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Financial and economic analysis, national and global impacts on the market, and links to the latest news from McDaniel Wealth Management. Our goal is to keep you informed with weekly updates on changing conditions and our perspective on what’s moving the market. 

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

March 2026 Brutal IRS Trap Wipes Out Goodwill Clothing DeductionsIf you donate clothing or household goods to charity, there’s an IRS trap you need to know about.In a recent Tax Court case, a taxpayer lost a $6,760 charitable...

Monday, March 2, 2026

With so much of our lives spent online, it’s sad to think of losing the important stuff. Pictures of your kids and grandkids; Personal items like cherished emails, texts, and voicemails from loved ones; Or the notes for that book...

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Weekly RecapFebruary 9-13, 2026Wider Participation Supports Market ResilienceAI Stocks Drag on PerformanceMarkets continued to feel the effects of AI‑related volatility for a second straight week, as investors work to determine how AI...

Monday, February 16, 2026

USPS’s New Postmark Rules Set an Ugly Trap for TaxpayersFor decades, taxpayers trusted a simple rule: If you mailed a tax return or payment by the deadline, the IRS treated it as timely filed. Recent U.S. Postal Service (USPS)...

Monday, February 9, 2026

All LLCs doing business in Kentucky must file an Annual Report every year. You need to file an Annual Report in order to keep your LLC in compliance and in good standing with the state. Reports can be filed any time between January 1...

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Monday, February 2, 2026

The Markets It was a busy, busy week. If you just looked at the weekly return for the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index, you might assume the United States stock market was relatively calm last week. It was not. A lot happened last...

Monday, January 26, 2026

The Markets Geopolitics roiled financial markets. Just a couple of weeks ago, many analysts and asset managers expressed broad optimism about the potential performance of United States stock markets in 2026 – and the stock market...

Monday, January 19, 2026

The Markets A change in leadership. Last week, investors were presented with a stew of economic and policy developments. These included the surprising announcement that the United States would “run” Venezuela, disappointing jobs data,...

Monday, January 12, 2026

The Markets A change in leadership. Last week, investors were presented with a stew of economic and policy developments. These included the surprising announcement that the United States would “run” Venezuela, disappointing jobs data,...

Monday, January 5, 2026

The Markets Lots of people are willing to predict what’s ahead. If the past is prologue, few will be accurate. You don’t have to look far to find an example. In 2023, a majority of economists agreed recession was ahead. They were wrong...

Monday, December 29, 2025

The Markets What is the most important principle of investing? People have different opinions, but these three tend to be at or near the top of the list: Have a plan for reaching your financial goals.Hold a diversified portfolio that...

Monday, December 22, 2025

The Markets Happy holidays! Over the past year, financial markets reminded all of us that progress is rarely linear. As markets gyrated higher and lower, one truth remained constant – building wealth is the result of diversification,...

Monday, December 15, 2025

The Markets Last week, the United States Federal Reserve (Fed) played “Would You Rather?” Would You Rather? is a board game that presents players with classic dilemmas and asks which options would be more palatable to them. For example...

Monday, December 8, 2025

The Markets It’s beginning to look a lot like a rate cut… A lot of information about the economy arrived last week. Some was delayed by the government shutdown. Some was right on time. Investors took a look and decided their holiday...

Friday, December 5, 2025

At McDaniel Wealth Management, our mission is to empower you with the knowledge needed to make the best financial decisions for you and your family. We're excited to share our Fall 2025 newsletter, packed with valuable insights and...

Monday, December 1, 2025

The Markets A change of direction… Stock markets in the United States reversed course last week, with two major indices eking out gains for the month, reported Callum Keown of Barron’s. There were some other important changes last week...

Monday, November 24, 2025

The Markets Uncertainty abounds. Investors were skittish last week. Share prices jolted higher and lower amid concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) data center spending, upcoming Federal Reserve rate decisions, and the strength...

Friday, November 14, 2025

Here are six powerful business tax deduction strategies you can easily understand and implement before the end of 2025. Prepay Expenses Using the IRS Safe Harbor You just have to thank the IRS for its tax-deduction safe harbors. IRS...

Monday, November 3, 2025

The Markets Like walking on cobblestones… If you’ve ever walked down a road paved with cobblestones, you know the uneven surface can be challenging. Today, financial markets are paved with a variety of challenges and concerns. A recent...

