Q4 2022 Quarterly Context Video

By |2023-01-26T20:28:59-08:00January 25th, 2023|Blog, Fiduciary, Financial planning tips and perspectives, General thoughts, In the news, Institutional, Investment Management, Investor behavior, Lifestyle, Personal Wealth, Quarterly thoughts|

The 4th quarter of 2022 was a difficult year for stocks and bonds, but there are several silver linings. What might be next for rates and inflation? What do economists say about whether there will be a recession or not? What are updated expected 10-year returns for stocks and bonds? (hint: there’s good news). [Read More]

Q3 2022 Quarterly Context Video

By |2022-10-20T16:32:55-07:00October 20th, 2022|Blog, Fiduciary, Financial planning tips and perspectives, General thoughts, In the news, Institutional, Investment Management, Investor behavior, Lifestyle, Personal Wealth, Quarterly thoughts|

Inflation is still hot but with signs of improvement, Ukraine is still at war and affecting energy and food prices, talk of a recession is heating up, both stock and bond markets continue to test investor discipline, is it better for the Fed to pull the Band-Aid off quickly or slowly? How long do [Read More]

ERISA Fiduciary Duty: Who is minding your retirement plan?

By |2023-11-14T16:21:51-08:00August 31st, 2022|Blog, Fiduciary, Institutional|

Many fiduciaries are clear that a fiduciary duty is the highest standard of care under the law. Fiduciaries to an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) qualified plan are legally obligated to put the participants' interests ahead of their own when making decisions about the plan. After the rise and fall of the Department [Read More]

Q2 2022 Quarterly Context Video

By |2024-01-29T12:18:27-08:00July 25th, 2022|Blog, Fiduciary, Financial planning tips and perspectives, General thoughts, In the news, Institutional, Investment Management, Investor behavior, Lifestyle, Personal Wealth, Quarterly thoughts|

Inflation remains high, rates are up, stock and bond markets are down, and recession worries are increasing. However there are some positive signs, and medium-long-term returns remain strong. How did we get here and what’s next? We’ll also cover the important difference between investing and speculating, and how understanding a buyer’s strike can improve [Read More]

Endowment funds 101: What is an endowment fund, UPMIFA, spending policy and more

By |2023-12-20T11:33:42-08:00June 5th, 2022|Blog, Fiduciary, Institutional|

Answers to common endowment questions Endowments are a powerful tool for non-profits, donors and fundraisers to magnify their social impact. Even experienced endowment fiduciaries and fundraisers often benefit from improving their understanding about what endowments are and are not, how to guide donors around unintended consequences, and how to frame a win-win-win value proposition [Read More]

Mutual fund proxy voting: what it is, what’s new, and who votes

By |2022-11-17T13:47:03-08:00March 8th, 2021|Blog, Fiduciary, Institutional, Personal Wealth|

Mutual fund proxy voting may be one of the least scintillating topics we write about here at The Advisory Group.  It is, however, a topic about which retirement plan fiduciaries need to stay apprised.  We also receive the occasional question from our personal wealth and foundation or endowment clients, so we thought we’d demystify [Read More]

What retirement plan sponsors need to know

By |2022-11-17T13:46:30-08:00November 7th, 2020|Blog, Fiduciary, Institutional|

Safe harbor retirement plan for 2021 Now is the time to take action if you wish to implement a new safe harbor 401(k) plan or make changes to your existing safe harbor structure for 2021.  To satisfy the participant notice requirements, companies should install or amend calendar-year plans by the end of November.  If [Read More]

Department of Labor on ESG and private equity investing options for defined benefit plans

By |2022-04-07T13:33:32-07:00August 16th, 2020|Blog, Institutional|

Do you, or do you want to, offer Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) investment options in your qualified retirement plan?  What about riskier private equity options?  Here’s what’s on the Department of Labor (DOL)’s radar when it comes to both. Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) investing While participant and plan sponsor interest [Read More]

The rationale for investment manager changes

By |2022-04-09T09:19:11-07:00May 21st, 2020|Blog, Fiduciary, Institutional, Investment Management, Personal Wealth|

Sometimes we have to change the investments we hold in our clients’ portfolios. We’ve talked about rebalancing and tax loss harvesting as ways to keep portfolios’ allocation in check and lower tax bills, but what happens when a specific investment manager of a mutual fund or other vehicles needs a change? How do we decide [Read More]

How to pick an auditor for your company’s retirement plan

By |2022-04-09T10:22:19-07:00May 20th, 2020|Blog, Fiduciary, Institutional|

Audit season is in full swing for retirement plans, and if your company has a “large plan” (defined as more than 100 participants) you are required to undergo an annual audit by a CPA. This requirement kicks in when your start-of-year participant count exceeds 120 for the first time. If your company sponsors a plan [Read More]

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