Current Market Talk Newsletter:

Financial Planning Articles

Investment Philosophy Articles

Market Talk Articles

Financial Planning Articles:

Insights

Financial Planning

Tax Tips

Financial Planning

Simply put, your taxes are based on all sources of income and capital gains received throughout the year. Your income is taxed at a tiered marginal rate then your capital gains are taxed at a fixed rate based on your total income.

Financial Planning

What Happens to an ESOP When Sold?

Financial Planning

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is a common way small and midsized companies compensate their employees. ESOP owned companies have a long track record of being employee centric, lower rates of layoffs, and fewer corporate changes.

That being said, employee-owned companies can be purchased by external buyers (competitors, private equity firms, etc.). Check out this article to discover some possible outcomes.

Financial Planning

New Super Catch Up is Coming Soon

Financial Planning

‘Super Catch-Up’ contributions will allow workers who turn 60-63 during the year to contribute even more beyond the normal Catch-Up contribution. This additional $3,750 is a welcome addition for many pre-retirees. Read the full blog for all the details!

Financial Planning

When Should I Start Taking Social Security?

Financial Planning

This might be the most common retirement planning question we get — and one of the most impactful. There are many variables to consider but the most important, and maybe the simplest to understand, is your expected longevity. At its core, Social Security is a supplemental income to help support living during retirement. The monthly benefit continues to grow 8% per year until age 70 where it hits its maximum and then continues for the rest of your life.

Financial Planning

IRS Provides Slight Relief on Inherited IRA Distributions

Financial Planning

On April 16, 2024 the IRS released Notice 2024-35, providing updated guidance on the “10 - year rule” that outlines how Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) must be taken from inherited IRA/401k/403b/etc. If you’ve been wondering how this guidance may impact you or your heirs, this article will help.

Financial Planning

What to Do With an Inheritance

Financial Planning

Practical tips on how to navigate a received inheritance; what to do first, how to manage the hierarchy of saving, and how to simplify the process to get everything in order.

Financial Planning

Understanding Your Required Minimum Distribution

Financial Planning

If you’re not familiar with the term RMD, the Internal Revenue Code requires owners of retirement accounts to begin taking money out of these accounts every year once reaching age 73, this is known as a required minimum distribution (RMD). Since these accounts have benefited from tax-deferred growth. this is Uncle Sam’s way of getting his share.

Financial Planning

Understanding the Basics of Social Security

Financial Planning

Social Security can be claimed as early as 62 or as late as age 70. Upon reaching full retirement age, you are eligible to receive the basic benefit amount. However, the timing of when you file will determine if you receive more or less than the basic benefit amount.

Financial Planning

Financial Checklist for New or Expecting Parents

Financial Planning

There are a number of financial points to consider (and documents to update) when you’re a new or expecting parent. This checklist provides a simple guide on key things to update (ex. beneficiaries) and organize during this exciting stage of life.

Financial Planning

SECURE Act 2.0 and What it Means for You

Financial Planning

Posted in May 2023, this article guides you through SECURE Act 2.0 and how it stands to impact retirement.

Financial Planning

Investment Philosophy Articles:

Insights

Investment Philosophy

Return to Normal, or the New Normal?

Investment Philosophy

Excerpt from Westview article from January 2025:
The Federal Reserve (or the Fed), the central bank of the United States, plays a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s economy. These rates influence everything from consumer loans and mortgages to business investments and the health of the overall economy.

Before the creation of the Fed in 1913, the U.S. economy was marked by frequent financial panics and a lack of central authority to stabilize the monetary system.

Investment Philosophy

What Is Your Benchmark?

Investment Philosophy

Every weekday evening you are likely to hear on the radio or TV about how the Dow Jones Industrial Average (The Dow), and the S&P 500 did that day in the markets. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average are two widely recognized benchmarks used to gauge the performance of the stock market in the United States. While both indexes provide insights into the overall health of the market, there are some key differences between them.

Investment Philosophy

Should You Care About Dividends?

Investment Philosophy

This article is an attempt to discuss the topic of dividends from the perspective of the individual investor and his or her financial advisor. Its four sections are not meant to be comprehensive. Rather, it aims to be educational and to discuss the merits (and demerits) of owning dividend paying stocks relative to what is often cited as their alternative – bonds and “growth stocks.”

Investment Philosophy

Gardening By Another Name

Investment Philosophy

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffet famously writes an Annual Shareholder letter each year. In this article we’ll explore one of Buffet’s recent musings on investment management as gardening. What can we learn from his investment management as gardening metaphor? In the paragraphs that follow we attempt to answer this question. Our answer is not exhaustive, but we hope it sheds light on the investment process at Westview.

Investment Philosophy

Is Cognitive Bias Impacting Your Decision Making?

Investment Philosophy

A number of years ago I read Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s book, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. The book, first published in 2009, argues that individuals often make poor, sub-optimal decisions due to cognitive and behavioral biases.

Investment Philosophy

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities

Investment Philosophy

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (or TIPS) are bonds that are issued by the U.S. Treasury and specifically designed to protect against rising inflation. Find out how they work in this article from Ben Nostrand, CFP.