Monday, October 27, 2025

The Markets Stock markets celebrated, but bond markets were cautious. Last week, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed that inflation for September was lower than economists had anticipated. Both headline and core inflation (the latter...

Monday, October 27, 2025

As we approach the end of the year, it’s an opportune time to review and optimize your financial and tax strategies. Here are some key considerations: 1. Tax-Advantaged Accounts: Contribute fully to retirement accounts, including any...

Monday, October 20, 2025

The Markets Emotions were running high in financial markets. You may recall the week before last ended with the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index falling more than two percent after a flare-up in the trade war between the United States...

Monday, October 13, 2025

The Markets Filling the data void. Ancient Greek Philosopher Aristotle theorized that nature abhors a void and fills it. Anyone who has ever cleared a garden patch and delayed planting understands the idea. Before long, the empty...

Monday, October 13, 2025

Learn How to Beat 2025 Estimated Tax Penalties Instantly, Today Here’s an important tax planning strategy that can save you thousands in penalties if you’ve missed estimated tax payments for 2025. The Penalty Problem When you don’t...

Monday, September 29, 2025

The Markets The economy is all right. Last week, revised economic figures showed the United States economy grew faster from April through June than previously thought. The upward revision was primarily due to a revised estimate for...

Monday, September 22, 2025

The Markets The bulls were running. Last week, investors rejoiced after the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) lowered the federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point. Major U.S. stock indexes set new record highs. FOMC...

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

The Markets What are your expectations for inflation? Inflation occurs when the prices of goods and services increase. Last week, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed that inflation moved modestly higher from July to August. Prices...

Monday, September 8, 2025

The Markets Was the jobs report good news or bad news for the stock market? In financial markets, sometimes bad news is good. It looked like that might be the case last week. On Friday, the Employment Situation Summary was released. It...

Monday, August 25, 2025

The Markets Will the Fed lower rates? Last week, in a much-anticipated speech, Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell said, “In the near term, risks to inflation are tilted to the upside, and risks to employment to the downside—a...

Monday, August 18, 2025

The Markets Was inflation higher, lower, or steady? Perspective has a tremendous influence on how we perceive the world around us. If you saw any three-dimensional chalk drawings on sidewalks this summer, you understand how perspective...

Monday, August 18, 2025

At McDaniel Wealth Management, our mission is to empower you with the knowledge needed to make the best financial decisions for you and your family. We're excited to share our Fall 2024 newsletter, packed with valuable insights and...

Monday, August 11, 2025

The Markets U.S. companies have been hitting it out of the park! Earnings season happens four times every year. It’s the period of time when publicly traded companies report how they performed during the previous quarter. So far, in...

Monday, August 4, 2025

The Markets Fast as a snail. In July, the weather in Norfolk, England, was perfectly rainy as Bilbo Sluggins won the World Snail Racing Championship with a time of two minutes and 11 seconds. Fans and competitors traveled from the...

Monday, July 28, 2025

The Markets How fast will an AI-powered economy grow? Global economic growth has not always been robust. Until the 1700s, economic growth averaged about 0.1 percent per year and was closely tied to population growth. “Bigger harvests...

Monday, July 21, 2025

The Markets This is not the inflation you’re looking for… In general, everyone who buys goods or services in the United States would prefer to see prices trend lower – and that’s what happened in the earlier part of this year. Over the...

Monday, July 14, 2025

The Markets Are financial markets too complacent? In Aesop’s fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a young shepherd repeatedly raises a false alarm. Eventually, the people in his village ignore his warnings. When a wolf appears, the villagers...

Monday, July 7, 2025

The Markets Like riders on a giga coaster, investors experienced fear and exhilaration during the second quarter of 2025. From April through June, investors rode markets up and down, banking through twists of news and events that had...

Monday, June 30, 2025

The Markets Major U.S. stock indexes raced to new highs last week. In a remarkable recovery from April’s double-digit downturn, the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index raced to a new record high last week, and so did the Nasdaq...

Monday, June 16, 2025

The Markets Investors had a lot to think about last week. A wealth of positive company and economic news lifted markets for much of last week. However, markets stumbled on news that Israel had launched an attack against Iran. Here’s...

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Summer’s here, and the time is right for vacations, outdoor activities, and fun. It’s also a good time to consider a few financial matters. Here are some questions to ask yourself mid-year. Goals still the same for 2025? Has market...

