Recent Content

SORT BY
ORDER

Breaking Down the Banking Headlines: Part One | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing
By Matt Abels
03/21/2023

With the banking industry and markets continuing to be leading topics in the news, many investors are asking, “What is going on? Is this something to be worried about? Should I be taking action?” In this special edition of Financial Perspectives, Matt Abels and Michael Westphal provide context and insights to those questions. Tune in next week for part two, where we’ll be joined by Jim Plagge, President and CEO of Bank Iowa.

Making the Most of a Bear Market

Category: Investing
By Ryne Oller
02/24/2023

If you’re a young professional, negative market returns can carry less weight than you might think. Let’s use 2022 as an example.

Positives About the Market

Category: Investing
By Daniel Hawthorne
01/19/2023

2022 was a historically painful year as an investor with stock markets experiencing a bear market, and bond markets having one of their worst years ever. However, as we enter 2023, I’d like to consider the positives.

Chart of the Month – Jan 2023

Category: Investing
By Michael Westphal
01/06/2023

It's natural to sit down at the end of the year and reflect on what happened. Here is a short recap of what happened in the markets and the world in 2022.

Chart of the Month – Dec 2022

Category: Investing
By Ryan Lamoureux
12/16/2022

Those of you who keep up with the financial news are likely familiar with the three most quoted indices, the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the NASDAQ. Sometimes, the returns for all of them are similar, but sometimes they are not.

Thinking About Stock Market Volatility

Category: Investing
By Kent Kramer
07/11/2022

What caused the stock market to rise by over 20% in the second quarter of 2020 even as the COVID pandemic was out of control? How about the over 11% rise in the fourth quarter of 2021 as inflation ticked up and the Fed was warning of rate increases? It seems a little more obvious why the US stock market has fallen in the first 6 months of 2022, but should it have fallen more…or less?

What to Do When the Market Is in a Bad Mood

Category: Investing
By Jason Brown
07/11/2022

When the going is good, we’re not all that concerned with asking or answering the question. It is when the going gets tough, like right now, that we find ourselves more interested in asking. So, “What should we do?”

Nervous About the Market? Maybe You Need a Lifeboat.

Category: Investing
By Ross Polking
07/08/2022

Market volatility tends to unnerve even the calmest of investors. How do we know what to hold and how much to hold at any particular time? That’s a crucial question, but the answer does not need to be complicated.

Are You in the Bear Market Buyer’s Club?

Category: Investing
By Caleb Brown
07/08/2022

For the person who is currently contributing to a portfolio and does not need to take distributions anytime soon, this is a gift. That’s right, a bear market is a gift to those investors. If you are contributing to an investment account right now, you are already in the Bear Market Buyer’s Club.

Chart of the Month – July 2022

Category: Investing
By Michael Westphal
07/01/2022

Sooner or later, we're likely going to see demand cool off. The big question is how quickly inflation alters consumer spending and how quickly that pulls back inflation.

Roadtrips & Recessions | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing
By Kent Kramer
06/27/2022

The economy and markets are a bit like summer car travel/construction. There's a recession and/or a bear market in the rearview mirror, you're in one, or there is one right around the corner.