December 7, 2015 Weekly Market Review from Maier & Associates Financial Group

The first week of December proved quite volatile, with some of the major indexes listed here rallying on Friday to close ahead of the week before. Some of the upward movement from investors may have come in response to another good jobs report and the fact that the economy is stable enough to warrant a likely interest rate increase when the Fed meets later this month. The S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq registered marginal gains week-on-week, while the Russell 2000 and the Global Dow lost value. With additional stimulus measures announced by the European Central Bank, it will be interesting to see the effect they have on European stocks in the coming weeks.

The price of gold (COMEX) rebounded after several weeks of trending downward, selling at $1,085.80 by late Friday afternoon compared to $1,056.10 a week earlier. Crude oil (WTI) prices fell, selling at $40.14 per barrel by week's end. The national average retail regular gasoline price decreased to $2.059 per gallon on November 30, 2015, $0.035 below the previous week's price of $2.094 per gallon, and $0.719 below a year ago.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Market Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

Deadline for Planning a Truly Happy Retirement? 5 Years Before

If you’re looking to put the finishing touches on your retirement plans, a study from MassMutual has a suggestion on timing. “Retirees who expressed the highest levels of satisfaction in retirement are also those who took concrete steps to put both their emotional and financial lives in order at least five years or more before retirement.”

Unfortunately, only 31% of U.S. adults heading toward retirement “carefully research and plan every detail of their retirement plans,” MassMutual says. And only 11% map out “every detail” of their retirement, while 36% admit to “winging it” with their financial strategy. (MassMutual points out that U.S. adults are three times more likely to wing their retirement than their vacation plans.)

There is some good news for future retirees, who could use some at a time so many struggle to cobble together a decent retirement fund. A majority of retirees say they are happy in retirement and that pre-retirement anxieties about being bored or financially strapped are significantly overstated.

“Our research on retirees and pre-retirees tells us that retirement can be and should be an extraordinarily happy time in our lives as long as we start to strengthen our emotional bonds and exercise financial planning discipline well before we plan to retire,” says Elaine Sarsynski, executive vice president at MassMutual Retirement Services. “The happiest retirees provide us with a road map for success, which is especially instructive for those who are close to embarking on the journey.”

The study has more “lessons learned” from retirees on how they found happiness in retirement:

• Retirees who took steps to “build stronger connections” to their loved ones and “pursued new interests” were far more likely to enjoy their post-career years.
• Retirees who laid out a careful plan for the financial side of retirement (such as calculating the best time to start collecting Social Security), and who accelerated retirement savings as they neared retirement, appeared “most satisfied.”
• The biggest good retirement surprises included having no time constraints, keeping busy, and having enough money; bad surprises included suffering an illness or weak health and having unexpected cash problems.

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

June 15, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

Reports from this past week revealed that the number of job openings is increasing, and the federal deficit and crude oil inventories are shrinking, while consumers are spending more of their hard-earned money. Unfortunately, news out of Europe is that negotiations between Greece and its creditors are regressing with default seemingly inevitable. The Dow, which had crept above 18000 during the week, closed at 17898.84, while the S&P 500 moved very little from last week's close. The Nasdaq lost 0.34%, but remains ahead of the major indexes year-to-date. The Global Dow closed the week ahead of last week, while the euro remained relatively stable against the dollar, finishing the week at $1.1268. Crude oil closed ahead of last week at $59.94 as did gold, which reached $1180.50 as of the end of trading on Friday.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

June 1, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

After experiencing positive gains the past few weeks, the short holiday week closed with all the major indexes experiencing losses. Both the S&P 500 and the Dow ended the week in the red, as did the small-cap Russell 2000 and Nasdaq, although each of the latter performed a little better than their large-cap peers. Favorable economic news may have driven the market decline in response to fears that the Federal Reserve would be raising interest rates sooner rather than later.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

May 18, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

Despite drops in consumer confidence, import and export prices, crude oil inventories, and producer prices, the stock market rallied at the end of the week to post positive gains across the board lead by the S&P 500, which closed at an all-time high. However, the biggest gainers for the week were the Nasdaq (0.89%) and the Russell 2000, which gained 0.73% over last week. The domestic market's positive close to the week may be in response to the rather sluggish economic news, which has increased sentiment that a Federal Reserve interest rate hike is not in the immediate future.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

May 11, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

Buoyed by generally encouraging labor data, leading equity benchmarks enjoyed a major rally on Friday, overcoming an otherwise sluggish week. While the Dow's gains exceeded those of the S&P 500, both indexes outperformed the Nasdaq. After dipping below 18000 during the week, the Dow closed at 18191, up .93% from the previous week, while the S&P 500 closed Friday's trading up .37%. Equally encouraging is the fact that, despite the deep freeze that resulted in a lackluster first quarter, the year-to-date returns of the major indexes remain positive.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

