Feeling down about the economy and markets? Paying high prices at the store while watching the S&P 500 hit all-time highs?

Often, how we feel about the market and our investments doesn't jive with what's really happening. In our Q2 outlook, we look at the data to get a better picture of what's really happening in the economy and financial markets.

0:00 - Inflation Feels Different Than Reality

3:03 - What's Happened So Far This Year?

4:06 - Why Long-Term Perspective is So Important

6:00 - Job Market

8:36 - Layoffs

11:04 - Inflation

12:28 - How Are Companies Doing?

17:19 - Stock Prices and Valuation

20:46 - International Markets

24:13 - Bonds and Interest Rates

27:00 - Where Will Long-Term Interest Rates Land?

30:40 - Gold

31:54 - Conclusions & What Investors Should Consider

Start A Conversation With Us: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/startconversation

© 2024 Capital Stewards, LLC. All rights reserved. Capital Stewards, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Any commentary is provided for general information and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, tax or legal advice. Instead, viewers should make an independent assessment of the information and determine if any content mentioned is appropriate for their personal situation. Past performance of market results is no assurance of future performance. This information has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

Wondering whether Bitcoin should be a part of your investment portfolio? In this episode we share our perspective on how to consider a crypto investment. What about the new Bitcoin ETFs, should those be a part of your investment portfolio? We discuss:

(0:00) Intro & Thesis on Bitcoin

(2:53) Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Technology vs. Cryptocurrencies

(6:35) Is Bitcoin a Currency?

(8:58) Is Bitcoin a good Inflation Hedge?

(11:37) Bitcoin as a Safety-Net

(12:53) Cryptocurrency Volatility

(13:52) New Bitcoin ETFs

(15:55) Should Bitcoing Be Part of an Investment Portfolio?

Blog Post:

https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/learn/investing-in-bitcoin

Want to Start a Conversation About Your Investments? -> https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/startconversation

© 2024 Capital Stewards, LLC. All rights reserved. Capital Stewards, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Any commentary is provided for general information and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, tax or legal advice. Instead, readers should make an independent assessment of the information and determine if any content mentioned  is appropriate for their personal situation. Past performance of market results is no assurance of future performance. This information has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

The superbowl is over. Taylor Swift clearly won. Its baseball season and all of that means it's time for taxes in 2024. In this episode, we cover things you can do to reduce your tax bill for 2023 and we also discuss strategies you can use for long-term tax planning.

More than 90% of filers are using the standard deduction each year. That means tax reduction isn't about a "hunt for deductions" each year, its about long-term strategies that lower your tax bill over time.

Listen to the episode for more insight on all things taxes for 2024!

Want to Start a Conversation About Your Long-Term Tax Plan -> https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/startconversation

Link to the "Dunkings" Commercial Video ->https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve2miT5iF2M

© 2024 Capital Stewards, LLC. All rights reserved. Capital Stewards, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Any commentary is provided for general information and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, tax or legal advice. Instead, readers should make an independent assessment of the information and determine if any content mentioned  is appropriate for their personal situation. Past performance of market results is no assurance of future performance. This information has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

It's hard not to notice, but we are in an election year. Did you know that the stock market does better when Democrats hold the oval office? Well... sorta...not really. There is lot's of discussion about the impact of the election on the stock market, interest rates and the economy. In this episode we will break it down and discuss the real impact elections have (or don't have) on markets. We cover:

1. What impact might the election have on stock market returns in 2024?
2. Does it matter if a Democrat or Republican wins the election?
3. Does the stock market actually perform better during Democrat or Republican administrations?
4. What economic policy ideas should we watch for when we evaluate candidates.

Have investment or financial planning questions? Start a conversation with our team: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/startconversation

© 2024 Capital Stewards, LLC. All rights reserved. Capital Stewards, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Any commentary is provided for general information and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, tax or legal advice. Instead, readers should make an independent assessment of the information and determine if any content mentioned  is appropriate for their personal situation. Past performance of market results is no assurance of future performance. This information has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

Happy New Year! It's resolution time, but instead of focusing on 5 "check boxes" for a financially successful 2024, what if we took a step back to make a giant leap forward? In this short episode, I dive into a better approach for financial resolutions: aligning your life with your resources. Here are four questions to ask yourself as you kick off 2024:

1. Why am I here? How am I uniquely gifted?
2. How am I creating opportunities for my family to thrive and grow?
3. What am I passionate about changing in my community?
4. What areas of my life are well-resourced? What areas need more resources, either time, attention,or money?

Have investment or financial planning questions? Start a conversation with our team: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/startconversation

© 2024 Capital Stewards, LLC. All rights reserved. Capital Stewards, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Any commentary is provided for general information and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, tax or legal advice. Instead, readers should make an independent assessment of the information and determine if any content mentioned  is appropriate for their personal situation. Past performance of market results is no assurance of future performance. This information has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

Will we have a recession in 2024? How will inflation and interest rates impact my job, my investments and the economy? Where should I consider investing in 2024? We dive into those questions and more in our latest outlook.

