Lessons from the quick sell-off of 2020
By Kyle Tetting
Remarkably, despite the pandemic now running more than a year, stocks continued to set new all-time highs in March 2021. Investors, now with a full year of returns under their belts, face an interesting time to be looking at account statements. One year after the bear market bottomed, the S&P 500 had gained nearly 75%. Of course, stripping out the sell-off that led to that bear market bottom isn’t exactly fair, but that’s just one of the problems with tying ourselves to overly simplistic views of our portfolio. Bring the starting point forward or back a few weeks, and things look drastically different. […]
Money Talk News
Taking risks, fearing the wrong thing
By Joel Dresang
Life is full of risks, and as we try to assess how to handle them, it’s common to misjudge which risks to fear the most. […]
Embracing (at least facing) uncertainty
By Joel Dresang
I’m always hearing how investors don’t like uncertainty, but more research suggests it can be beneficial. […]
The return of required distributions
For retirees 72 and older, the required minimum distribution is back in 2021, which means planning with advisors sooner than later. […]
Relearning peekaboo in the pandemic
By Joel Dresang
Behaving as if we have no memory of life before COVID-19, no vision beyond our current confinement, may be affecting how we deal with our retirement investments. […]
Snow day perspectives on stock forecasts
By Kyle Tetting
Consider snow days to being to understand the most pressing question of 2020: How did markets post such strong returns in the midst of such terrible news? […]
Featured Articles
Later Tax Day for 2021: May 17 For the second year in a row, the COVID-19 coronavirus has pushed back the deadline for federal income tax filing. Taxes are due Monday, May 17, 2021, rather than the traditional Tax Day of April 15. Quarterly estimated tax payments are still due on April 15. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue also is extending the due date for state taxes to May 17. […]
Money Talk Quiz: Why did they say that? To see if you’ve been paying attention, test your knowledge on a sample of what Landaas & Company advisors have addressed recently in Money Talk articles and during the weekly Money Talk Podcast. (Winners receive wisdom and bragging rights.) […]
Support for stocks, beyond the calendar By Kyle Tetting
The pandemic shows shortcomings in those tidy calendar-year earnings and market forecasts, especially how expectations for the year can shift quickly as major events develop. Also, the calendar focus on near-term outlook can hide longer-term views, including well-founded optimism for stocks. […]
Past presidents in the fold By Joel Dresang
Although the timetable’s unclear, the White House disclosed in January that the Treasury Department will step up plans to redesign $20 notes to feature Harriet Tubman in place of Andrew Jackson. With the recent observation of Presidents Day, we got curious about which other former commanders-in-chief remain on U.S. currency. […]
For What It’s Worth: Squirreling Away By Joel Dresang
Partly because they’re reluctant to spend, partly because they lack opportunities, U.S. consumers have been squirreling away record mounds of money. They socked away nearly $3 trillion in 2020, a stash that could eventually help quicken economic recovery. In our occasional look at the meanings and origins of financial expressions, we consider slang terms for personal saving. […]