Comprehensive Financial Planning

Here Comes LPL Focus!

Published: Wed, 04 Aug 2021 13:33:01 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, August 4, 2021 LPL Financial is so excited to kick off our annual Focus conference, with more than 10,000 attendees sharing ideas, learning, and having a great time over the next three days. Given the world we … Continue reading →

While Tough For Equities, August Has Been Good For Fixed Income

Published: Tue, 03 Aug 2021 15:58:25 +0000

Market Blog Tuesday, August 3, 2021 Most investors are aware that seasonal patterns exist in equities, but they may not be as familiar with the seasonal patterns in fixed income markets. As pointed out in the LPL Research Market Blog … Continue reading →

July Market Insights – Sixth Straight Monthly Gain for the S&P 500, Led by Growth

Published: Mon, 02 Aug 2021 17:00:29 +0000

Market Blog Monday, August 2, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and international equities In July, the U.S. major market indexes finished higher while international equities, as represented by the developed international markets (MSCI EAFE), and the emerging markets … Continue reading →

Did You Know Stocks Historically Peak in Early August?

Published: Mon, 02 Aug 2021 15:30:06 +0000

Market Blog Monday, August 2, 2021 Hard to believe, but we are in August already! The good news is stocks are still firmly in a bull market, but the bad news is the calendar is a potential worry now. As … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Six Straight Monthly Gains for the S&P 500

Published: Fri, 30 Jul 2021 20:11:06 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 30, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Reverse Course This Week; Growth Names Pullback The major markets finished the week lower, reversing course from the previous week. Some disappointing corporate guidance … Continue reading →

China Weighs on Emerging Markets Indexes

Published: Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:58:08 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 30, 2021 China’s stock exchanges have been hit hard in response to several sudden regulatory actions that have dismayed investors. First came the crackdown on ride sharing service DiDi, which has about a 90% market share … Continue reading →

LPL Market Signals: An Epic Week of Market-Moving Events

Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2021 16:58:48 +0000

Market Blog Thursday, July 29, 2021 In the latest edition of LPL Market Signals, the LPL Research strategists discuss some of the biggest surprises of 2021, including the strong year-to-date performance for the stock market and surprising recent drop in … Continue reading →

Services Consumption Lifts GDP Growth

Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2021 15:58:41 +0000

Economic Blog Thursday, July 29, 2021 Lofty expectations for second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth were left somewhat wanting as a decent headline number fell short of expectations. Peering under the hood, though, we think this is still a … Continue reading →

LPL Street View: Let’s Play Some Focus!

Published: Wed, 28 Jul 2021 15:58:10 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, July 28, 2021 We had some fun with our latest LPL Street View video, as Director of Research Mark Zabicki and Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick went outside to shoot some hoops and talk about our upcoming … Continue reading →

Federal Reserve Meeting Preview

Published: Tue, 27 Jul 2021 15:58:46 +0000

Market Blog Tuesday, July 27, 2021 The Federal Reserve (Fed) meets this week to discuss its ongoing support for the U.S. economy. During its regularly scheduled two-day meeting, the nineteen-member committee is expected to discuss if and when the Fed … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Strong Week for Growth Stocks as Earnings Season is Underway

Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 20:01:13 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 23, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Higher as Growth Leads The major markets finished higher this week after starting the week lower, with the Dow Jones off by over 2% … Continue reading →

Leading Indicators Forecasting Continued Growth

Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 15:58:33 +0000

Economic Blog Friday, July 23, 2021 On Thursday, July 22, the Conference Board released its June 2021 report detailing the latest reading for the Leading Economic Index (LEI), a composite of ten data series that tend to lead changes in … Continue reading →

Buy the Dip | Daily Market Update

Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 14:58:16 +0000

Friday, July 23, 2021 Top Story Buy the dip Even after Monday’s big drop for stocks in the U.S., stocks have roared back and are now looking at a nice gain for the week. Here are some of the reasons … Continue reading →

LPL Market Signals: Mr. Powell Goes to Washington

Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 13:58:08 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 23, 2021 Inflation is soaring and Jerome Powell still isn’t overly worried about it. In fact, he was grilled by Congress last week and held his ground on his inflation views. This week in the LPL … Continue reading →

