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The coronavirus pandemic has dominated the investment landscape the past two years. As the U.S. economy rebounded and corporate profits recovered, stock prices surged while interest rates stayed very low. Entering 2022, the focus shifted to the potential threat of inflation and how Federal Reserve policy could hamper growth. Then came Russia’s unconscionable behavior in Ukraine.
For the first time since 2002, the IRS has updated life expectancy tables which determine Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) for individuals who are subject to mandatory annual withdrawals from retirement accounts.
Stocks surged last year, reflecting investors’ confidence in the country’s continued healing from the COVID crisis.
Autumn’s approach brought a spate of disquieting headlines, prompting investor angst and choppy financial markets.
Eighteen months after the pandemic slammed into our shores, most Americans have been able to regain a sense of normalcy.
This year, equity markets have generally continued to rally on signs that the coronavirus will ultimately be contained, prompting hopes of economic healing and, for society, a return to something approaching normalcy.
With the passage of the American Rescue Plan now in the rear-view mirror, attention is shifting to how the
new administration and Congress will attempt to move forward with plans for comprehensive tax reform.
An investor who had been off the grid, checking only year-end account statements, might conclude that the backdrop has been uneventful, if not favorable.