Interesting reads this week include: (1) The road to a durable economic recovery still has a lot of twists and turns left; (2) Improvement of roads and rails has accelerated, but the crisis has strained budgets, muddling prospects for the projects and the real estate developments that count on them; (3) Creative workers with multiple gigs are among the worst hit by the recession and face long roads to recovery; (4) The breadth of the Hong Kong security law and rapidly deteriorating relations between China and the West raise the prospect that international businesses or their employees could eventually become targets; (5) Some accountants have filed an SEC complaint saying the company should write down the value of shale driller XTO Energy. Exxon says it is in compliance with standards; and a Bonus - A Black-Market Fireworks Dealer Explains This Year’s Boom

The coronavirus crisis has changed the economy and the way you invest in it. Does that make your 401(k) or 403(b) investments out of date? Here are three tips with action items to help you update your account today.

This week's reads feature: (1) Wirecard scandal’s U.S. face: $2B vanishes in Asia, CEO arrested in Germany; (2) A Moral and Economic Imperative to End Racism By Raphael Bostic, President and CEO of the Atlanta Fed; (3) The Activist Investor Done With Finance; (4) Apparent suicide by 20-year-old Robinhood trader who saw a negative $730,000 balance prompts app to make changes; (5) How Are Americans Using their Stimulus Payments?; (6)‘Banking While Black’: How Cashing a Check Can Be a Minefield; and (7)How Meat plants were allowed to become coronavirus hot spots

This week's reads feature: (1) How's the Economy Doing? Watch the Dentists; (2) New filing shows Robinhood brought in close to $100 million by offloading order flow in the first quarter; (3) The Story Behind Shundrawn Thomas’s Open Letter to Asset Management; (4)The Illusion of a Rapid US Recovery; (5) Top US pension fund aims to juice returns via $80bn leverage plan; and a Bonus - Remembering Sara Little Turnbull, Whose Bra Cup Design Became the N95 Mask

The irony of COVID happening in the year 2020 has not been lost on me. If we could ever hope to benefit from hindsight, that time is certainly now. While we have all spent years complaining about our daily grind, we suddenly miss it terribly; and the choices we once took for granted seem like luxuries. (I know that I am going through serious movie theater withdrawal.) Alas, changes must be made, and we humans have an incredible history of adaptability. I have been a financial advisor for more than 20 years, and I know there are positives even during tough times like these. From conversations with clients, friends, and family these past weeks, I would say that priorities have shifted. Most are missing family, some are cooking more, and many are recognizing that their personal finances cannot survive on autopilot. When I sat down to write this article, I immediately went to the thesaurus to look up alternatives to the word “plan.” Some people, like me, are natural planners. They make lists; they thrive on routine; they worry about what they may have missed. Others, quite literally, avoid any reference to the word. This article is for the latter group…and you know who you are.

This week's reads feature: (1) Everyone knows retail investors dived back into the market as stocks rebounded. Now, evidence is starting to build that their buying has become a key driver of the beaten-down shares that are dominating the rally; (2) Too often, structured products and exchange-traded notes mislead their buyers; (3) The pandemic has complicated the usual methods and models for compiling employment data. But uncertainty has been offset by transparency; (4) A rip in the fabric of the economy won’t be healed easily, and denial of the severity of the crisis won’t solve it; (5) Black employment rates are plummeting, and the evolving wealth and income hit could fall on the shoulders of those ill-equipped to bear it; (6) Yet another way this downturn is unlike others: Women’s unemployment has risen more than men’s. Expect to see a widening gender pay gap in two to three years; and a Bonus - Follow the Money. The Coinage of Later Imperial Rome: A Reflection of Economic Stress and Decline

This week's reads feature: (1) Economist Mohamed A. El-Erian and Michael Spence discuss how a disproportionate share of the health and economic burden has fallen on those least able to bear it.; (2) The wealth gap between races has compounded in the United States over generations; (3) African-Americans working in China face overt housing discrimination and are left to their own devices to fend against abuses by the Chinese government; (4) Companies’ interactions with their communities affect their ESG score in the S&P 500; (5) A recording of the speech Tyrone Ross gave at the Inside ETFs conference earlier this year; and a Bonus - The Fed just released a new comic book, “A Story of Interest”. It’s not half bad!

This week's reads feature: (1) The threat of the spread of infection complicates any return to the office. Can a company risk having employees back if a whole floor of their office gets sick at one time?; (2) You can now own a 20-year treasury bond; (3) The recently passed CARES Act does not provide relief for non-federally backed home loans; (4) Guggenheim curators harvest show tomatoes and donate to City Harvest. (5) The lurking danger of high level corporate debt; (6)An argument that inflation would be great for the American economy, allowing the Fed to raise interest rates and spur economic growth; and a Bonus article - Bugging the Ritz, Private Investigators and Billionaires at War

At Propel we keep an eye on the latest scientific developments regarding coronavirus research to better understand its impact, supply chain disruptions, and how societies and economies react. Our advisor Amanda Vaught utilizes her scientific training from the Johns Hopkins University and graduate school at Columbia University to better understand the science behind the headlines. She is by no means an expert, but will regularly report on latest understanding of coronavirus and its impact. Coronavirus is novel. So while scientists and society are generally familiar with viruses, we really do not know details of the virus’s behavior, how it is transmitted, its long-term effects or how to treat it or vaccinate for it. Scientists do not have the answers. What they do have is a lot of questions and an unprecedented amount of cooperation across borders to find the answers.

Propel Financial Advisors works with you to determine the best investment approach for your IRA rollover. We work with our clients to craft personalized investment portfolios; you get a custom fit. We keep up with the markets and investment strategies so you can spend your time on what matters to you. We stay in regular contact with you and are always available.