enough—that it has probably been somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy over many years. Some investors do think it’s best to either avoid or reduce equities during this period. We’re not so sure.The two figures below illustrate this pattern. Figure 1 shows average returns by calendar month (data back to 1950). Here you can see stocks tend not to do as well during middle months, on average, particularly May through September. Figure 2 illustrates rolling six-month returns for each of the 12 rolling six-month periods by month (again, data back to 1950). Here…
Investors use various analogies to describe the importance of small businesses in the domestic economy. Some refer to the small business sector as the backbone or the lifeblood of the economy. At this current stage of the cycle, we could say there are rising risks of an acute backache or a draining of that lifeblood. In this edition of the Weekly Market Commentary, we discuss the weakness in small businesses and what that foreshadows in the markets and the economy. OverviewAs we progress through 2023, investors have at least two corresponding questions: when will a recession start and will the markets retest their lows? If we are to develop a cogent answer, we must remember the relationship between equity markets and recessions is not always consistent.In some periods, quarterly equity returns hit near-term lows during recessions, but not for the early 1990s, as shown in Figure 1. In fact, the S&P 500 fell over 14% quarter over quarter in the third quarter of 1990 as the business cycle reached a peak. And in the following two quarters during the recession, the S&P 500 rose roughly 8% and 14%—more than enough to recover losses incurred earlier in 1990. Short and ShallowOur base case is the U.S.…
Recently, we took a moment in our latest "Staff Spotlight" to learn a few things most people may not know about our Operations Associate Matthew Benedict, FPQPTM, RICP®.We found out that Matthew has some fantastic memories about where he grew up and knows his way around a chimney, but just don't ask him to draw you. More here:Who inspires you?My father and grandfather. I grew up on the mission field in Japan, with both sets of grandparents having moved there as missionaries in 1952. They as well as my father have given the whole of their lives to reaching the Japanese people in a country that has been called the “missionary’s graveyard” because of the challenge it brings in building friendships. Their patience and faithfulness in daily life there inspires me more each time I think about it.What’s one thing you’re really bad at?Drawing people. Give me anything geometrical and I can handle it, but people and faces---despite the symmetry that is there, it seems anything but symmetrical when I have a pencil in my hand. That said, I’ve been trying to do easy drawings to help illustrate Bible memory verses for our 2 year-old daughter, and, well, she gets…
We had a great timing sitting down and leaerning a few interesting things about our Director of Operations, Lee Berger, CFP®.What did we learn? Though he came up just "short" of making it to the NBA, Lee certainly has a "need for speed". Read on for more!If you could have a career in anything, what would it be?A Formula 1 driver or MotoGP rider. I love going fast, racing against good competition, and really enjoy several forms of motorsport – especially F1 and MotoGP (Motorcycle road racing).When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?For a while, I was really hoping to make it to the NBA. Due to a combination of not practicing and not growing enough, it didn’t quite end up happening. I did end up making it to the Hall of Fame last year though! (I made it there as a visitor with my wife, but at least I still got out on the court!)Do you like roller coasters?I do enjoy rollercoasters! So much so, that on one occasion I managed to ride Steel Force a total of 25 times in "one day" with one of my friends back in High…
We recently sat down and took a minute to learn a bit more about our Office Coordinator Jennifer Wegfahrt, FPQPTM . What did we learn? Well, we found out who's "spoiled" in her home, her talent for charcuterie boards, and where she likes to visit. Read on for more! Do you have any pets? "This is Bindi (see above), my mischievous and spoiled child (I mean cat)." What's one thing you're really good at? "It’s difficult for me to “toot my own horn” but I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback and requests for my charcuterie board creations." What's the best place you've traveled to? "I am not an avid traveler, but South Carolina sure has a piece of my heart. Almost quite literally as my in-laws moved there a few years ago. My husband and I always enjoy visiting family, exploring new places, and eating great food."You can read Jennifer's full bio here >
Planning for an unpredictable future can feel overwhelming, with so many decisions to make it can be hard to know if you're going to have enough money to support yourself through retirement.
In this guide, experts from the Capital Planning Team have simplified the 10 steps you can take, so that you can live a life without worry, sfe in the knowledge that your financial future is secure.
Many people are curious to understand the potential tax benefits available to them. Questions such as “Is a 529 plan right for me and my goals?” are common, and at Capital Planning, we’ll be happy to guide you on this and any other questions you have.
We can work with you to conduct an analysis of funding needs, and provide recommendations as to investment allocation, ultimately helping you to select the right investments for your goals.
Book a discovery meeting today and speak with one of our advisors about independent financial planning with purpose, so you can focus on enjoying life.