May 4, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

Although May Day brought a rally in stock markets across the board, it wasn't enough to wipe out the week's losses. Several earnings reports and a disappointing GDP reading dampened the fervor that drove markets to new highs a week prior, while a Fed announcement fueled speculation about a June interest rate hike. The 10-year Treasury yield rose past the 2% mark.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

April 27, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

At long last: Proverbial corks were flying last week as the Nasdaq finally broke its 15-year-old record, set in March 2000, to close the week at 5092.08. The 3.25% weekly jump was driven largely by earnings reports from several large technology stalwarts. The S&P 500 also posted a new high, as indexes other than the Nasdaq posted weekly gains ranging from 1.25% to 1.75%.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

April 20, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

Investor fears returned with a vengeance on Friday, as markets tumbled across the globe. Domestic indexes were down 1% or more for the week, while the Global Dow fell nearly a quarter percent. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 1.87%. Observers attributed Friday's stock market losses to a series of lackluster earnings reports in the United States, combined with jitters associated with a possible Greek debt default and China's issuance of new stock trading regulations. Despite the drops, stocks are still in positive territory for the year.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

April 6, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

The Russell 2000 continued to be more resilient than its domestic large-cap brethren, which ended the week little changed. The small caps even managed to steal the year-to-date lead from the Nasdaq, which has the week's weakest performance. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield fell as prices rose after a disappointing jobs report spurred hopes that it might encourage the Fed to postpone rate hikes.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

March 30, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

An uptick in equities on Friday couldn't overcome the four-day downdraft across the board that preceded it. Whether the slump was caused by weak economic data, a fresh outbreak of Middle East conflict, a discouraging report about corporate profits, or simple profit-taking after the previous week's strength, it left the S&P 500 a whisker away from flat for the year and wiped out all year-to-date gains for the Dow industrials. Military action in Yemen, a country situated at a key checkpoint for Middle Eastern oil shipments, was seen as a potential threat to supplies and fueled a bounce in the price of oil. However, anxiety about equities didn't translate into gains for the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note, which remained relatively stable. Gold built on the upswing that began the previous week; it has now gained roughly $50 an ounce in a little less than two weeks.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

March 16, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

Bulls and bears duked it out last week, with the Dow experiencing multiple triple-digit intraday swings. In the end, the bears prevailed as the Dow and S&P 500 had their third week of losses, which sent both back into negative territory for the year. The dollar continued to gain strength, hitting $1.06 against the euro (its highest level since January 2003), while the price of oil, which has been above $50 a barrel at the beginning of the month, fell to roughly $45. Coupled with the start of quantitative easing by the European Central Bank, that raised concerns about how U.S. multinational companies' sales overseas would fare going forward. The small caps of the Russell 2000, which are seen as having less international exposure, had the week's only gains.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

March 9, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

Good news about unemployment proved bad news for the equities markets. The Dow industrials closed 279 points lower after Friday's strong jobs report as investors feared it might help hasten the end of the Fed's near-zero target interest rate. Nevertheless, the Nasdaq topped 5,000 earlier in the week for the first time since March 2000. The strengthening of the U.S. dollar in the wake of Thursday's European Central Bank meeting took a toll not only on the euro but on gold and oil; gold fell to $1,164--its lowest price of the year--while oil dipped below $50 a barrel. Meanwhile, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield shot to its highest level of the year as prices fell.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

March 2, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

Equities markets were mildly buoyed by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's congressional testimony and the grudging approval of Greece's plans for qualifying for additional assistance. The S&P 500 and Russell 2000 hit new record highs during the week. However, both had backed away from those highs by week's end after U.S. economic growth was shown to be weaker than expected.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

February 23, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

Reprieve relief: Even a temporary agreement about Greek debt helped equities edge upward. Friday's relief rally gave the S&P 500 its third straight week of gains, though Nasdaq continued to lead the pack. Meanwhile, as oil prices remained relatively stable at roughly $50 a barrel, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +

February 9, 2015 Weekly Market Update from Maier & Associates Financial Group

Hit the reset button: A rebound in the price of oil and some promising economic data helped equities recoup their losses of the week before, returning them to roughly even for the year. As oil rose above $50 a barrel once again and investors regained confidence in equities, the yield of the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose as prices fell.

Click to View & Download the Complete M&A Weekly Update

Maier & Associates Financial Group is here to help!

At Maier & Associates, we are committed to helping you manage your finances as you strive to achieve your financial goals today, tomorrow, and many years down the road. Your financial success is important to us, which is why we create a wealth management strategy designed to meet your personal financial goals and dreams. Visit our website at http://maierandassociates.com/ or simply give us a call at (800) 282-4503.

Follow Us: Facebook, Twitter, Google +