In their most recent study about stress in America, the American Psychological Association found that 72 percent of people felt stressed about money. Finances can be a constant stressor for some, no matter what significant events influence it. Still, it’s no secret that the pandemic transformed the workforce rapidly and wreaked long-term havoc on the economy in 2020. Many people experienced food insecurity due to the unexpected impact of financial loss, and according to a survey published in November, 2020, about 63 percent of Americans had been living paycheck to paycheck since the start of the pandemic.

Recently, Carnegie Investment Counsel Portfolio Manager/Regional Director Scott Inglis was a guest of Behind the Numbers, which is a podcast about the “real stories” behind business performance and valuation. Inglis talked with the host, valuation expert and bestselling author Dave Bookbinder. Scott provided detailed insights around demystifying noise in the market place”. Here’s an overview of the conversation.

Living Well With Wealth Series 1 of 3

In this first blog post in our Living Well With Wealth series, we discuss giving money to family. Next in the series, we offer insights into charitable giving.  

It’s highly common for our clients with children, grandchildren and other family members to direct their assets to things or activities that will help those family members financially. Allocating portions of your legacy and offering financial assistance can make a lifelong impact on your loved ones. So, how and when should you get started, and what do you need to consider?

After many years where the divorce rate for American adults was constantly on the rise, recent decades have shown a modest decline. However, those statistics disguise a change in the divorce rate for older adults. According to multiple studies, including a Bowling Green State University Family Profile Information 2021, there has been an increase in the divorce rate for those who are 50 years and older.  

This so-called gray (think graying hair) divorce phenomenon can have a significant impact on retirement plans. If you are older and considering a divorce, keep in mind that assumptions you and your spouse made decades ago about finances may no longer apply, including the financial benefits of marriage.

Several high-profile gray divorces have been in the news recently, including Bill and Melinda Gates. Let's assume that dividing up their assets will be a bit more complicated than what you might be facing if divorce is likely. However, there are practical considerations for all non-billionaires when dealing with the financial consequences of a divorce.

Chad Warmbein has been a Portfolio Advisor at Carnegie’s Pittsburgh office for six years. He is passionate about helping clients create a customized financial strategy aligned to their financial goals. Plus, Chad helps work with prospective clients both for individual wealth management portfolios and retirement services plans. In this blog post, we meet Chad and learn about his Portfolio Advisor role.

One of the most important aspects of responsible financial planning is risk management. A proper understanding of risk can help you anticipate losses and gains and create an investment strategy with your financial planner as you build wealth. Assessing your risk tolerance can guide you in your investment decisions. Armed with this knowledge, you can start to see the risk of avoiding risk.

It is important to identify your financial goals, what it will take to reach those goals and understand the level of risk you are willing to take to get there. Your goals and behavior must be aligned.

When you work or volunteer for a nonprofit agency, your work is important and valuable. You might even say you are “doing good in the neighborhood!” When you combine your nonprofit mission with strong financial management you can make an even greater impact for those you serve.

Strong financial management is critical to the success of nonprofit organizations and helps them be more effective. This is true now more than ever, with the impact of COVID placing increased demand on financial resources. It helps to enlist the support of a qualified financial advisor to help navigate your nonprofit through volatile times.

So, what’s the case for engaging a nonprofit financial advisor for your organization? Here are some key benefits:

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.