Posts by Michelle Smalenberger, CFP®
What is the market?
MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP® Whether it is on the nightly news, in the newspaper, on various financial radio stations or websites, you hear people talk about the market. Yet, what is the market? The market is simply where stocks, bonds and funds are traded. Here we refer to a handful of common indexes or benchmarks used to…
Read More[Video] What To Do With My Paycheck?
MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP® It is really important to consider some of the first steps and goals in your financial life. Before you start thinking about investing or saving for retirement, you need to be sure that you have a good foundation to build upon. One of the first places to start is being sure to…
Read MoreFriday’s Financial Update 8-18-2017: Investing vs. Gambling
We’ve all seen the news headlines this week of political drama in many forms. The market has been up and down depending on the news of the day. Despite these events, a diversified long-term focused investment plan is still the way to go to weather not only the news but also the market. Thought that…
Read MoreFriday’s Financial Update 8-11-2017
What difference do you notice in the pictures below? These two pictures represent the S&P500 Index performance from this past week and of course, an amusement park roller coaster. The path each of these took is the same. So what can we learn and where do we go from here? First, how did the ups…
Read MoreThe Cost of Uncertainty
Michelle Smalenberger, CFP® When investing in a stock, we choose to buy or sell based upon our expectation of what a company’s revenue and profits will be going forward. Continued growth happens because of a good business plan, forward-thinking ideas and a solid grasp of what their customers want. In order for companies to be…
Read MoreCaution: Speed Bumps Ahead
MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP® Fasten your seatbelts for bumps ahead! Let’s review some of the main stories driving market activity this week. CORPORATE EARNINGS: Companies have reported strong earnings which have continued to push up stock prices. Large gains from companies like Boeing, Ford, Verizon, and AT&T, among many others have reaffirmed confidence in their stock.…
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