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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.

Chart of the Month – June 2022

Category: Investing
By Michael Westphal
06/02/2022

There are nearly two job openings for every unemployed worker with labor statistics showing 11.4 million job openings compared to 5.9 unemployed workers as of April 30, 2022. This mismatch between jobs and workers means that workers have options, including leverage to ask for more pay.

Making the Best of It | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing
By Matt Moklestad
05/23/2022
It continues to be a volatile period for investors in stock and bond markets around the world. And while the news, like the weather, has seemed a little gloomy this spring, summer is around the corner and maybe it’s time to make the best of it! In today’s edition, Matt Moklestad, Lead Advisor – Institutional, discusses tax loss harvesting.

Knowing What Not To Do | Financial Perspectives

Category: Investing
By Kent Kramer
05/09/2022

Stocks are down. Bonds are down. Inflation is up. There is a war in Europe. When nothing feels certain, what should investors do? One of the things we can do is pay attention to something else.

Chart of the Month – May 2022

Category: Investing
By Ryan Lamoureux
05/05/2022

Since the beginning of 2020, checkable deposits have quadrupled, giving consumers the ability to continue spending and withstand increased prices. What does this mean for inflation and prices in the future?