The Flyer:

Most financial media keeps their focus on the stock market, but the bond market can be a significant portion of an investment portfolio and a major driver of returns. This often overlooked asset has the potential to be exciting this year. The bond market turned heads in 2022 by putting up its worst year for returns since1926. One might think that means that bonds can only move up from here. But will they? To start, fixed income is paying income again! As the chart below illustrates, an increasing share of the bond market is paying north of 4% yields now. This is significantly more than we've seen over the past decade.

The debt ceiling, the Fed, and continuing issuance of Treasury bonds appear daily in our news today. Their historic roots tell us something about how they have worked, or failed in the past. President Lincoln faced the daunting task of the Civil War with a traitorous military rebellion, a traditional limited federal budget, and a not yet complete national banking system. How he and his Treasury Secretary, Salmon Chase, confronted this multi-front crisis tells us a great deal about the successful origins of our financial system today.

In 2022, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Roth IRA account type. We recommended them to clients for the entirety of their existence because of their potential for excellent tax savings and liquidity. It was an uphill climb for a very long time; but after years of pontificating, we finally see a general recognition of the account type and a new interest in utilizing it among our existing and prospective clients. Unfortunately, for the first time in the history of the Roth IRA, Congress is threatening to create new restrictions. This makes it even more important to include Roths in your retirement planning sooner than later.

Our 2022 Holiday Gift Guide is live! This years list includes 3 personal finance books, ideas to help a friend or family member save time and money, and how to make an educational gift through a 529.

Most of our clients who read this blogpost title are thinking, “Where is Danielle, and what have you done with her?” Before I answer that question, let’s go over a few terms you need to keep in mind while reading this blogpost: Pre Tax Savings: Retirement accounts like Traditional 401ks and IRAs where contributions (deposits) were not taxed by the IRS. Instead, taxes are assessed on future withdrawals. SS: Short hand for Social Security Income Roth IRAs: Retirement accounts where the contributions are taxed before they are deposited. Those deposits and their earnings, if all rules are followed, are tax free upon withdrawal. Taxable Brokerage Accounts: Nonretirement accounts like bank checking, savings, and brokerage accounts that allow post-tax deposits and are taxed only on the earnings in the year in which they are received.

In our Ask an Expert Series, the Financial Advisors of Propel address common misconceptions, mistakes, and missing information we see in media stories. As part of our continuing effort to dispel some myths or half-truths you might read on the internet, this blogpost directly responds to an article published by Forbes online titled “Rolling Over a 401(k) to an IRA Can Cost You Thousands of Dollars” by Bob Carlson and published on July 21, 2022.