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Post Covid Investing: Time for a Deeper Look
May 03, 2021 / Scott Ehrig
As the worst of the pandemic gradually recedes, investors are statistics that will, on their face, seem outlandish. Year over year comparisons will be stunning in notional terms. Economic indicators will also post extraordinary readings. But, like most things, true understanding requires a deeper examination, which is an important prerequisite to making smart, impactful decisions.…
First quarter 2021 economic review and outlook
April 26, 2021 / Warren Hurt
In this first quarter of 2021, the weather has broken, vaccine delivery is accelerating and we are starting to feel a sense of freedom may just be over the horizon. Here’s a review of the first quarter of 2021 and an outlook of what’s to come:…
How to spot investment coaching scams
March 17, 2021 / Ray Wills
“My program is going to make you a lot of money. I’ll show you how to do everything you need to do to be successful.” Ads like this are usually a scam. The Federal Trade Commission recently announced Operation Income Illusion, a nationwide effort to prevent income scams that promise to make people a lot of money by participating in a special program.…
Individual investor muscle
March 08, 2021 / The Merrill Anderson Company
As January closed there was some very unusual excitement in the stock markets. The price of shares of videogame reseller GameStop, which had languished for years near $5, suddenly began to rocket skyward, to $40, then $60, then $120, eventually cresting at well over $400 per share before coming back down to earth. This despite an absence of profitability.…
Gift values during a pandemic
February 16, 2021 / The Merrill Anderson Company
The value for federal gift tax purposes of a gift of $100,000 in cash is $100,000, and the same is true for the value of $100,000 worth of publicly traded stock. Those are the easy cases. The hard cases concern assets that are harder to value, such as real estate or interests in a closely held business.…
How to avoid the car wrap scam
February 10, 2021 / Ray Wills
With many people facing financial hardships during the coronavirus crisis, receiving a package in the mail with a check would probably make most folks happier than a kid at Disney World. Seemingly, all you have to do is put a decal on your car and that money is yours. Well, we hate to break it to you, but no, you’re not actually getting paid to put decals on your vehicle. Yep, it’s a scam.…
