WrapManager's Wealth Management Blog

Recharacterization of Roth IRA conversions from traditional IRAs and 401(k)s has been repealed, but recharacterizing Roth contributions is still permitted. When Congress passed the Tax Reform Act of 1997, what was originally referred to as “IRA Plus” became known as Roth IRA after its primary sponsor, Senator William Roth (Del.). Two decades later, Roth IRAs continue to grow in popularity and assets, especially with younger investors. More than 30% of Roth IRA investors are younger than 40, while cumulative assets have grown to more than $660 billion as of December 31, 2016 (latest available), according to the Investment Company Institute. [+] Read More

Having a baby (or babies!) and starting a family means so many exciting, happy, but also unknown things. For first time parents, in particular, it means navigating the often head-spinning tasks of feeding, caring for, and cleaning a baby while also working, taking care of the house, and if you’re lucky, sleeping. For most new parents, there’s not enough time in any day to get everything done, and by the end of every day you’re exhausted. Making time for budgeting, financial planning, and taking steps to prepare for the child’s future can often seem so far out of reach. But at the end of the day, it must be done. A recent study found that in the first year alone, the cost of raising a baby can run upward of $21,000 – and that’s not even factoring-in any unexpected illnesses or conditions an infant might have early-on, which are quite common. From the time the baby is born until he or she turns 18, the total cost of upbringing can range from $260,000 (“no-frills”) to $745,000.¹ In short, it’s no financial walk in the park. [+] Read More

Despite Apple topping $1 trillion in market value, the unemployment rate continuing to climb down, and a multitude of other positive market indicators, the Treasury yield curve has begun worrying some market analysts. That said, we don’t feel that investors should worry too much about an inverted yield curve. Here’s why… The Treasury Yield Curve as an Indicator of Recession The Treasury yield curve is typically upward sloping where long-term yields are higher than short-term yields. The longer the time to maturity, the higher the risk to the bondholder since the longer-term bonds have a longer time horizon and are therefore exposed to more potential changes in interest rates than short-term bonds. This forces investors in long term bonds to seek higher yields in exchange for accepting the added risk of a longer maturity bond. What is the Treasury yield curve? The U.S. Treasury Yield Curve compares the yields of short-term Treasury bills (those with terms of less than a year) with long-term Treasure notes and bonds (notes have terms of two, three, five, and 10 years while bonds have terms of 20 or 30 years). Yields always move in the opposite direction of Treasury bond prices because low demand drives the price below the face value while high demand drives the price above face value. The yield curve becomes inverted when short-term yields are higher than long-term yields. An inverted yield curve does not happen very often, but it has preceded every recession in the U.S. for the last 50 years.1 What Causes an Inverted Yield Curve? [+] Read More

What Are the Advantages of Using a Roth IRA vs. traditional IRA vs. a 529 Plan When Saving for College Costs? Consider this Scenario: Your friends Dan and Ashley have a son who will start college in 7 years. They would like to save some money for his college fund, but they are unsure about the best way to do so. Right now they have $10,000 in cash set aside for this purpose. Over the next few years, they’d like to continue saving more money for his college education. To make the most of what they’ve already saved, they’re considering putting the $10,000 into a 529 plan, into a traditional IRA ($5,000 into Dan’s and $5,000 into Ashley’s), into a Roth IRA ($5,000 into Dan’s and $5,000 into Ashley’s) or doing some combination of these options. Assume that Dan and Ashley will receive a full state tax deduction on a $10,000 contribution into a 529 plan. Also assume that they meet eligibility requirements to contribute $5,000 each into their traditional IRAs and/or Roth IRAs. [+] Read More

Reviewing the Guide to the Markets to Understand the Current Investment Environment J.P. Morgan's Guide to the Markets for the third quarter of 2018 is now available for your review. Inside you'll find deeper insight into the current investment environment and what the investment team at JP Morgan is keeping an eye on right now. On page 19 you'll see two charts (Real GDP & Components of GDP) that show how the economic expansion is continuing at a slow but steady pace. On page 25 you'll see a chart that displays how unemployment continues to fall, which JP Morgan believes should drive up wages. And on page 7 you'll see three charts that show how although earnings headwinds should be behind us, future growth may be muted. [+] Read More

The “Godfather of Soul,” James Brown, had a noble vision for how he wanted his assets distributed after his passing. His will had set aside $2 million for his grandchildren’s education, and he would also set aside millions of dollars for the education of underprivileged children in Georgia and South Carolina. Eleven years after his passing, not a penny has gone to these beneficiaries of his will. The reason: ongoing legal battles, as family members challenge Mr. Brown’s will in court and multiple parties argue over the assets in his estate. More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed since Mr. Brown passed away in 2006, and one of them involves nine of Mr. Brown’s children and grandchildren suing the estate’s administrator as well as Mr. Brown’s widow, Tommie Rae Hynie.[1] James Brown carefully crafted his estate plan to focus on education and his community, yet his wishes are arguably yet to be fulfilled. It leaves one to wonder: what if Mr. Brown had gathered his entire family together, had very frank and candid discussions about his estate plan, and told his family explicitly that they were not to challenge his wishes. Where would his estate be today? [+] Read More

U.S. equities continued to rise during the second quarter. Both large cap stocks (S&P 500) and small cap stocks (Russell 2000) finished the quarter in positive territory. The same can’t be said for International stocks though. There have been quite a few head winds for international equities, and that caused both developed and emerging markets stocks to perform poorly this quarter. Heading in to the start of the year, the U.S. Dollar was in an established downtrend and that was really helping push international equity prices higher. That changed in late April, and the U.S. Dollar spent May and June in a strong rally that really had a negative impact on foreign equities. Both developed markets (EAFE) and emerging markets finished down for the quarter. We are also seeing a big rotation our of Latin America, which is one of the areas that was such a strong performer last year. While this is unfolding you should expect the character of our international holdings to change and be reallocated in areas that are holding up better. A declining U.S. Dollar isn’t a prerequisite for international stocks to do well, but when there is a sharp reversal like we saw this quarter it takes everyone time to adapt to the changes. [+] Read More

A recent study of 22,000 publicly traded companies found a correlation between profitability and women in leadership roles. Specifically, when companies increased leadership positions for women from 0% to 30%, profitability increased by 15%. In the private technology sector, it was found that women-led companies were not only more efficient, but also brought in a 35% higher return on investment.[1] But statistics also show that the business world has yet to fully bridge the benefits of women in leadership roles with actual participation and investment. Recent data showed that less than 2% of all venture capital goes to female founders and fewer than 8% of investors are women. And even though American, women-owned businesses represent 28% of American enterprises – while employing 7.7 million people[1] – in the publicly-traded sphere women only hold 5% of CEO positions at S&P 500 companies.[2] [+] Read More

U.S. Indices Are Mixed, While Corporate Earnings Draw Headlines Investors focused last week on a moderate easing of trade tensions and a solid second quarter gross domestic product report. Corporate earnings also drew headlines, particularly troubled results that ravaged Facebook’s stock price. U.S. indices were mixed, although the S&P 500 Index posted a fourth weekly gain, rising 0.6%. The energy, industrials and financial sectors were the best-performing areas, while technology and consumer discretionary came under pressure. Highlights Strong economic growth and stellar corporate earnings continue to provide reasons for investors to bid stock prices higher. Trade tensions eased a bit last week, but uncertainty over policy is keeping financial markets in check. We expect the equity market to maintain its current trading range until trade tensions ease. [+] Read More