Monday, June 9, 2025

The Markets Employment was top of mind for financial markets last week. Economists and investors hoped May employment information would provide insight to the state of the United States economy, as well as clues about when the Federal...

Monday, June 2, 2025

The Markets Consumers were feeling cautiously optimistic. When people talk about the United States economy, they’re usually referring to gross domestic product (GDP), which is the value of all goods and services produced in here. For...

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

The Markets Nobody likes to balance the budget. Some pundits said Moody’s rating downgrade of U.S. Treasuries was a nothing burger. After all, the rating change didn’t provide investors with any new information. Moody’s was the third...

Monday, May 19, 2025

The Markets Last week, the U.S. stock market showed why it’s a good idea to stay invested through bouts of volatility. Major U.S. stock indices notched sizeable gains as investors celebrated a trade truce with China and...

Monday, May 12, 2025

The Markets The winds of uncertainty are blowing, and the waters are choppy. In recent weeks, United States stock markets saw steady gains, recovered from the April downturn as investors set aside uncertainty,” reported Connor Smith of...

Monday, May 5, 2025

The Markets American companies did well in the first quarter. During earnings season, publicly held companies tell investors how they performed during the previous quarter with a particular focus on earnings, which reflect company...

Monday, April 28, 2025

Sure, education may not be the most glamorous gift, but it can be a practical option that greatly benefits the recipient. But what’s the best option for an education fund? Explore a 529 Plan and how the tax benefits of this plan could...

Monday, April 28, 2025

The Markets How’s everybody feeling? If you said, “Not great,” you’re not alone. There is an abundance of negative sentiment today. Many people – from consumers to small business owners, and from asset managers to investors – are...

Monday, April 21, 2025

The Markets As the market turns... When investor preferences shift and money flows from one sector, industry, investment style or geographic region into another, it is called a market rotation. For years, stock markets in the United...

Monday, April 14, 2025

The Markets All eyes on the bond market. The scale of the tariffs introduced by the administration shocked investors, sparking a roller coaster of a week for stock markets. Last week, U.S. stocks: · Rallied on a rumor. · Fell when the...

Monday, April 7, 2025

The Markets “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…” The advice offered by Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If—” resonated last week. A sharp escalation in trade tensions sparked a stock market downturn despite news...

Monday, March 31, 2025

The Markets Risk-on. Risk-off. If you read the financial press, you may have seen the terms “risk-on” and “risk-off”. When investing, there is a risk-return spectrum. Stocks typically have higher risk and higher return potential than...

Monday, March 24, 2025

The Markets The market whisperer… Last week, the Federal Reserve (Fed) left the federal funds rate unchanged, and Fed Chair Jerome Powell soothed markets. He explained that conditions in the labor market were broadly in balance and...

Monday, March 17, 2025

The Markets A correction and a bounce. Last week, the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index moved into correction territory. The Nasdaq Composite Index (Nasdaq) was already in a correction, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) was...

Monday, March 10, 2025

The Markets What do weather and investing have in common? From 1991 to 2020, the average temperature of the United States was 54.7° Fahrenheit. Of course, that doesn’t mean the temperature in every state on every day was 54.7°F. The...

Monday, March 3, 2025

The Markets Is it supposed to be doing that? At the end of last year, economists believed the chance of a recession in 2025 was relatively low. In December, economist Torsten Sløk wrote, “The outlook for the US economy remains strong...

Sunday, March 2, 2025

With so much of our lives spent online, it’s sad to think of losing the important stuff. Pictures of your kids and grandkids; Personal items like cherished emails, texts, and voicemails from loved ones; Or the notes for that book...

Monday, February 24, 2025

The Markets A difference of opinion. Broadly speaking, there are two types of investors: individual investors and institutional investors. Individual investors buy and sell investments to grow their personal wealth. This group of...

Thursday, February 20, 2025

We want to inform you about an important update regarding the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirement under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). Following recent legal developments, the BOI reporting requirement...

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

The Markets Why are stock markets wary of tariffs? In two of the last three weeks, tariff announcements led to late week stock market sell-offs. Stocks quickly recovered lost value, but uncertainty about the administration’s trade...

Monday, February 10, 2025

The Markets Optimism headed south on Friday. After rising for most of the week, stock markets lost momentum last Friday as economic data raised doubts about further Federal Reserve rate cuts, reported Rita Nazareth of Bloomberg. Late...

