December is usually when we hold our annual Holiday Breakfast and Market Outlook Presentation at Keen Wealth. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we had to move this year's event online. The in-person educational and appreciation events we host at Keen Wealth have grown into a unique hallmark of our firm and are very important to us – especially the fellowship of our Holiday Breakfast. We look forward to getting back to hosting these events in the very near future.
In the latest edition of his annual Market Outlook Presentation, Matt Wilson, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at Keen Wealth Advisors, covers:
It’s certainly been an eventful couple of weeks since our last episode! There’s a very good chance that the first round of COVID-19 vaccines will be administered to our frontline medical heroes before the end of the year. We also saw the Dow Jones pass the historic 30,000 mark for the first time in history. And while that milestone reveals that there’s still some disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street in terms of our economic recovery, we certainly have some very positive signs pointing us towards 2021.
On the political front, as states around the country finished counting, recounting, and certifying their vote totals, President-elect Joe Biden started to formalize his transition and announce some of his cabinet nominees. As we move closer to Biden’s swearing-in on January 20th, we thought it would be a good time to remind folks of some changes that are coming to Social Security next year and also discuss potential changes that the President-elect pitched on the campaign trail.
After a historic week, it looks like America will head into the new year with a new president and some very encouraging news in the fight against Covid-19. The ways that these events have rippled through the markets are yet another reminder of just how complex – and how resilient – our economy is. In the weeks ahead, it will be very important that folks separate their personal feelings from their financial planning and stay focused on things that they can control.
On today’s show, we discuss how the markets have reacted to the election and the pandemic with an eye towards 2021.
In this webinar, Matt Wilson, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at Keen Wealth Advisors, will cover a macroeconomic update of the markets, plus the key things we are watching right now and our outlook for the rest of 2020.
Some of the topics Matt covers in this webinar include:
In four of the last five presidential elections, the Democratic and Republican candidates were separated by just 5% of the popular vote. And, in two of those four elections, the winner of the popular vote lost the Electoral College.
So, while there’s a lot of anxiety surrounding just how close next month’s election might be, it’s worth noting that our country has made it through some very tight races in recent years. Moreover, if you dig a little deeper into the framework that our Founding Fathers designed, you’ll find some extra layers of contingency planning that can guide us through some complicated election scenarios and ensure that our government keeps functioning.
We hope that by talking through three of these election scenarios on today’s episode, we’ll help dispel some misconceptions, alleviate some worries, and provide some advice on how to keep the next month in U.S. politics in perspective when you’re thinking about your financial plan.
Nearly seven months later the Covid-19 situation remains very fluid. Infection and hospitalization numbers are stabilizing in some states and picking up in others. One constant has been the inspiring work that health care professionals and scientists are doing to help the sick and keep moving forward on a vaccine.
I want to make it clear that no one at Keen Wealth claims to be a doctor or an epidemiologist. But during major events that affect our clients’ lives, we do take it upon ourselves to stay on top of the latest developments. We want to be able to provide information that folks can trust. We also want to be on the lookout for any issues that could potentially impact our clients’ financial plans.
On today’s show, we discuss what our research and conversations with health care pros are telling us about the timetable for a Covid-19 vaccine. At the top of this episode, I also share a quick alert from the FBI about a telephone scam that’s making the rounds.
During the pandemic, we’ve talked quite a bit about potential positive outcomes of this unprecedented experience. One plus that I’ve noticed recently is that more people do seem to recognize the importance of having a financial plan, whether they’re just starting the process or refining some details with their fiduciary advisor in light of all that’s happened this year.
On today’s episode, we discuss 5 important areas where a financial plan can help keep your money in sync with your family’s needs, even when the unexpected happens.
In this webinar, Bill Keen and Matt Wilson welcome back Washington insider Greg Valliere for a conversation about the state of the U.S. economy in 2020 as well as a preview of the upcoming presidential election.
Some of the topics Greg Valliere discussed with Bill and Matt include:
Whenever the market experiences significant volatility you're likely to see "gold bugs" swarming your social media and cable news feeds. Investing in a commodity like gold that we perceive as "stable" sounds appealing when other investments, like stocks, seem unstable. And it's true that the price of gold has risen in 2020 as the economy continues to adjust to Covid-19.