Investment Philosophy

Understanding the Silicon Valley Bank Failure

Investment Philosophy

Posted in April 2023, this article helps make sense of the Silicon Valley Bank failure and other turmoil in regional banking at that time.

Investment Philosophy

Staying Invested Matters

Investment Philosophy

Volatility is normal - don’t let it derail your long-term investment plans. Did you know that the best trading days often happen within a month after the worst trading days? Check out this article and graphs to learn more.

Investment Philosophy

The Big Three: Time, Diversification, Volatility of Returns

Investment Philosophy

Time, diversification, and the volatility of returns. In the financial industry these are considered ‘The Big Three’. Learn how these factors at play impact financial planning and strategies in this article originally posted in May 2022.

Investment Philosophy

Market Talk Articles:

Insights

Market Talk Archive

Excerpt from Westview article from January 2025:
For the second year in a row, the stock market was up significantly in 2024. The S&P500 ended the year up 25%, the Dow was up 15% and the NASDAQ was up 27%. Notable drivers in the stock market were technology up 35.7%, communication services (includes Facebook, Alphabet), consumer discretionary 29.1%, and financials up 28.4%.

Market Talk Archive

Excerpt from a Westview article written on April 7, 2025:
Is this another Trump negotiation tactic? How will nations react and enter negotiations? Will businesses move manufacturing back to the US (which takes years) or will they wait and see? These are all questions that will be watched closely.

Market Talk Archive

Market Talk Archive

Third quarter 2023 recap: Equities took a much-needed breather during the 3rd Quarter of 2023. The S&P 500 was down -3.3% during the period but as the chart illustrates, remains up +13.1% for the year-to-date period.

Market Talk Archive

Market Talk Archive

Second quarter 2023 recap: Equities continued to climb in Q2 2023. The Nasdaq was the standout yet again, up +12.8% in the 2nd Quarter (+32% YTD). Shares of the S&P 500 gained +8.3% (+16.9% YTD) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose +3.4% (+4.9% YTD).

Market Talk Archive

Market Talk Archive

Total Returns for Q1 2024: Dow +5.62%, S&P +10.16%, Nasdaq +9.11%, Russell 2000 +4.81%

Investors dialed back their expectations for rate cuts during the first quarter of 2024 and now expect the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates only three (as op posed to six) times this year.

Market Talk Archive

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back - 2022 Review

Market Talk Archive

2022 Review: The most challenging year for investors since the financial crisis came to an end last week. The large cap S&P 500 index finished down -18.1%. The tech-heavy NASDAQ plummeted 33% as more than 50% of the names in that index declined 50% or more. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 8% as the value orient- ed names in that index of 30 stocks fared much better.

Market Talk Archive

The Year No One Saw Coming - 2023 Review

Market Talk Archive

2023 - the year no one saw coming. Uncertainty around inflation, interest rates, and a possible recession was the dominant theme in the stock and bond markets in 2023. The Fed wound down its two-year inflation fighting campaign of interest rate increases this fall as inflation continued its down- ward retreat, all while the economy continued to grow. This resulted in significant gains for the stock market and modest gains for the bond markets in 2023 after an atrocious 2022.

Market Talk Archive

Market Talk Archive

Second quarter 2024: U.S. stock markets continued their ascent in the latest quarter with the S&P 500 now up 15.3% year to date. The tech heavy NASDAQ was up 18.1%, while the Dow was up only 4.8%. Small cap stocks were up only 1.7% as they continued their decade long underperformance.

Market Talk Archive

All Articles:

Louise Gibbs 4/17/25 Louise Gibbs 4/17/25

2024 In Review

Louise Gibbs 4/17/25 Louise Gibbs 4/17/25

Return to Normal, or the New Normal?

Before the creation of the Fed in 1913, the U.S. economy was marked by frequent financial panics and a lack of central authority to stabilize the monetary system.

Louise Gibbs 4/17/25 Louise Gibbs 4/17/25

Tariff Turmoil

Ben Nostrand 4/17/25 Ben Nostrand 4/17/25

Tax Tips

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Fair & Balanced Disclosure: The content of this page should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of writer as of the date of publication and are subject to change. This content herein does not constitute personalized advice from Westview or its investment professionals, or a solicitation to execute specific securities transactions. Westview is not a law or accounting firm and does not intend for any content to be construed as legal, accounting, or tax advice. Readers should not use any of this content as the sole basis for any investment, financial planning, tax, legal, or other decisions. Rather, visitors should consult their other professional advisers (including their lawyers and accountants) and consider independent due diligence before implementing any of the options directly or indirectly referenced. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss, and different investments and types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. There can be no assurance that the future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, including those undertaken or recommended by Westview, will be profitable or equal any historical performance level.

Current Market Talk Newsletter:

Financial Planning Articles:

Investment Philosophy Articles:

Market Talk Articles:

All Articles:

2024 In Review

Return to Normal, or the New Normal?

Tariff Turmoil

Tax Tips

Westview Investment Advisors