Monday, February 3, 2025

The Markets Wait! What just happened? Last week, investors were inundated with market-moving data and news. Stock markets gyrated as investors tried to process everything that was occurring. Here’s some of what happened: China...

Monday, February 3, 2025

If your return has already been prepared or if you have already submitted your tax documents, please disregard this reminder. As the tax deadline quickly approaches, we would like to kindly remind you to submit your tax information by...

Monday, February 3, 2025

All LLCs doing business in Kentucky must file an Annual Report every year. You need to file an Annual Report in order to keep your LLC in compliance and in good standing with the state. Reports can be filed any time between January 1...

Monday, January 27, 2025

The Markets What moves financial markets? The short answer is: Lots of things! Almost one hundred years ago, Benjamin Graham and David L. Dodd wrote, “the market is a voting machine, whereon countless individuals register choices which...

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

The Markets As the markets turn. Last week, investors breathed a sigh of relief when the latest price data showed core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, moved lower in December. Investors has been worried...

Monday, January 13, 2025

The Markets Bond yields are rising—and they have investors’ attention. Last year, the United States Federal Reserve (Fed) lowered the federal funds rate by one percent. (The federal funds rate is the interest rate the Fed charges banks...

Thursday, January 9, 2025

January 27 to January 31, 2025, is Identity Theft Awareness Week. Anytime is a good time to tighten up your identity security, but if you haven’t been as careful as you intended, consider this your annual reminder. Here are a few best...

Monday, January 6, 2025

Hello, 2025! As we head into a new year, it can be helpful to look back at the previous year—and 2024 was a doozy. Stocks in the United States delivered a double-double—posting double-digit gains for a second year in a row. That kind...

Monday, December 30, 2024

The Markets Consumers were more optimistic. Investors were less so. As we neared the end of 2024, U.S. consumers were feeling optimistic. Every month the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers conducts about 600 interviews with...

Monday, December 23, 2024

The Markets But that’s not what I wanted! Last week, markets were about as happy as a toddler opening a gift they didn’t like. The first upsetting event followed the Federal Reserve (Fed)’s final policy meeting for 2024. The Fed met...

Monday, December 16, 2024

The Markets How high can U.S. stocks fly? The U.S. stock market has delivered exceptional performance over the past few years and remains on track to deliver solid returns in 2024. “It isn’t a secret that U.S. stocks have outperformed...

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Important BOI Reporting Update! On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, a federal district court in Texas issued an order granting a nationwide, preliminary injunction that: (1) enjoins enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and...

Monday, December 9, 2024

The Markets U.S. stocks thrive amid turmoil. The performance of the U.S. stock market is striking. Last week, the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 closed at a record high for the 57th time this year, reported Rita Nazareth of Bloomberg....

Monday, December 2, 2024

The Markets Not one, but two! United States stock markets are serving another cup of cheer this year. The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index returned more than more than 24 percent in 2023. This year, it was up 26.5 percent through the...

Monday, November 25, 2024

The Markets The post-election rally resumed. Investors shook off concerns about interest rates and inflation, and U.S. stocks climbed higher last week. The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index gained every day last week, and the rally...

Monday, November 18, 2024

The Markets The United States stock market changed course. Last week, the strength of the United States economy slowed investors’ roll. Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell told business leaders in Dallas, Texas, that the...

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

The Markets Are we witnessing an historic event? For an airplane or a spacecraft, a soft landing occurs when the vehicle “touches the ground in a controlled and gradual way that does not damage it,” according to The Britannica...

Monday, October 28, 2024

The Markets Financial markets appear to have pre-election jitters. The United States election is less than two weeks away. The candidates are neck and neck. The outcome remains uncertain. And expectations for volatility have been...

Thursday, October 24, 2024

At McDaniel Wealth Management, our mission is to empower you with the knowledge needed to make the best financial decisions for you and your family. We're excited to share our Fall 2024 newsletter, packed with valuable insights and...

Monday, October 21, 2024

The Markets Happy birthday! The bull market in stocks charged past its two-year birthday on October 12. “This unique bull market is still young relative to history and, for now, supported by relatively healthy breadth and broadening...

Monday, October 21, 2024

This important communication is a courtesy to inform you and your business organization of new Federal reporting requirements that should be addressed by year-end (12/31/2024) to maintain compliance and avoid potentially large...

