Wealthy Behavior

The April jobs report shows that the U.S. unemployment rate rose and wage gains slowed more than expected. Markets reacted favorably to this news. Why be happy that more people are out of work and earning less? These are two signals that the strong labor market may be starting to soften. The markets are hoping that a labor market slowdown will nudge the Fed closer to begin lowering interest rates.

Heritage Financial’s CIO, Bob Weisse, and CEO, Sammy Azzouz, also discuss how the Feds comments can move markets, the impacts the housing market and upcoming election may have on the Feds moves, and answer a client question– If you have the choice, should you invest a lump sum all at once or wade into the market by dollar cost averaging?

Take your wealth to the next level with How To Build Your Next Million, our educational video course and ebook. You’ll learn the financial tools and strategies that will help you SAVE more, KEEP more of what you earn, GROW your portfolio, and PROTECT your nest egg to enhance your overall wealth.

We’d love to hear from you! Email us questions, ideas, or feedback at [email protected].

Lately we’ve noticed similar themes across the questions we are getting asked most often. In this episode Heritage Financial’s CEO, Sammy Azzouz, and CIO, Bob Weisse, address the topics and answer the questions on top of investors’ minds.

• April’s inflation and economic data shows that inflation may be stickier than expected and rates could stay higher for longer. What does this shift in data mean for the markets?
• The problem with the housing market and why it may not improve anytime soon. - The Magnificent 7 stocks are getting all the attention. They have performed well, they are great companies, why not just buy them?
• A lesson in FOMO.
• Why the cost of auto insurance is surging.

Take your wealth to the next level with How To Build Your Next Million, our educational video course and ebook. You’ll learn the financial tools and strategies that will help you SAVE more, KEEP more of what you earn, GROW your portfolio, and PROTECT your nest egg to enhance your overall wealth.

We’d love to hear from you! Email us questions, ideas, or feedback at [email protected].

With the first three months of the year posting strong market returns, most investors are pleased with the start to 2024. Equity markets have seen a broadening of market winners and in March bonds posted their first positive monthly return of the year. 2023 was the story of the magnificent seven tech stocks leading the bulk of the total market return. This year, those concentrated returns from mega-cap tech stocks have diverged and we’ve seen a broadening of market leaders across sectors-generally a healthy sign for investors. Leading economic indicator data released for the month of February also showed a change in direction and shifted positive. Despite these encouraging signs, ample recession and market risks remain and must be monitored.

In addition to sharing the latest market and economic news, Sammy and Bob discuss the artful skill of being patient with your investments without being blind, red flags that should alert investors to dig deeper, and to kick-off Financial Literacy month a discussion of the book “The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money” by Ron Lieber.

Take your wealth to the next level with How To Build Your Next Million, our educational video course and ebook. You’ll learn the financial tools and strategies that will help you SAVE more, KEEP more of what you earn, GROW your portfolio, and PROTECT your nest egg to enhance your overall wealth.

We’d love to hear from you! Email us questions, ideas, or feedback at [email protected].

Special guest Jeffrey Kleintop, Chief Global Investment Strategist at Charles Schwab, is excited for investors in international markets. It has been a bullish start to the year across global markets and we are seeing encouraging trends toward a broader outlook for performance both in the U.S. and abroad. But we won’t get there without navigating through a year full of risks and concerns. Jeff provides an update on global markets and economies and what investors should be paying attention to:

• The “Swift” expansion
• Global election impact—voters representing more than half the world’s population are expected to head to the polls this year
• What inflation looks like overseas and expectations of central banks
• Why the AI driven tech rally is primarily benefitting U.S. companies
• Consequences of home country bias

Take your wealth to the next level with How To Build Your Next Million, our educational video course and ebook. You'll learn the financial tools and strategies that will help you SAVE more, KEEP more of what you earn, GROW your portfolio, and PROTECT your nest egg to enhance your overall wealth.

We’d love to hear from you! Email us questions, ideas, or feedback at [email protected].

Heritage Financial’s CIO, Bob Weisse, and CEO, Sammy Azzouz, revisit February’s U.S. and international stock and bond market moves and discuss reasons behind year-to-date performance. The Fed has gotten better at their job, they have history on their side, and they’ve learned their tools have a delayed effect on the economy. Bob shares historical research on Fed rate hiking cycles and performance of the S&P 500 following final rate hikes through rate cuts. While markets expect the Fed to begin cutting rates this year, we must consider the motive and ramifications of doing so, so we can prepare for future market impacts.

At Heritage Financial, we have been investing in private equity for over 15 years as we believe the asset class can add value to investors’ portfolios. Bob and Sammy dive into the differences between private equity and venture capital that investors should know, what we look for when investing, risks, fees, performance, management, and what Bob sees on the horizon.

Take your wealth to the next level with How To Build Your Next Million, our educational video course and ebook. You'll learn the financial tools and strategies that will help you SAVE more, KEEP more of what you earn, GROW your portfolio, and PROTECT your nest egg to enhance your overall wealth.

We’d love to hear from you! Email us questions, ideas, or feedback at [email protected].