Topics:

(0:00) - Intro

(1:13) - Post-Covid Economic History 101

(4:29) - Normal vs. The Sugar High

(6:08) - Where are We Really on The Investment Journey?

(8:21) - Recession Debate and GDP Components

(8:55) - Job Market & Strong Consumer

(14:52) - Consumer Debt Increasing

(16:17) - Consumer Spending Over the Holidays

(18:40) - Business Investment & Activity

(22:18) - Governement Spending & Deficits

(24:12) - Inflation

(25:41) - Investment Outlook

(26:24) - Stock Market & Magnificent Seven

(32:31) - Bond Market

(35:17) - International Markets

(39:16) - Real Estate & Housing

(41:39) - Actions to Consider & Conclusion

Have investment or financial planning questions? Start a conversation with our team: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/startconversation

© 2023 Capital Stewards, LLC. All rights reserved. Capital Stewards, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Any commentary is provided for general information and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, tax or legal advice. Instead, readers should make an independent assessment of the information and determine if any content mentioned  is appropriate for their personal situation. Past performance of market results is no assurance of future performance. This information has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

TAX TIME IS NOW! Not in March of next year. Now is the time to start thinking about strategies to manage your 2023 taxes and it’s also a great time to find professional support to help prepare your tax returns. In this episode we discuss year end planning, including:

• Tax Loss Selling in Bond Portfolios
• Retirement Account Contributions, Distributions and Charitable Contributions
• ROTH Conversions
• Managing Stock Options
• Year Trust and Estate Planning

Year End 2023 Planning Tips Article: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/learn/tips-for-2023-year-end-tax-planning

Have investment or financial planning questions? Start a conversation with our team: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/startconversation

© 2023 Capital Stewards, LLC. All rights reserved. Capital Stewards, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Any commentary is provided for general information and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, tax or legal advice. Instead, readers should make an independent assessment of the information and determine if any content mentioned  is appropriate for their personal situation. Past performance of market results is no assurance of future performance. This information has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

The interest rate on the 10-year U.S. Treasury has risen from less than 1% in 2020 to almost 5% today. Everyone is talking about mortgage rates, but the implications of higher rates are broader than simply higher mortgage payments.

In this episode, we discuss the changes we believe investors should consider for their portfolios and financial plans in this new interest rate environment. We discuss:

1. Re-thinking your investment allocation, i.e., the mix of stocks, bonds and other assets
2. New wealth transfer opportunities created by higher interest rates

Read Our Article on Rising Interest Rates: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/learn/how-5-interest-rates-may-impact-your-investments-and-financial-plan

Have investment or financial planning questions? Schedule time with a member of our team: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/contact

© 2023 Capital Stewards, LLC. All rights reserved. Capital Stewards, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Any commentary is provided for general information and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, tax or legal advice. Instead, readers should make an independent assessment of the information and determine if any content mentioned  is appropriate for their personal situation. Past performance of market results is no assurance of future performance. This information has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

In part two of our series on real estate investing we discuss our outlook for the real estate market. We cover both the residential and commerical real estate markets from the perspective of a long-term, generational investor. We discuss:

1. The different types of real estate investors should consider owning
2. Our outlook for residential real estate
3. The profitability of current and new short-term rentals (Airbnb and VRBO) with real-time data
4. Our outlook for commercial real estate
5. The impact of higher rates on properties

Learn More: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com

Have investment or financial planning questions? Schedule time with a member of our team: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/contact

© 2023 Capital Stewards, LLC. All rights reserved. Capital Stewards, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Any commentary is provided for general information and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, tax or legal advice. Instead, readers should make an independent assessment of the information and determine if any content mentioned  is appropriate for their personal situation. Past performance of market results is no assurance of future performance. This information has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

One of the most anticipated recessions in U.S. history has not occured yet in 2023. Is this time different? We discuss why markets have been strong so far, and why they may slow down going forward. As always, we discuss what actions investors should consider based on what's happening in the economy and markets. We discuss:

0:00 Overview + Long-Term Perspective

6:18 Labor Market

8:20 Inflation

13:35 Manufacturing Decline  Ser

14:24 Consumer Headwinds

17:30 Debt & Deficits

23:20 Are We In A Recession?

24:35 Interest Rates

27:08 Stock Market Outlook

28:45 Bond Market Outlook

30:31 International Markets (+ China)

33:01 What Should We Do Next?

Learn More: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com

Have investment or financial planning questions? Schedule time with a member of our team: https://www.thecapitalstewards.com/contact

© 2023 Capital Stewards, LLC. All rights reserved. Capital Stewards, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Capital Stewards is a Huntsville Financial Advisor. Any commentary is provided for general information and educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific investment, tax or legal advice. Instead, readers should make an independent assessment of the information and determine if any content mentioned  is appropriate for their personal situation. Past performance of market results is no assurance of future performance. This information has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.