Last weekend, as my kids played in the park, a fellow dad struck up a conversation. During our talk, he sighed and asked, "Everything feels so expensive these days, doesn't it?" I’ve heard this sentiment frequently, from friends, family and clients who have expressed curiosity about the rising costs of everyday goods and services. While many individuals are feeling the strain on their finances, inflation measures, such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI), appear to be trending downward, showing a rosier economic picture. So why are people feeling the pinch?

Brad Houle, CFA, was on KOIN AM Extra's Wallet Wednesday to discuss mortgage rates.

The current residential real estate market continues to apply pressure on potential home buyers, with many feeling the constraints of high housing prices and relatively high interest rates for mortgages.  

We present Market Letter publication for the second quarter 2024 titled “So Far, So Good” in which Chief Investment Officer George Hosfield, CFA, outlines our belief the Fed remains on course to deliver an ever-so-rare soft landing to this inflationary cycle. Dean Dordevic writes about the Japanese economy and Warren Buffett’s investment there in recent years since the introduction of the “Corporate Governance Code” and Jason Norris, CFA, provides an update on equity market valuations and how investors expect the market to grow for the remainder of the year.

As we move further into 2024, the commercial real estate (CRE) market continues to attract investors’ attention. Often, when the Federal Reserve increases short-term interest rates rapidly, as in this cycle, some aspect of the capital markets or asset class breaks. CRE is the primary suspect for a crisis in this cycle.

During the decade I spent in San Francisco, I had the pleasure of working with a great economist and investor from 2015 to 2019. Those years proved formative for my investing career, and I learned much from my time there. Recently, I have been reminded of an adage of his. After a short period of strong performance, he would exclaim, “We had a good year this month!”, meaning the portfolio returned what we considered a good year's worth of returns in a fraction of the time. Given the robust performance of the stock market over the last several months, I have been reminded of this saying more than a few times.  

Would you have believed us if we had told you on January 1 that the S&P 500 would be up nearly 10% year-to-date after last year’s 25% jump?

As April 15 draws closer, individuals across the country are filing their tax returns, some of whom are anxiously awaiting the results.

2023 Annual Report

Annual presentation from Ferguson Wellman sharing our views for the year regarding the global economy and capital markets, as well as a planning update from our wealth management team.

Over the last two months, our investment team has been privileged to meet with many of our clients and professional partners as we’ve delivered our annual Investment Outlook presentation.

Maximizing retirement savings is an important goal for many couples. While there are a variety of tax-advantaged accounts that allow individuals to save for retirement, most are only available to those with earned income during the year.

Over the last several weeks, company layoffs have been in the headlines, specifically in the technology sector.

As we move into the new year, we want to provide you with the latest 2024 Annual Limits Guide from the College for Financial Planning® . This guide contains many of the important financial and tax planning numbers that may apply to you in the year ahead. Staying up-to-date and proactive with these figures can help you maximize your financial opportunities and make informed decisions throughout the year. 

Mary Lago and Samantha Pahlow promoted to new roles in wealth management for our firm.

Remember "2023: The Year of the Hard Landing"? That was the dreary refrain echoing through late 2022, with recession fears dominating headlines and investment strategies. Fast forward to today, and the picture couldn't be more different.