Winter 2022
Time sure flies. Here it’s already February 2022 and it seems like the year-end holidays were just last week. 2022 opened on the downside as markets tumbled throughout the month, not a great way to start a new year. However, things have been more positive the past couple of weeks as the S&P 500 recovered some of the January losses. Concerns for the near future revolve around inflation and interest rate moves by The Fed. Their first open market meeting where we expect an increase is in March. I think we can bet on an increase; the question is will it be a ¼ point raise or ½? It’s my opinion the volatility we saw in January was the markets way of adjusting for that uncertainty.
Tax season is upon us and soon tax professionals will be in their busiest of seasons. W-2s and 1099s from employment should have been mailed and forms 5498 and 1099R for IRA accounts have been prepared and sent. Hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll see the remaining documents for non-IRA accounts completed. I hear from clients annually about their tax bills and we are all aware of how changes to the tax codes affect our disposable income. Keep in mind, paying taxes means you’re making money – and that’s a good thing. Just be aware of all the programs and deductions at your disposal to make sure you are taking advantage of all the tax reduction opportunities you have. It’s not too late to make additional contributions to IRA’s.
2021 was a double-digit year in the markets and many investors saw growth in their portfolios. 2022 is a good time to review your financial and retirement plans to see what that growth meant to them. Perhaps you can move retirement up a year, increase your retirement spending, or add back that goal you deleted in years past. I’ve been working with clients on updating their plans and will be for the next couple of months. Don’t have a play yet or how they work? Check out this video from Money Guide Pro on the process: https://player.vimeo.com/video/287442361 and schedule a time to discuss getting yours up and running. My calendar is available at https://go.oncehub.com/ChuckVercellone or give me a call at 248-680-4622.
----Chuck