Blog
Qualified Plan Advisors: December Newsletter
We were a little hesitant to use the term “Post-COVID-19” in the title of this month’s newsletter. It’s not in our past. We’re still in the midst of the pandemic and many data points suggest some tough months ahead. However, we do know that COVID-19 has shifted how most of us think, work, and communicate. As your organization conducts its business planning and strategy meetings relating to 2020, how will your organization adapt its retirement plan strategy? Here’s a gameplan for ensuring you – and your consultant – adapt the approach in 2021.
Week-in-Review: Week of 11.30.20
Don’t tell December that it was a November to Remember. The S&P 500 large‐cap index, the tech‐heavy Nasdaq Composite, and the Russell 2000 small‐cap index all closed out the first week of December, right where they ended November, at new record highs.
Month in Review: November 2020
Global equities and U.S. small caps had their best month ever and the mega‐cap Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed above the 30,000 for the first time. It probably isn’t a coincidence that the Fed’s balance sheet also hit a record high as liquidity injections persisted to support the recovery. For three straight Mondays, different drug companies announced advances on vaccine trials that sparked a big rotation into stocks that benefit most from economic growth; particularly small, cyclical, and value oriented stocks.
Week-in-Review: Week of 11.23.20
The Bottom Line ● Stocks got back to their winning ways with most major global equity indices advancing. The S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq indices were all up more than 2% and the Russell 2000 small cap index gained nearly +4%, its fourth straight weekly gain, now up...
Week-in-Review: Week of 11.16.20
The S&P 500 and Dow couldn’t advance for a third week in a row, but small cap stocks were able to extend their streak to three. The Russell 2000 small cap index has gained about +16% in November. For the second week in a row, markets opened on news of a promising new vaccine, only to fade as the week wore on after new coronavirus cases in the U.S. continued to surge and new lockdown measures were announced by various state and local officials.
5 Benefits of Offering Retirement Accounts
Retirement plans are an important element of any employer's benefits package. In a recent Glassdoor survey, 79% of employees said they would prefer new or additional benefits over a pay increase. The survey also revealed that 401(k) plans, retirement plans, and/or...
Week-in-Review: Week of 11.09.20
The S&P 500 and Dow were up for the second week in a row, but it was small cap stocks that topped the leader board for the second straight week. After delivering + 6.9% last week, the Russell 2000 small cap index added another +6.1% this week. Promising news of a potential COVID‐19 vaccine helped Value oriented stocks trounce Growth stocks. But with cases surging both in the U.S. and abroad, many are wondering if this is just another Value head‐fake.
Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment As we talk to plan participants this fall, it's apparent that they're awash with uncertainty. Throughout the last couple of months - before, during, and after the election - the markets have been trying to tell participants that they shouldn't be as...