While no model can perfectly forecast the market, the Monte Carlo analysis is one key aspect of our financial plan that enables us to sleep well at night knowing that we have a plan that is working for us.

Converting your traditional IRA funds into a Roth IRA could have significant tax benefits to yourself and your family members, if planned correctly. Thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), there is an opportunity to take advantage of historically low tax rates before the rates are scheduled to reset to the previous levels by the end of 2025.

Equity investors have been on quite a roller-coaster ride this year. After hitting an all-time high in February, the S&P 500 Index plunged a gut-wrenching 34% over the next month, marking the quickest bear market in U.S. history. Smaller company stocks did even worse during that period, losing more than 40%. Thankfully, because our client portfolios were not fully invested in equities prior to the decline, our average client account did not experience the full brunt of the volatility. However, the flip side of that conservative allocation means we also didn’t experience the equally surprising and gravity-defying upturn. From the March low, the market roared back to make a new high in September. Talk about whiplash.