U.S. Housing Starts Continue to Ramp Up

Published: Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:58:37 +0000

Economic Blog Thursday, July 22, 2021 In data we received on Tuesday, July 20, U.S. Housing Starts increased 6.3% in June to 1.64 million units, a 3-month high. By region, housing starts rose in the South and West, and in … Continue reading →

Housing Starts Were Higher Than Expected This Week | Daily Market Update

Published: Thu, 22 Jul 2021 14:58:23 +0000

Thursday, July 22, 2021 Top Story Housing Starts were higher than expected this week (Tuesday), but the lack of housing supply still remains a problem. Housing starts were up 6.3% in June; continuing a sharp post-COVID rebound. The building activity … Continue reading →

Is It Time For A 5% Pullback?

Published: Wed, 21 Jul 2021 15:58:51 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, July 21, 2021 Monday’s big down day was a harsh reminder of how markets actually can produce volatility. It was the worst day of the year for the Dow and only the second drop of 1% or … Continue reading →

Time For a More Significant Pullback Or Correction? | Daily Market Update

Published: Wed, 21 Jul 2021 14:58:53 +0000

Wednesday, July 21, 2021 Top Story Time for a more significant pullback or correction? Stocks have had an amazing run, but here are some things to consider. The S&P 500 Index hasn’t had a 5% pullback since last October, right … Continue reading →

The Recession Is Over, So What Happens Next?

Published: Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:58:56 +0000

Market Blog Tuesday, July 20, 2021 The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) announced yesterday that the COVID-19 recession is over. If things don’t feel all that different, it’s because they announced the recession ended in April 2020. Yes, that’s … Continue reading →

The Shortest Recession Ever Is Over…15 Months Ago | Daily Market Update

Published: Tue, 20 Jul 2021 14:58:17 +0000

Tuesday, July 20, 2021 Top Story The shortest recession ever is over…15 months ago The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) announced yesterday that the economy bottomed in April 2020, making the COVID-19 recession the shortest on record and the … Continue reading →

Earnings Season Off to a Great Start | Daily Market Update

Published: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 14:58:33 +0000

Top Story Earnings season off to a great start Beat rates have been outstanding so far with 85% and 90% of S&P 500 companies beating earnings and revenue targets. Second quarter earnings growth is tracking to a nearly 70% year-over-year … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Markets Digest First Week of Q2 Earnings

Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 20:00:56 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 16, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Mostly Lower As Utilities and Real Estate Gain Ground Most major markets sold off this week as Q2 earning season kicks off. Market participants … Continue reading →

A Check-In on Inflation

Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 15:58:58 +0000

Economic Blog Friday, July 16, 2021 This week has provided investors with a fresh batch of data carrying the potential to heavily affect the inflation debate. Tuesday brought us the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for June, while Wednesday saw the … Continue reading →

Retail Sales Came In Solidly Above Expectations | Daily Market Update

Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 14:58:30 +0000

Friday, July 16, 2021 Top Story Retail sales came in solidly above expectations Retail sales for June increased 0.6% month over month, ahead of Bloomberg’s consensus forecast for a 0.3% decline and following a 1.7% decline in May. Excluding autos … Continue reading →

Main Street Sentiment Remains Strong Despite Risks from Speedy Recovery

Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 11:58:27 +0000

Economic Blog Friday, July 16, 2021 Sentiment on Main Street remains strong as the U.S. economy continues to move towards normalcy, but concerns about the impact of a strong but uneven recovery are rising as higher prices, supply chain bottlenecks, … Continue reading →

LPL Market Signals: Midyear Outlook 2021 Is Here: What Does LPL Research Think Is On the Horizon?

