A common question that we face from people who self-manage their finances is: why use a financial advisor? When it comes to managing their investments, many people do choose to work with a professional. In fact, almost two-thirds (61%) of people with a long-term...

Absent any significant bad news on economic or trade fronts, global stocks resumed their upward climb for the year. While there were no major announcements, indications from the US and China suggested progress is being made toward a trade deal. Weekly Returns S&P...

The financial services landscape is increasingly complex, and it's tough to know whether you are getting your money's worth from your financial advisor. In fact, according to our 2019 Financial Trust Survey, one in five people don't even know how their financial...

Craig Birk, Personal Capital’s Executive Vice President of Portfolio Management, answers your top questions about how to keep your portfolio safe during a bear market situation. This article originally appeared in the March 2019 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal...

Global markets took a breather this week as they digested events overseas, key economic data reports and a cut in 2019 global growth forecasts. Many of the major global indexes were down for five straight days, marking a three-week low after a strong start to the...

Stocks maintained momentum from January, though rose at a slower pace. Most major indexes have now recouped losses incurred in the month of December but remain below 2018 summer highs. International stocks are trailing the US so far in 2019. Trade talks with China...

Broadly, U.S. and International equity markets rallied on Friday to finish the week in positive territory. Global equities finished both the one month and year-to-date periods in positive territory as well; although they have not yet fully recovered from 2018’s 4th...

On Friday, President Trump announced flexibility on extending the March 1st deadline on the current trade deal with China. Over the past several months concerns over the impact of an escalating trade war with China have frequently infused volatility into the equity...

It is well-known that proper diversification is the key to portfolio risk management. Many investors use mutual funds and ETFs in their portfolios to gain a diversified mix of individual stocks and exposure across asset classes. With a standard retail brokerage...

The fourth quarter of 2018 was a wakeup call for some investors. After an extended bull market and tepid, nearly non-existent, volatility, 2018 ended with a stock market retreat, significant volatility and increasing interest rates. As a result, some investors...

It was another week of strong gains for major US stock indices that closed the week up over 2%, led by industrial and energy stocks. Global equity markets followed suit and notched a weekly gain of about 2%. Headlines surfaced throughout the week about the US spending...

Global equities started the week strong, maintaining their positive momentum until Thursday’s dour news on the U.S.-China trade front sparked a reversal. Foreign equities fell the hardest, although a midday Friday rally allowed U.S. stocks to stay above water for the...

Capital Markets Review: January 2019 Global stocks ignored a lengthy government shutdown and bounced back from a dour December. Declines in the fourth quarter of 2018 were largely attributed to three things; trade conflict with China, rising interest rates, and shaky...

Keeping emergency fund cash on hand is good—but maximizing return is still important. Emergency funds are an important part of your financial plan designed to cover unexpected events like job loss, major medical bills, car repairs, home repairs -- there are no...

January finished strong, as dovish comments from the Fed and encouraging signs on trade with China boosted spirits. Fed Chairman Powell changed tune from last year by not only saying the central bank will be “patient” with rate increases but will also be flexible on...

What Should I Expect From Personal Capital's Complimentary Portfolio Review? Why Should I Talk to a Financial Advisor? Our advisors often get the question: why should I take time to speak with a Personal Capital advisor? Our answer is simple: If you’re serious about...

Last minute on Friday of this week President Trump announced that a tentative deal had been reached to reopen the Federal government for a period of three weeks. This brings temporary respite to the roughly 800,000 Federal workers in the form of back pay, and possibly...

Q4 2018 Market Performance and 2019 Outlook Q4 Market Performance In the fourth quarter of 2018, global equities fell 13% and on Christmas day were down 20% from the high last January. The US was hit hardest, especially high momentum tech stocks. On the positive side,...

Government Shutdown 2019 We have now experienced the longest government shutdown on record. This has disrupted nine Federal Departments, and if a Federal worker is deemed “essential” they must work without pay, while others are either furloughed or placed on temporary...

Major US indices strung together a fourth straight week of gains and finished the week strong on optimism over US and China trade negotiations. Financials were the strongest performing sector for the week with several of the major US banks reporting earnings to kick...