August 2020 Monthly Recap

Monthly Market Recap
from Clint Edgington, CFA

July markets continued general trends already present in equity markets.  The S&P 500 returned 5% while fixed income markets continued to exhibit caution with yields dropping and returning 1.5%.  The 10 year note yield dropped from .7% down to the current level at .56%, indicating the bond market shows little concern for medium term inflation.  Growth stocks continued to outpace Value stocks, with the Russell 3000 Growth clocking a 7.5% return to Russell 3000 Value’s more subdued 3.8% return, as the some of the largest Growth stocks in the index  (Amazon, Facebook, and to a lesser extent Apple) benefit from the trend from Work from Home. 

The Next Phase of Economic Relief
By Anne Zavaglia, CFP® 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Congress has introduced a number of additional economic relief bills to help Americans.  Late last month, Senate Republicans introduced the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act followed by the Coronavirus Assistance for American Families (CAAF) Act. The House led Democrats passed the Heroes Actin May.  They are likely to meet somewhere in the middle with the goal of getting another round of stimulus checks out to Americans and extending unemployment benefits.  Congress has until August 7 to come to an agreement before a month long recess.

Time to Refinance Your Mortgage?

Mortgage rates are continuing to drop. Rates are as low as 2.25% for 15 year, 2.75% for 20 year, and 3.00% for 30 year. What we previously thought were historic lows, now truly appear to be historic lows. If you haven’t looked at refinancing your home in the last 12 months, this is a good time to reach out to us. We can analyze the cost savings and assist in the process if you decide the savings are worth the effort. Contact us to get started! 

If you are still unsure whether refinancing is right for you, read more about things you should consider in the article below.

Three Things to Consider Before Your Next Trip

The health and economic crisis created by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will have a long-lasting impact on how we all will travel going forward. And though it may be difficult to think about planning a trip during these uncertain times, here are some things to consider if you do decide to travel.