Published: Thu, 15 Jul 2021 15:58:50 +0000

Market Blog Thursday, July 15, 2021 What a first half of 2021! As quick as it was, the economy continues to pick up speed as well. In fact, this could be one of the better years of economic growth we’ve … Continue reading →

Street View Midyear Outlook 2021 | Daily Market Update

Published: Thu, 15 Jul 2021 14:58:43 +0000

Thursday, July 15, 2021 Top Story Street View Midyear Outlook 2021 In the latest LPL Street View video, LPL Financial Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick takes a closer look at what the LPL Research team thinks is coming in the … Continue reading →

Quarterly Market Insights – Markets Solid through the Mid-Year Mark

Published: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 18:13:27 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, July 14, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities This quarter provided positive results for all major market indexes. The top performer and standout was the growth-laden Nasdaq composite, which returned over 9% for … Continue reading →

Canary In The Coalmine?

Published: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 15:58:04 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, July 14, 2021 To state the obvious, coal mining is a dangerous occupation. Not only do coal miners have to deal with collapsing tunnels and explosions, they also have to deal with the potential for dangerous carbon … Continue reading →

Canary In The Coalmine? | Daily Market Update

Published: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 14:58:06 +0000

Wednesday, July 14, 2021 Top Story Canary In The Coalmine? The 10-year Treasury yield’s fall of over 40 basis points (0.40%) has many investors asking if the bond market is signaling bad news about the economic recovery. The absence of … Continue reading →

LPL Research Releases Midyear Outlook 2021: Picking Up Speed

Published: Tue, 13 Jul 2021 16:00:29 +0000

Market Blog Tuesday, July 13, 2021 LPL Research is proud to announce the release of Midyear Outlook 2021: Picking Up Speed. While the speed can be exhilarating as economic growth accelerates, it can also be dangerous. Our updated outlook is … Continue reading →

Midyear Outlook 2021 | Daily Market Update

Published: Tue, 13 Jul 2021 14:58:24 +0000

Tuesday, July 13, 2021 Top Story Midyear Outlook 2021 launches today. While the speed can be exhilarating as economic growth accelerates, it can also be dangerous. Midyear Outlook 2021: Picking Up Speed is designed to help you navigate the risks … Continue reading →

What Will Companies Do for an Encore? | Daily Market Update

Published: Mon, 12 Jul 2021 14:58:28 +0000

Monday, July 12, 2021 Top Story What will companies do for an encore? After a stunning first quarter earnings season, we expect more good news this quarter. At the same time, we acknowledge the second quarter will almost certainly be … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Markets Resilient As We Enter the Second Half of 2021

Published: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 20:07:36 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 9, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Most of the U.S. and international markets were fractionally higher this week as traders were concerned about a potential peak in the global recovery, declining … Continue reading →

Is This the Start of a Correction?

Published: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 16:00:05 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 9, 2021 The S&P 500 Index closed at a record high on Wednesday, yet investors seem increasingly on edge with the VIX Index, a measure of implied volatility on the S&P 500, spiking nearly 40% week-to-date. … Continue reading →

Is This the Start of a Correction? | Daily Market Update

Published: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 14:58:17 +0000

Friday, July 9, 2021 Top Story Is This the Start of a Correction? Despite the S&P 500 Index making a record high earlier this week, investors are clearly on edge with the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) briefly spiking more than … Continue reading →

LPL Market Signals: Tips for Young Investors

Published: Thu, 08 Jul 2021 17:00:51 +0000

Market Blog Thursday, July 8, 2021 We mix it up this week on the LPL Market Signals podcast and bring on LPL Research’s Director of Research Marc Zabicki to discuss what he has learned about investing and working with Advisors … Continue reading →

ISM Service Strong, but Strong Enough?

Published: Thu, 08 Jul 2021 16:18:22 +0000

Economic Blog Thursday, July 8, 2021 The June Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Services Index was a bit softer than expected (60.1 vs. the Bloomberg consensus estimate of 63.5), although the overall reading remained near multi-year highs. The June figure … Continue reading →

Federal Open Market Committee Split on Tapering | Daily Market Update

Published: Thu, 08 Jul 2021 14:58:28 +0000

Thursday, July 8, 2021 Top Story Yesterday’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes showed Committee is split on tapering Some members pulled forward their expectations for the appropriate timing of tapering while others noted that the “further substantial progress” … Continue reading →

Stocks Are Going Streaking

Published: Wed, 07 Jul 2021 15:58:14 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, July 7, 2021 To quote the great Frank the Tank from Old School, “We’re going streaking!” Although Frank had another idea, stocks have been streaking in some historic ways, both near-term and longer-term. Let’s start with the … Continue reading →

Financial Planning: Helping You See the Big Picture

Do you picture yourself owning a new home, starting a business, or retiring comfortably?

