Portfolio Review – December 2018 – Negative Stock Returns
[This portfolio review about negative stock returns may contain affiliate links at no cost to you] Negative stock returns and volatility are at the forefront of the conversation lately. At the time of the last update, the monthly return for the S&P 500 was -3.62%. This month, we see an even bigger drop with a -5.32% return for the month. Luckily, my portfolio held up a bit better as shown by the below graphic from Personal Capital. My exposure to foreign stocks actually hurt less than domestic this month! International still had a negative return but that loss trailed the domestic counterparts. My You Index, the results of my own…
Portfolio Review – November 2018 – Risk Tolerance
[This portfolio review about risk tolerance may contain affiliate links at no cost to you] Guys, it’s time to test your risk tolerance! The test is easy and it’s only one question! Did you seriously consider selling anything in the past month? The market did have one the worst months in quite some time and there was a tiny bit of panic in the air. It’s not outrageous that those who haven’t been tested with a big paper loss might get scared. How about you? Did you panic or were you calm as a cucumber? A month like October can certainly be a good test of your risk tolerance. If…
401k and IRA contributions limits for 2019 are going up!
Our good pal, the IRS has issued guidance on contribution limits for 2019. The news is good for those already maxing out their tax-advantaged space or planning to do so next year. According to the IRS news release, 401k, 403b and most 457 plans are changing from an $18,500 max to $19,000 next year. That’s the second bump in a row after the IRS raised it $500 last year. The 2.7% bump in contribution limits is right in line with inflation. On the IRA front, the $5500 limit rises to $6000. It’s the first bump since 2013 which explains why the bump is larger at 9%. The IRS is just…
