Blog

Aug 2022 - Student Loan Forgiveness Update & More

New Cancellation for Federal Student Loans and Delayed Repayment to 2023On August 24, 2022, just a few days before federal student loan repayment was set to resume, PresidentBiden announced a plan for additional student loan debt...

Confused About the Economy? It’s OK.

Record high inflation and negative economic growth, as measured by US GDP growth, have fueled recession fears. The bond market is similarly flashing recessionary signals. Despite this, the S&P 500 through Friday, August 5, 2022, has...

Investing is Hard

Investing seems easy when markets rally and are generally calm. But markets don’t just move up or in a single direction. Markets adapt, gyrate and create new cycles with each being slightly different than the one before....

Will High Inflation Last Forever?

Highlights:Inflation hit 9.1% in June—its highest level in four decades.1The Fed raised interest rates in an effort to slow US growth and moderate inflation. Fed officials are signaling another 0.75 basis points (bps) hike at the...

Is a Recession Needed to Tame the Bear?

There’s a “hurricane” coming for the US economy. Headlines from titans like Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase CEO, have fueled predictions about the next recession. This has clearly spooked investors, who are left wondering...

2022-2023 Federal Student Loan Interest Rates to Increase

Interest Rates on Federal Student Loans to Increase for 2022-2023Every May, interest rates on federal student loans are recalculated for the upcoming school year. The ratesare calculated by combining the yield on the 10-year U.S....

History of the US Stock Markets

As the markets remain volatile it's important to look back at history to remind ourselves why investing needs to be for the long-term.Please read the following to put today's volatility into perspective.  History of...

Is the US Headed for a Recession?

Overview of the Markets for the 1st Quarter 2022

Should you Bail on Bonds?

Russia-Ukraine War: The Crude Awakening

The Uncertainty of War

Time in vs Timing the Markets

Volatility: The Painful Return to Normal

The Hidden Risk in the Stock Market

Three Market Surprises in 2021

Each year the markets bring new surprises and 2021 was no different. Despite a slew of concerns including new COVID variants, inflation, and supply chain disruptions, here are three surprisingly positive events that have shaped the...

The Long Awaited Federal Reserve Unwinding Road Begins

In the November Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, Fed policymakers left interest rates near zero but also announced a plan to start winding down or ‘tapering’ its bond purchasing program[i]. What happens...

Will Inflation Be Permanently Temporary?

Key Takeaways Inflation remains an ongoing concern in 2021. While inflation is higher and likely to remain elevated due to challenges created by the pandemic, a look into the structural composition and the types of inflation may...

Is Gold Losing Its Shine?

A safe haven during the 2020 pandemic, gold rose 20.9%[i] and outperformed the S&P 500 index which gained 18.7%. However, the commodity has slowed down in 2021 and is down -4.7% for the year[ii] despite widespread inflation concerns....

Is there a Bubble in the Real Estate Market

Is there a Bubble in the Real Estate Market? Key Takeaways Rising home prices have many worried about a real estate bubble like 2007. While rising home prices may look a lot like 2007 on the surface, the circumstances driving home...

Is the Inflation Genie Out of the Bottle?

Key Takeaways Rising rates and the likely scale of US fiscal stimulus has raised concerns of inflationary pressures. Rising inflation does not differentiate between temporary and long-term sustainable inflation. This near-term increase...

Taking the Confusion out of ABLE: Learning about Savings Accounts for People with Disabilities

When a Dad wanted to save money for his daughter with a disability and realized things weren't fair, he set out to change the law. And thus the ABLE Act was born, giving people with disabilities the ability to save money without losing...

Should you invest at market highs?

Key Takeaways With stock markets at all-time highs, concerns about an impending crash is a recurring theme that keeps investors with cash on the sideline. History shows investing—even at market peaks— has generated strong...

Is your portfolio ready for what’s next?

Key Takeaways Despite the economic upheaval bought on by COVID in 2020, 2021 remains a year of hope. The start of the new year is a great time for investors to evaluate how their portfolios have likely drifted after a wild ride like...

Are You Really Diversified?

Investors who own stocks through an index fund like the S&P 500 or bonds via bond index funds often assume their portfolios are diversified and constant. Market dynamics and the construction of indexes can lead to concentration in...

The Elections Are Over, so, Now What?

Key Takeaways With the election fog (mostly) lifted, stock markets celebrated the best of both worlds, a Biden presidency and split Congress. While markets are influenced by elections in the short term, it’s important to...

IRA & Retirement Plan Limits for 2021

Many IRA and retirement plan limits are indexed for inflation each year. While some of the limits remain unchanged for 2021, other key numbers have increased. See attached for what has or hasn't changed.

Elections & Markets: Will higher taxes sink stocks?

Key Takeaways Despite the assumption many have that increasing tax rates would sink stocks, historically, markets have produced better-than-average returns in the wake of tax increases. Other economic factors, such as ongoing stimulus...

Election 2020: Political Uncertainty Creates Potential for Market Swings

There are clear differences between President Donald Trump and Former Vice President Joe Biden (and the political parties they represent) when it comes to tax policies, spending priorities, and overall economic strategies. For this...