These are a few of the financial goals that may be important to you, and each comes with a price tag attached. That's where financial planning comes in. Financial planning is a process that can help you target your goals by evaluating your whole financial picture, then outlining strategies that are tailored to your individual needs and available resources.

More Information on Financial Planning

Why is financial planning important?

A comprehensive financial plan serves as a framework for organizing the pieces of your financial picture. With a financial plan in place, you'll be better able to focus on your goals and understand what it will take to reach them.

One of the main benefits of having a financial plan is that it can help you balance competing financial priorities. A financial plan will clearly show you how your financial goals are related--for example, how saving for your children's college education might impact your ability to save for retirement. Then you can use the information you've gleaned to decide how to prioritize your goals, implement specific strategies, and choose suitable products or services. Best of all, you'll know that your financial life is headed in the right direction.

The financial planning process

Creating and implementing a comprehensive financial plan generally involves working with financial professionals to:

Develop a clear picture of your current financial situation by reviewing your income, assets, and liabilities, and evaluating your insurance coverage, your investment portfolio, your tax exposure, and your estate plan
Establish and prioritize financial goals and time frames for achieving these goals
Implement strategies that address your current financial weaknesses and build on your financial strengths
Choose specific products and services that are tailored to meet your financial objectives
Monitor your plan, making adjustments as your goals, time frames, or circumstances change

Some members of the team

The financial planning process can involve a number of professionals. Financial planners typically play a central role in the process, focusing on your overall financial plan, and often coordinating the activities of other professionals who have expertise in specific areas. Accountants or tax attorneys provide advice on federal and state tax issues.

Estate planning attorneys help you plan your estate and give advice on transferring and managing your assets before and after your death. Insurance professionals evaluate insurance needs and recommend appropriate products and strategies. Investment advisors provide advice about investment options and asset allocation, and can help you plan a strategy to manage your investment portfolio. The most important member of the team, however, is you. Your needs and objectives drive the team, and once you've carefully considered any recommendations, all decisions lie in your hands.

Why can't I do it myself?

You can, if you have enough time and knowledge, but developing a comprehensive financial plan may require expertise in several areas. A financial professional can give you objective information and help you weigh your alternatives, saving you time and ensuring that all angles of your financial picture are covered.

Staying on track

The financial planning process doesn't end once your initial plan has been created. Your plan should generally be reviewed at least once a year to make sure that it's up-to-date. It's also possible that you'll need to modify your plan due to changes in your personal circumstances or the economy. Here are some of the events that might trigger a review of your financial plan:

Your goals or time horizons change
You experience a life-changing event such as marriage, the birth of a child, health problems, or a job loss
You have a specific or immediate financial planning need (e.g., drafting a will, managing a distribution from a retirement account, paying long-term care expenses)
Your income or expenses substantially increase or decrease
Your portfolio hasn't performed as expected
You're affected by changes to the economy or tax laws

Common questions about financial planning

What if I'm too busy?

Don't wait until you're in the midst of a financial crisis before beginning the planning process. The sooner you start, the more options you may have.

Is the financial planning process complicated?

Each financial plan is tailored to the needs of the individual, so how complicated the process will be depends on your individual circumstances. But no matter what type of help you need, a financial professional will work hard to make the process as easy as possible, and will gladly answer all of your questions.

What if my spouse and I disagree?

A financial professional is trained to listen to your concerns, identify any underlying issues, and help you find common ground.

Can I still control my own finances?

Financial planning professionals make recommendations, not decisions. You retain control over your finances. Recommendations will be based on your needs, values, goals, and time frames. You decide which recommendations to follow, and then work with a financial professional to implement them.

Contact a VyStar Investment Services Financial Advisor today by phone (904) 908-2495 or email VISMarketing@vystarcu.org.

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