Disclaimer: These are the views of Summit Financial Consulting and should not be construed as investment advice. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy.
Health Insurance, New 401(k) Service, & October Market Commentary
It is everyone’s favorite time of year as it relates to healthcare: Open Enrollment! Whether you are working, self-employed, or on a Medicare Supplemental plan, this is the time of year when very important decisions need to be made.
As a reminder, we now have a full-service health insurance department. Anthony Landino works full time in our office and can assist with any health insurance questions you may have. If you are age 65 or older, we have been shocked by how many prescription drugs are no longer covered for 2018, and how many plans are changing benefits. Relax, let us simplify all health insurance for you. Give us a call today at (586) 226-2100 to discuss it at no cost.
Also, if you or anyone you know has a 401(k) plan, they most likely do not receive alerts from independent research on how to manage it. We now offer a service that provides detailed recommendations for 401(k)’s and other retirement plans, as well as alerts when changes need to be made to potentially avoid losses. The cost for this service is negotiable, and we do offer discounts for couples. It starts out at only $25 per month.
Lastly, we’re happy to say that our TD Ameritrade portfolios were up for both September and October because of our updated research process. Most of our portfolios have increased every single month since December of 2016, ever since we updated our research process. Our most important indicators are currently green, which means there is a higher probability than normal that the stock market may be healthy. November and December are normally positive months for the stock market because the holiday gift purchasing season typically increases corporate profits, but there have certainly been exceptions to watch out for. Overall, the economy seems to be heading in the right direction, despite all of the global unrest and political turmoil. Real GDP was up 3.0% in the third quarter and 3.1% in the second quarter, which is very nice to see (Source: https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm ).
We’ll continue to review your TD Ameritrade managed portfolio holdings daily and make adjustments if we believe it is prudent. If you are a client and disagree with any of the moves inside your portfolio, if you would like to update us on your risk tolerance preferences, or if you have had a dramatic change to your income or financial situation, please contact us to discuss it.
Please feel free to forward this commentary to a friend, family member, or co-worker. If they would like to be added to our free commentary, please send us an e-mail at info@summitfc.net at your earliest convenience.
Interesting Points
E-commerce has created more jobs than it has displaced, adding 178,000 positions over the past two years compared with the 123,000 that have disappeared in brick-and-mortar stores. – WSJ.com, October 15, 2017
The S&P 500’s inflation-adjusted return, since the market top on March 24, 2000 to September of 2017, has only been 0.9% – MarketWatch, September 22, 2017
“The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.” – Warren Buffet
Crime has become so rare in Japan, with only one fatal shooting in 2015, that police often have nothing to do. – The Economist, May 18, 2017
Some 71% of Americans express regrets about their ability to manage money. The #1 regret- not planning early enough (48%), followed by spending too much on non-essentials (39%). – Marketwatch.com, October 18, 2017
A private room in a nursing home now costs more than $8,000 a month, or $97,455 a year. That’s an increase of 5.5% from just one year ago and a nearly 50% increase since 2004. – Forbes.com, September 26, 2017
Three-quarters of the world’s food today is derived from only 12 crops and just five animal species. – The Guardian, September 26, 2017
The number of people collecting unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level since 1973. – MarketWatch, October 12, 2017
Walmart told investors that by shortening the paper receipts given to customers, they saved the company $7 million – CNBC.com, October 10, 2017
Summit Financial Consulting LLC
43409 Schoenherr Road, Sterling Heights, MI 48313
Phone: 586-226-2100 Fax: 586-226-3584 E-mail: info@summitfc.net
Securities offered through Gradient Securities, LLC (Arden Hills, MN (866)991-1539) Member FINRA/SIPC
Summit Financial Consulting LLC is independent and is not an affiliate of Gradient Securities, LLC. Investment advisory
services offered through Summit Financial Consulting LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor in the State of Michigan.