But as we discuss on today's podcast, adding gold to your portfolio is not a surefire way to mitigate risk. And folks who move their assets out of the markets in order to buy gold could be making a long-term mistake.
So much of our focus this year has been on Covid-19 that you might have missed a major milestone that we passed recently. We are now less than 100 days away from what promises to be a very contentious and impactful presidential election. The economic side of the debate has started to take shape now that former Vice President Joe Biden has released some new tax proposals.
Of course, any presidential policy pitched on the campaign trail has to be taken with a grain of salt. And in my experience, folks tend to overestimate the impact that any one president can have on the economy, sometimes to the detriment of their long-term planning.
Still, it’s worth examining how a President Biden might affect the economy. So, on today’s show, we dig into the Biden tax proposals and also discuss what market history tells us about presidential elections, the markets, and your nest egg.
In this webinar, Matt Wilson, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at Keen Wealth Advisors, will cover a macroeconomic update of the markets, plus the key things we are watching right now and our outlook for the rest of 2020.
Some of the topics Matt covers in this webinar include:
More often than not, the skills and processes that make folks successful in one business work in other businesses as well. I think that’s a big reason why Keen Wealth Advisors has been able to establish such a strong relationship with the engineering community in Kansas City and around the country. Engineers respond to our checklist-driven planning process because they use the same kind of diligence in their own work. And we love working with folks who are hardworking, curious, and dedicated to following through on a plan.
Another skill set that will position you to succeed just about anywhere: strong communication. My guest today, Anthony Fasano, was rapidly advancing at a civil engineering firm when he realized that the best engineers had mastered more than just math and design. Anthony founded the Engineering Management Institute, which provides career and personal development resources for engineers. Anthony is also the author of Engineer Your Own Success, Seven Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career, and the host of The Engineering Career Coach Podcast, which Forbes cited as one of the 15 Most Inspiring Podcasts for Professionals.
Like my recent appearance on Anthony’s podcast, this episode will definitely appeal to the many engineers and employees of engineering firms whom we’re proud to work with at Keen Wealth. But the ideas that Anthony zeroed in on could get anyone thinking about skill sets that will help you further your own career, make a midlife career switch, or start your dream company once you retire.
The May 2020 jobs report could mark a turning point in our country’s struggle to get back on its feet after the Covid-19 pandemic. While some experts were bracing for up to 7 million more lost jobs, instead we got a pleasant surprise: 2.5 million jobs added and a 1.4% drop in unemployment.
The markets responded very favorably to this news. But with so many people still out of work and so many communities still struggling, it can feel like Wall Street and Main Street are way out of sync. So, on today’s show, we dig into some high frequency data that I think can help improve our perspective on where our economy is really moving.
Recently I had the honor of participating in a video conference with CEOs and small business owners in the greater Kansas City area where we shared our perspectives on how to reopen our local economy safely and effectively.
The organizer of that call was our region’s advocate at the Small Business Administration, and my guest today, Adrienne Vallejo Foster. Adrienne is currently running for Congress in the Third Congressional District of Kansas. She's a former mayor who also served as Executive Director of the Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission in Kansas. One of Adrienne’s current responsibilities is to assist in the Opening America’s Workplaces Again initiative by gathering feedback from small businesses in our region so that we have a voice in the decision making happening right now in Washington, D.C.
Last week’s job numbers have had a big impact on this week’s main topic of discussion: reopening. Communities around the country are starting to establish guidelines that will, hopefully, allow more folks to get back to work while also keeping the spread of COVID-19 in check.
In the meantime, folks who are hurting are starting to get some relief via extended unemployment benefits and federal tax rebate checks. Others are weighing new options created by the CARES Act, including coronavirus-related distributions (CRDs). If you’re thinking about using your retirement assets to navigate the pandemic, you’re definitely going to want to listen to our discussion on how CRDs may help.
I’m really happy that clients and other friends of Keen Wealth have continued to ask us questions about their financial planning over the past month or so. Those questions tell me that even as we’re dealing with all of the uncontrollable stresses surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, folks are keeping at least one eye on the things they can control. There is still business to be conducted, bills and taxes to pay, and both short and long-term plans to make. And as an essential business, Keen Wealth has been able to make a smooth transition to our new health and safety realities so that we can stay available to our clients when they need us the most.
