In 1964, Paul McCartney and John Lennon of the Beatles co-wrote the hit song “Money Can’t Buy Me Love” but, could it bring you happiness?
In 2010, Princeton University conducted a study which found that day-to-day happiness rose as annual income increased, but then tapered off at a yearly income of $75,000. In 2021, a study directed by the University of Pennsylvania reported that happiness continued to rise steadily with incomes well beyond $75,000 and it did not plateau at any specific annual income. With such conflicting results, determining which one was more conclusive became a difficult decision. Click here to read more
Historically, the third quarter is the worst quarter of the year in equity markets. 2023’s third quarter followed that trend. September was very uncomfortable for investors as volatility increased during this last month of the quarter. Equities moved lower in late September as the Federal Reserve refrained from raising rates, but announced there is a possibility of another rate hike this year. The prospect of interest rates staying higher for longer did not resonate well with investors. Click here to read more
One of our main goals as holistic financial professionals is to help our clients recognize tax reduction opportunities within their investment portfolios and overall financial planning strategies. Staying current on the ever-changing tax environment is a key component to helping our clients benefit from potential tax reduction strategies.
Other than some IRS inflation adjustments, calendar year 2023 has brought limited changes in tax laws for individuals. This report focuses on information that could be helpful for individuals in conjunction with tax planning for the calendar year 2023. It also has a section that shares some of the tax laws that are currently set to sunset at the end of 2025. Click here to read more
Everyone saving for retirement knows being proactive is very important. The concept of not preparing and relying on a government-sponsored retirement is a risky and unreliable practice. Funding retirement accounts at younger ages can increase the chances of a better funded and healthy retirement savings that will help you live comfortably in your golden years.
The second quarter of 2023 tested even the most seasoned of investors. It was a quarter that included the U.S. reaching a debt ceiling agreement, the Federal Reserve pausing their aggressive interest rate hikes, and bank failure fears starting to subside. During the quarter, equity markets continued to defy odds by staying strong, and the major indexes ended the second quarter higher than they started. With the support of mega-cap tech stocks and the artificial intelligence (AI) buzz, the S&P 500 officially began a new bull market in June, rising over 20% from its low in October 2022. Click here to read more
For the last several months, talk of a recession has been making news headlines. Analysts and investors have been speculating if, when, and how bad of a recession the U.S. could experience. News sources have resembled Paul Revere proclaiming, “a recession is coming!”
In their recent meetings, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) reported that they expect the U.S. to experience a recession in the coming months of 2023. How long and how severe is unknown. Investor fears are becoming higher due to recent interest rate increases, inflation, and the failure of some community banks. Click here to read more
There are numerous investment philosophies, but at the end of the day, almost all investors have a common goal – to have their money work for them and increase their assets.
As financial professionals, our goal is to partner with each of our clients on their unique journeys and create a game plan for optimizing their wealth. While we keep a watchful eye on their investments and provide recommendations, we strive to help our clients develop and understand a plan to pursue their financial goals. Our approach incorporates the philosophy that we believe our best client is an educated client. Click here to read more
Read the financial news today and it’s highly likely you’ll see the term “volatility” in at least several articles. While market volatility is a normal part of the investing experience, ever since the pandemic hit the world in 2020, volatility seems to have become the new norm for investors.
“Market volatility” is the fluctuation of the market, both up and down, and the rate of that change to the equity market’s overall value. The bigger and more frequent the value swings, the more volatile the market. For example, when the stock market rises and falls more than one percent over a sustained period, it is often called a "volatile" market. Click here to read more
Tax planning should always be a key focus when reviewing your personal financial situation. One of our goals as financial professionals is to identify as many tax savings opportunities and strategies as possible for our clients. We believe that a proactive approach to looking at your tax situation can lead to better results than a reactive approach. We hope you find this report helpful. Click here to read more
It’s probably a fair assumption to say that most investors are happy 2022 is in the books. After enjoying the longest bull market in history, from after the financial crisis in 2009 to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bear finally officially rose from its slumber and dominated Wall Street. There’s no sugar-coating the fact that if you had money invested in the financial markets in 2022 it was an unpleasant year, perhaps even one of the worst you will experience as an investor. Click here to read more
Happy New Year and welcome to 2023! We hope that you and your family had an enjoyable holiday season. We look forward to what this new year has to offer.
Our primary goal for the new year is to continue to help optimize our client’s journey toward their financial goals. A key component to this is to identify items that they may anticipate needing our assistance with. In order to start the new year proactively, included in this communication is a 2023 Checklist to help our clients identify items they may want to address with us over the next year. Click here to read more
We believe the best client is an informed client. For this reason, throughout the year we provide our clients with a wealth of consistent and pertinent information on financial topics and markets conditions, including quarterly reports, tax reports, and articles. Our goal is to provide helpful, timely and meaningful information that is relevant to our clients’ personal situations. We also take pride in offering first-class service to our clients and are truly thankful for each and every one of our relationships. Click here to read more
“May you live in interesting times,” is an expression where someone ironically wishes an “interesting” time to whomever they are speaking with. Although it may seem innocuous it’s really an insult. By saying this, you wish the person to live during times of uncertainty and disorder as opposed to peace and tranquility. Investors are currently living in interesting times. In 2022, we have seen portfolios fall in value. Also, buying power has been substantially eroded by rising inflation. As a result, the Federal Reserve is intentionally trying to slow the economy to curb inflation. Click here to read more
Turbulence remains the signal feature of 2022: global markets are under significant stress due to rising interest rates, inflation, energy shortages, food shortages, the war in Ukraine and weakness of most currencies relative to the dollar. Investors around the world are selling equities and bonds, not just here in the U.S. Stocks are in bear market downtrends (defined as a decline over 20%), and bonds are broadly down for the year. Click here to read more
One of our main goals as holistic financial professionals is to help our clients recognize tax reduction opportunities within their investment portfolios and overall financial planning strategies. Staying current on the ever-changing tax environment is a key component to help our clients benefit from potential tax reduction strategies. Click here to read more
Like many other savers and investors, you may be worried that we are headed toward more challenging economic times. Successful savers and investors are usually more prepared to handle difficult financial periods because they understand some key foundational information. Maximizing a financially savvy lifestyle includes having proficiency in several areas. Understanding the basics of your income and expenditures, having credit and debt sense, and knowing how to invest and save your hardearned dollars are just a few. Click here to read more
The first half of 2022 has been a nightmare for even the most seasoned of investors. When looking back, from the March 2020 lows until January 2022, investors were treated to a 21-month bull market that saw equity markets rise nicely. Since then, the S&P 500 has dropped 20.6%, its worst first six months of a year since 1970. Click here to read more
Zephyr Investment Management
California Office:
3625 East Thousand Oaks Blvd, Suite 145
Westlake Village, CA 91362
Georgia Office:
42 Main St, Suite 2A
Senoia, GA 30276
P: 805-496-6810
F: 805-496-0630
E: info@zephyrim.com
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