Caleb Silver, Editor in Chief at Investopedia, joins to share some practical advice on personal finance and discuss the hierarchy of financial literacy. Throughout his career as a journalist Caleb has spoken with many business leaders, authors, and industry experts. Caleb shares some of his favorite advice and metaphors learned, and he offers some thought-provoking questions for listeners to reflect on and answer. Get the inside scoop on what people are searching for on Investopedia.com today, some unique indicators Caleb follows for signs of what’s to come, and how he recommends staying informed given today’s never-ending stream of content.

Caleb is an Emmy-nominated business journalist who previously worked as the Director of Business News at CNN, the Executive Producer of CNN Money, and a Senior Producer at Bloomberg Television. He is a frequent guest on CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, and ABC News Radio. Hear more from Caleb each weekly on The Investopedia Express podcast.

Take your wealth to the next level with How to Build Your Next Million, our educational video series and ebook. You’ll learn the financial tools and strategies that will help you SAVE more, KEEP more of what you earn, GROW your portfolio, and PROTECT your nest egg to enhance your overall wealth. Visit www.heritagefinancial.net to access these free resources.

We’d love to hear from you! Email us questions, ideas, or feedback at [email protected].

*Sammy Azzouz was recognized as an Investopedia Top 100 Advisor on July 11, 2023 for the year 2023. No compensation has been exchanged for placement on this ranking.

In the U.S., the economy is doing well, inflation is moderating, and the S&P 500 hit a new all-time high in January. 2024 is off to a strong start. Now all eyes are focused on the Fed as they are expected to begin cutting rates this year. When will they begin? And how much will they cut by year-end? Investors will be listening closely hoping to glean hints into the future.

In this episode, Heritage Financial’s CIO, Bob Weisse, and CEO, Sammy Azzouz, also address:

• If the economy is doing well, why stimulate the economy by cutting rates?
• When markets are at a high, does our advice to investors change?
• Asset LOcation - Where to position your assets to help reduce your tax bill.
• A brief overview of 529 plans.
• Changes to portfolio allocations the investment team has been making.

Get a head-start on your financial resolutions with our free ebook, How To Build Your Next Million, and video course! These resources highlight the financial tools and strategies that will help you SAVE more, KEEP more of what you earn, GROW your portfolio, and PROTECT your nest egg to enhance your overall wealth.

We’d love to hear from you! Email us questions, ideas, or feedback at [email protected].

In this episode, we offer an audio replay of our 2024 Market Outlook webinar. Bob Weisse, Heritage Financial’s CIO, and Brad Long, CIO at Fiducient Advisors, discuss today's markets and economy, and share expectations for 2024 and beyond.

Read more detail in our 2024 Market Outlook: Prepare Not Predict.

Get a head-start on your financial resolutions with our new video course and our ebook, How To Build Your Next Million! These resources highlight the financial tools and strategies that will help you SAVE more, KEEP more of what you earn, GROW your portfolio, and PROTECT your nest egg to enhance your overall wealth.

We’d love to hear from you! Email us questions, ideas, or feedback at [email protected].

A combination of favorable inflation reports and the Fed recognizing the good reports, paired with a more balanced labor market, led to strong fourth quarter results across markets in general.

2023 was dominated by financial uncertainty surrounding inflation, rising interest rates, volatile markets, and the possibility of a recession. Today, we have the benefit of hindsight. In this episode, Heritage Financial’s CIO, Bob Weisse, and CEO, Sammy Azzouz, discuss takeaways from the markets in 2023, preview our 2024 market expectations, and discuss REITS, interest rates, and changes we are seeing in the residential real estate market.

We’ll discuss our asset class expectations in more detail during our 2024 Market Outlook webinar on January 17th at 12pm ET. Be sure to register and if you can’t attend live, we’ll send you the recording.

Get a head-start on your financial resolutions with our new video course and our ebook, How To Build Your Next Million! These resources highlight the financial tools and strategies that will help you SAVE more, KEEP more of what you earn, GROW your portfolio, and PROTECT your nest egg to enhance your overall wealth.

We’d love to hear from you! Email us questions, ideas, or feedback at [email protected].

Special guest Lance Lambert, CEO & Co-Founder at ResiClub, a research company dedicated to in-depth tracking, reporting, and analysis of the U.S. housing market, joins this episode to discuss the state of the U.S. housing market from pre-pandemic to today. Lance breaks down the biggest drivers of the real estate market—Pricing, Affordability and Inventory, headwinds and tailwinds in today’s market, how mortgage rates are determined, and where he sees them normalizing at for the long-term. And finally, Lance discusses data-driven research on how inventory in regional real estate markets today, compared to pre-pandemic levels, can help predict what may happen in the market next year.

We’d love to hear from you! Email us questions, ideas, or feedback at [email protected].

Get a head-start on your financial resolutions with our free ebook, How To Build Your Next Million, and video course! These resources highlight the financial tools and strategies that will help you SAVE more, KEEP more of what you earn, GROW your portfolio, and PROTECT your nest egg to enhance your overall wealth.