On today’s show, we go back to the mailbag to answer some questions we’ve received lately about oil prices, 2019 tax deadlines, and how the 2020 CARES Act affects the 2019 SECURE Act.
We’re getting our first small glimpses of light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel this week. Spread of the disease could be peaking. The markets are starting to look a bit more stable. And our political and health care leaders are in the very early stages of discussing how and when to reopen businesses.
Still, I know we’re all dealing with a lot of anxiety and uncertainty, both in our personal lives and when we step back to take in the big picture. On today’s show, we check in on the current state of the markets and the economy, while also answering three of the most common questions that Keen Wealth clients and friends have been asking us over the past couple weeks.
The coronavirus pandemic continues to make recent market swings difficult to follow. Are the markets recovering or not? Are we still bearish or heading back to bullish? And what do these movements mean for your retirement planning?
Today’s episode is another up-to-the-minute look at the current economic situation.
We’ve all just gone through one of the most tumultuous weeks in recent American history – not just for the financial markets, but for how we live our everyday lives. So we’re releasing this podcast episode a little earlier than usual so that you can get our latest take on the coronavirus situation and the broader economic picture.
For today’s show, we put in some overtime to get you our up-to-the-minute take on how the coronavirus outbreak is affecting financial markets.
The short version: Outside shocks to the financial markets, like the coronavirus, can't be predicted, but we do plan for them. Outbreaks like Ebola, Zika, MERS and SARS have rattled the markets before. And while past performance does not guarantee future returns, after downturns like the one we’re experiencing right now, the markets are typically on the road to recovery within a short amount of time. We’re also optimistic about what other key economic indicators are telling us about the overall strength of the US economy.
However, that doesn’t mean we're Pollyanna or complacent. We continue to monitor the situation and are ready to take action if the situation warrants. Listen to this episode for our thoughts on the opportunity that volatility provides us to re-balance portfolios and other strategies to utilize when the market is low, what the government might do to help stabilize the markets, and the likelihood of a recession
In this Market Update Webinar, Matt Wilson, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at Keen Wealth Advisors, takes a look back at what happened in 2019 in the markets and in the economy. And even more importantly, Matt takes a look ahead at what may be in store for 2020.
Some of the topics Matt covers in this webinar include:
Clients and friends of Keen Wealth have questions surrounding the Setting Every Community Up For Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act that was passed at the end of 2019. And with good reason! In many ways, the SECURE Act represents a significant rethink of retirement and estate planning. The government has recognized that as folks begin working longer at a wider variety of jobs, individuals need to start taking more personal responsibility for their retirement planning. This shift will affect your own retirement and how your heirs will approach their financial planning.
On today’s show, we follow up our earlier overview of the SECURE Act with a deeper dive into three specific topics that our clients have been asking us about. As always, we try to keep the conversation light on industry jargon and technicalities. But the better you understand some of the SECURE Act’s most significant changes to retirement planning, the more confident you’re going to feel about your own plan.
I am honored that Anthony Fasano, Founder of the Engineering Management Institute, recently invited me to be a guest on his podcast, "The Engineering Career Coach."
Anthony is a professional engineer who learned early in his career that the success of an engineering firm relied heavily on its employees' ability to communicate and mange effectively. Anthony founded the Engineering Management Institute to bring his passion for engineering management training to engineering organizations worldwide through customized on-site and online training. Anthony's podcast was recently cited by Forbes as one of the 15 most inspiring podcasts for professionals.
The information in this podcast is going to be of particular interest to the many engineers and employees of engineering firms we work with at Keen Wealth. But all the topics that Anthony and I cover will be useful to anyone who is serious about planning for your future and your retirement, no matter where you work.
As a bonus, you can also watch our conversation below. Anthony's production team did a great job adding slides and graphics that you may find helpful.
At our annual Holiday Breakfast in December 2019, we presented "Forecast 2020: Silence the Noise."
At our annual Holiday Breakfast in December 2019, we presented "Forecast 2020: Silence the Noise."