2024 Year-End Financial Insights: Markets, Taxes, AI & Election Impact from Ballast Advisors
As we wrap up 2024, Ballast is here to clarify the major financial themes shaping this year and what they could mean for the future. Listen to conversations from Ballast advisors John Boardman, Andy Reynolds, Cameron Hamilton, Brian Burton, and Frank Yozwiak as this year-end review offers insights into: 00:00:00 Begin 00:00:38 1️⃣ Markets […]
Two Ways to Combat Household Inflation
Inflation is not a one-size-fits-all all phenomenon Inflation is the increase in prices over time Increasing prices means decreasing purchasing power How we choose to spend our money dictates how we experience inflation Inflation has been top of mind for every participant in our economy for three years straight: households, businesses, and policymakers. Inflation […]
The Importance of Asset Allocation and Diversification
As we flip the calendar and enter 2024, many people create New Year’s Resolutions, largely designed to improve an aspect of their lives. Many of these goals are exercise, diet, or financial based. One area we always encourage people to review at the start of each year is their investment portfolio, the risk associated with […]
The Grey Area of Paying Off a Mortgage Early
A key question that soon-to-be retirees often face is whether or not to eliminate debt before retirement. Generally, we would love to see all our clients enter their retirements debt-free. However, there could be some instances where making monthly debt payments is not necessarily a bad thing (i.e., zero-percent financing on a car). Sometimes the […]
How Will A Bear Market Affect Your Plan?
In this week’s edition of the Ballast Atheneum, I am going to explore a subject no one wants to see but we all must prepare for; Will my portfolio survive a bear market? Fortunately, we can use some of our technology tools, specifically, Monte Carlo analysis to determine how prepared a client is for a […]
The Housing Market is on Fire!
Key Takeaways: Housing inventory has declined by 52% from last year and is 15.6% more expensive. Millennials are finally participating in home purchases in a more prevalent way. Low inventory and increased construction costs have made home purchase decisions difficult for buyers. To put it bluntly, the housing market is on fire! Over the past […]
Is the Recent Climb in Interest Rates a Real Threat?
If you pay as close attention to mortgage rates as we do, you may have noticed a fairly significant move higher over the last few months. In fact, 30-year mortgage rates have risen in nine of the past eleven weeks, up 41 basis points from a low of 2.93 percent earlier this year, to the […]
