wealth management

All You Can Eat: Data Deluge Edition

All You Can Eat: Data Deluge Edition

This week delivered an unprecedented convergence of critical market-moving events that tested investors' ability to parse signal from noise.

Important Tax Update: New Legislation Signed into Law

Important Tax Update: New Legislation Signed into Law

Congress recently approved, and the President signed, new legislation affecting taxes, spending cuts and other policy changes that are particularly relevant to financial planning.

Warning Shots

Warning Shots

This week's economic data painted a picture of an economy caught between competing forces, with implications that are keeping Fed officials on edge. While June's CPI report showed inflation ticking up to 2.7% annually from May's 2.4%, there were encouraging signs beneath the surface, with vehicle prices falling during the month and shelter prices rising at their slowest pace in years.

Serve with Confidence: Fortifying Your Personal Protections on a Nonprofit Board

Serve with Confidence: Fortifying Your Personal Protections on a Nonprofit Board

For many people, serving on a nonprofit board is a rewarding experience. It’s a chance to lend expertise, guide strategy and contribute meaningfully to a cause they believe in.

Goldilocks Yields

Goldilocks Yields

Bond yields, and specifically yields on U.S. treasuries, are a great barometer for the overall U.S. economy and to a lesser extent, the global economy. Chief among all the debt issued by the U.S. government is the 10-year Treasury, whose yield is one of the most closely followed indicators in global financial markets.

Red, White and Blue Labor Market? Hardly.

Red, White and Blue Labor Market? Hardly.

Summer is in full swing, and many will observe the 4th of July this weekend with family, friends and traditions. For those planning to celebrate, I hope the holiday weekend is filled with pleasant weather and unforgettable memories with the people who matter most. However, for many, the week isn’t over yet.

A Long, Evolving History with Institutional Clients

A Long, Evolving History with Institutional Clients

In 1975, the founders of Ferguson Wellman saw an opportunity to manage money for workers, setting the stage for a 50-year, evolving relationship with our institutional clients.

Preparing for Fire Season and Other Potential Risks

Preparing for Fire Season and Other Potential Risks

What are the chances that two employees at Ferguson Wellman have parents who lost their homes in wildfires?

Why Clear Financial Goals Matter in Retirement Planning

Why Clear Financial Goals Matter in Retirement Planning

Retirement represents the achievement of financial stability and being able to choose whether or not to work, a goal many of us share.

Navigating the Retirement Shift

Navigating the Retirement Shift

Retirement is a milestone most people spend decades planning for, ensuring they have a strong financial foundation to support their ideal retirement lifestyle.

Unpacking America's Debt: Who Really Holds the Bag?

Unpacking America's Debt: Who Really Holds the Bag?

There’s a common belief that most of the U.S. national debt is owned by foreign countries—especially China. But the reality is far more nuanced, with most of the debt being held domestically. As of December 2024, the total U.S. national debt stood at $36.1 trillion. That number includes two main parts: debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings. The public portion—about $28.8 trillion—is what really matters when we talk about who owns U.S. debt. The rest, around $7.3 trillion, is money the government owes itself, such as social security and Medicare trust funds. 

All Eyes on Employment

All Eyes on Employment

Last weekend, I caught up with a childhood friend working as a graphic designer. While discussing our respective careers and industries, he mentioned the difficulty his colleagues were having in finding jobs in their field, an experience that seemed to contradict the positive U.S. employment statistics reported earlier in the year. This week, both he and investors anxiously awaited the release of several related reports, hoping to gain a better understanding of the current state of the labor market and its recent shifts.

May Flowers

May Flowers

As the final days of May unfold, American consumers are feeling notably more optimistic. After several months of declining sentiment, the latest consumer confidence data showed a strong rebound from an almost five-year low, with the increase largely attributed to easing trade tensions.

Muni Moment: Why Yields Are Attractive Now

Muni Moment: Why Yields Are Attractive Now

For investors seeking income and a source of portfolio stability, municipal bonds present a compelling option. These debt instruments are issued by cities, states and local governments across the United States to finance public projects such as schools, roads and utilities.

A Break From Tariff Talk

A Break From Tariff Talk

This week, for the first time in months, tariff news was overshadowed by economic and earnings headlines. Those of us in the business of analyzing the market and economy can agree that this was a refreshing shift.

Independence Day

Independence Day

Independence Day may evoke visions of fireworks and parades or perhaps memories of the 1996 summer blockbuster movie where aliens hovered over The White House. While no actual fireworks or aliens were involved, this past Tuesday was probably the most pressing “Independence Day” for our country’s central bank as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s political independence was put to the test.

Shock and Awe

Shock and Awe

This week, the presidential inauguration and subsequent flurry of executive orders left investors deciphering what is ‘signal’ versus ‘noise’. Fortunately, in the background, public companies have started reporting fourth quarter earnings and reveal expectations for the year ahead.

Tariff Tensions

Tariff  Tensions

After last November’s election, it was widely expected that tariffs would become a significant focus in 2025. Initially, markets downplayed these concerns, viewing them primarily as negotiating tools rather than serious economic threats. 

Pick Your Poison

Pick Your Poison

Equity markets surged on Monday only to come under pressure to close the week at a 1.5% loss. Absent a rally greater than 4% on Monday, this will be the first quarter since the summer of 2023 when investors have lost money in domestic stocks.

Global Gains, U.S. Pains

Global Gains, U.S. Pains

Something is happening that hasn’t occurred in a very long time – international stocks are outperforming the U.S. markets. This shift marks a significant departure from the long-standing dominance of U.S. equities, which have historically been driven by robust earnings growth and technological innovation.