Implications of Fed’s average inflation targeting

Key Takeaways The Fed recently changed its inflation-targeting stance, a move that may appear trivial but could have significant implications for investors. This new policy means that the Fed will likely hold off on raising short-term...

Elections and Markets

Historically, a bear market and a recession have not served the incumbent party well during elections. Markets don’t see red or blue but simply green. Since 1933, the markets, over the long-term, have gone up regardless of party...

Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) Explained

June 30, 2020, marked the implementation date of regulations passed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) more than a year ago. Called "Regulation Best Interest" or "Reg BI," the rules include a new standard of care for...

Brooke Napiwocki Promoted to Dir. of Financial Planning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 24, 2020 Brooke Napiwocki Promoted To Director of Financial Planning at Crescendo Wealth Management Crescendo Wealth Management announces the promotion of Brooke Napiwocki CFP®, MBA to Director of...

Tech boom despite the economic gloom?

Key Takeaways The stock market rally in 2020 has been led by a handful of stocks in the technology sector. The concentrated returns in a select handful of stocks have also impacted the divergence in US and International stock...

Addressing the Income Challenge

Addressing the Income Challenge Key Takeaways Low interest rates are likely to persist, limiting the income and return from cash and government bonds. Investors need to remain flexible on ways to address the income challenge by...

Market Update - June 2020

The Square Root Recovery Jerry Chafkin, Chief Investment Officer, AssetMark Summary The stock market rebounded sharply in Q2, rising almost as quickly as it fell in Q1, returning 18.2% for the first two months of the second quarter....

Crescendo Notes - Special Needs

Crescendo Notes - Special Needs

Watch Out for Corona Virus Scams!

April Markets vs Economy

Key Takeaways Fear of a COVID-19 led recession sent US stocks into the fastest bear market in history in March 2020. The stock market is typically a leading indicator, it tends to fall before the start of an economic recession and...

Understanding the CARES Act - a Valuable Checklist

At Crescendo we emphasize the importance of providing good communication to our clients. More specifically we want to educate our clients on all aspects of their financial well-being. With the recent passage of the CARES Act –...

Six Planning Ideas In Response To COVID-19

Six Planning Ideas in response to COVID-19 COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) is a pandemic that will have a lasting impact due to health and mortality implications in our nation and across the globe. The virus has also created financial...

Coronavirus Concerns? Consider Past Health Crisis

We understand that there has been a lot of market volatility due to several factors, one of those being the Coronovirus. At Crescendo, we do our best to communicate to our clients about the importance of staying calm and trying to keep...

Special Needs Financial Planning -

Join Crescendo's Kathleen Oberneder @ Portal, Inc. in Grafton on Thursday March 5 to learn more about 529 ABLE Savings Accounts and how they help with Special Needs Financial Planning Coffee House Flyer

Wisconsin 529 College Savings Plan Tax Updates

Brooke Napiwocki Contributes to Real Simple Magazine Article

Check out a couple Brooke's usefull tips for saving money in Real Simple Magazine: https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/saving/how-to-save-more-money

Brooke Napiwocki Contributes to Health Magazine Article

Brooke gives her expert tips on dealing with financial stress in this Health Magazine article: https://www.health.com/stress/manage-financial-stress

Four Tax Planning Questions to Ask Before Year - End...

Please click on the highlighted text to see my video blog: Four Tax Planning Questions to Ask Before Year-End...

Six Investing Questions Every Mid-Career Woman Needs to Ask…

Six Investing Questions Every Mid-Career Woman Needs to Ask… By the time most professional women reach mid-career (self-defined as mid 30’s to mid-50’s) they have started to accumulate an eclectic mix of investment...

Be a Severance Superhero with Financial Planning

Enjoy this series on video here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Be a Severance Superhero with Financial Planning Senior to executive-level professionals often face job loss at some point during their professional lives. This employment...

Eight Steps to Start Living Your Ideal Financial Life in 2019!

Eight Steps to Start Living Your Ideal Financial Life in 2019! January is the time of year we declare year-long goals and put our ambition to the test. More than one-third of Americans make a Financial Resolution with the top three...

Wisconsin 529 College Savings Plan Tax Updates

Wisconsin 529 College Savings Plan Tax Updates: Wisconsin residents can still reduce their 2018 state-taxable income, dollar-for-dollar, up to $3,200 per beneficiary by contributing to a Wisconsin 529 College Savings Plan. You do not...

A Smart Woman Plans...

I am often asked to describe my ideal client. Two demographics that I truly enjoy working with are mid-career professional women and couples. What I like about this stage of life are the multitude of financial priorities these...

Proud Parent of a Financially Confident Kid

It is almost impossible not be proud of the many accomplishments of our children – honor roll, athletics, acts of kindness. This pride continues when young adult children approach their college years and report impressive ACT/SAT...

Achieving Financial Wellness: 7 Questions to Ask

What is Financial Wellness? Financial Wellness parallels other areas of wellness such as emotional or physical. Before attempting to commit to our own health, we often begin with a “Reason Why”? This reason may have a deep...