"ESG" has been an investment buzzword over the last two years. It is a subjective, somewhat amorphous concept. It can be easily described as investing in companies that enable an investor to do good financially while doing good in the world.

"Doing good" in the world involves weighing “ESG”: Environmental considerations, Social considerations and corporate Governance considerations.

Environmental consideration weighs a company’s production and usage of carbon-based fuels, air and water pollution, use of wind and solar energy, production of toxic wastes and even design and use of packaging.

Social consideration weighs the firm's efforts and success in employee diversity, employment opportunity, workers' treatment, internal discrimination policies and pay equity.

Governance considerations include examining management's alignment with shareholder and broader stakeholder interests, executive compensation, board diversity, level of independent board oversight and participation, and voting control.

Low interest rates, along with all their advantages and pitfalls, have defined much of the last decade. While prior recessionary periods have seen overnight shifts by the central bank to sub-1% interest rates, 2020 appears to manifest an extreme version of it so far. As the Federal Funds Rate was slashed from 1.5% to nearly 0% in March of 2020, the 10-year Treasury, the widely followed proxy for long-term rate setting purposes, registered a low of just 52 basis points within days of the Fed actions, an historic low.

We continue our series profiling different financial advisors at Carnegie Investment Counsel with our newest portfolio manager, Chris Carey.

According to Chris Carey, portfolio manager at Carnegie Investment Counsel, the jobs you do in life may provide an even greater education than the theories you learn in school… even the internships and work experience you may do for free.

Carey didn’t go to school with the intention of going into finance. He was interested in the food industry after working for an upmarket grocery store, Waitrose, in his hometown of London, England, during his time at high school.

With the upcoming holiday season, we reached out to our Carnegie Investment Counsel team to share gift book recommendations. No two answers were alike and the recommendations were rich and unexpected.

As more and more conversations come up regarding future increases to tax rates, many people are wondering, is this the right time to convert a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA?

A number of factors in 2020 have created an environment that may make it advantageous to consider converting. The steps taken by the U.S. government to combat the COVID-19 outbreak have altered the landscape for retirement assets and how they should be allocated.

Today, IRAs are one of the primary vehicles that Americans use to fund their retirement. In fact, 43.9 million households held at least one IRA in 2017, with 35.1 million households holding Traditional IRAs and 24.9 million holding Roth IRAs, and some households holding both [Investment Company Institute]. Additionally, due to changes in the tax laws of 2010, there are no age limits or income requirements to be able to convert a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, but keep in mind you will have a tax liability on the amount that you convert.

2020 is one for the record books. We have experienced dramatic market swings with the unprecedented drops in March, to the new highs and lows in October.

A few months ago, people were afraid to open and look at their 401(k) statement. The historical lows could not have hit at a worse time for first quarter statements. In early October, with the markets hitting new highs, people couldn’t wait to see the statements. Which leads us to the question: What do we advise people to do now?

While some investing wisdom is timeless and can be as simple as “save early and often,” behavioral finance shows us that the best advice is one that can be followed and adhered to long enough for it to deliver. 

Priorities in one's 20s are and should be different than those in one's 40s and beyond. 2020 has put a wrinkle in even the best laid plans and added other layers of uncertainties to be taken into account for both short- and long-term financial decisions. Here are some steps to consider in the different phases of financial life.

Many of us are not particularly fond of surprises, especially later in life and certainly not when we are looking to understand what our Social Security benefit will be upon retirement. But if you are eligible for a pension based on work you did for a government entity or nonprofit organization and did not pay the Social Security tax on your wages, you may be in for a surprise.

Known as the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), this potential reduction in Social Security benefits is a federal law that impacts those who have worked in a job where pay was subject to Social Security tax withholding, and also have worked in another job where Social Security tax is not withheld. Employees in the public sector like teachers or in the civil service are the prime examples, but if your employer was outside the U.S. you may also be affected.

As life expectancy increases and stock market volatility seems to grow, annuities are gaining in popularity as people seek safety for their money. Last year, fixed annuities saw $139.8 billion in sales, which is an all-time high, according to InvestmentNews.

It is essential to share some truths about annuities and explain the risks of these seemingly safe products which are sold as “can’t miss” solutions. 

How to choose the best financial advisor for you

Looking for a female financial advisor? At Carnegie Investment Counsel, we asked three of our female financial advisors for tips about how to find the best investment advisor for you. They emphasized that team members at Carnegie, male or female, focus on providing a customized and hands-on approach to services from financial planning to portfolio management. The point is to assess any advisor for the best fit when choosing a long-term financial partner.