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Three Possible Ways to Deduct Your Dog or Cat Dogs, cats, and other household pets are expensive. Owners spend an average of $1,270 to $2,800 a year to own a dog. Can you ever deduct these costs from your taxes? The expenses for a...

Monday, October 14, 2024

The Markets There was a lot to celebrate last week! The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index closed above 5,800 for the first time—and that’s not all. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also notched a record high last week—and all three major U.S...

Monday, October 7, 2024

The Markets Living the realities of risk and reward. Asset allocation is important because it helps investors manage the risk and rewards of investing. In general, investments have different levels of risk and the potential return (or...

Monday, September 30, 2024

The Markets The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index hit a new all-time high last week. The S&P 500 has had quite a year. Despite a sharp downturn in August when investor confidence was ruffled by concerns about economic growth, the Index...

Monday, September 23, 2024

The Markets Rates moved lower and stocks moved higher. In 2022, the United States Federal Reserve (Fed) began raising interest rates as it battled high rates of inflation. That year prices rose 8 percent, as measured by the Consumer...

Monday, September 16, 2024

The Markets There was a lot of good news last week! Inflation continued to trend lower. The Consumer Price Index showed that inflation was 2.5 percent year over year (yoy) in August. That’s lower than economists had expected, and a...

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Employee Retention Credit (ERC) Update Here’s a recent update on the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) and the new IRS payback scheme. New IRS ERC Payback Program The IRS introduced a second ERC Voluntary Disclosure Program for 2021...

Monday, September 9, 2024

The Markets Investing in September can be like biting into a jelly doughnut and finding boiled cabbage—full of unwelcome surprises. “History suggests September is the worst month of the year in terms of stock-market performance,”...

Monday, August 26, 2024

The Markets The near future is more predictable than the distant future. Last year, the St. Louis Federal Reserve explored the accuracy of recession forecasts. They found that short-term predictions about whether there would be a...

Monday, August 19, 2024

The Markets The best week of the year? After two weeks of slow and jolting market performance, a bounty of positive news calmed investors and lifted stock markets higher last week. “Investors seem to have come to the realization that...

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Tax Guide to Deducting Long-Term Care Insurance Premiums Long-term care costs can be substantial, and neither Medicare nor Medicaid provide comprehensive coverage for most people. Long-term care insurance can help protect your finances...

Monday, August 12, 2024

The Markets Markets were gripped by August jitters. Last week, financial markets were volatile. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), which is known as Wall Street’s fear gauge, rose to the highest level in four years before cooling down....

Monday, August 5, 2024

The Markets Stock markets swelled and dropped like waves at the Olympic surfing competition in Tahiti. It is often said that markets hate uncertainty. There was a lot of uncertainty last week, and it showed. “The technology-heavy...

Monday, July 29, 2024

The Markets Americans may be witnessing something remarkable. Earlier this year, we had the relatively rare opportunity to view a total solar eclipse – when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, blocking the sun completely –...

Monday, July 22, 2024

The Markets The rate cut stars are aligning. For the last year, borrowing costs in the United States have remained relatively high as the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) waited for economic data to show that inflation was on track to reach...

Monday, July 15, 2024

The Markets Will deflation continue? In May, Pew Research asked Americans about the biggest problems facing our nation. The top three answers were: Inflation; The ability of Democrats and Republicans to work together; and The...

Monday, July 8, 2024

The Markets Despite some volatility, stock markets have been buoyant in 2024. Enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI), optimism about inflation, and expectations that the United States Federal Reserve (Fed) will begin to lower...

Monday, July 1, 2024

The Markets Some good news and some volatility. Last week was a mixed bag as investors weighed positive economic news against concerns that stock prices for some chipmakers may not be sustainable. Here are the highlights: Inflation...

Monday, June 24, 2024

The Markets Are we at an inflection point? The transition to renewable energy has been moving forward and may be reaching an inflection point. In 2023, global renewable energy capacity increased by almost 50 percent, reported the...

Monday, June 17, 2024

The Markets Inflation is lower – and so are some retail prices. There was a lot of good news last week about the cost of products and services in the United States. First, inflation is slowing down. For the second month in a row,...

Monday, June 10, 2024

The Markets Another record high for the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index! Last week, the S&P 500 Index hit its 25th record high for 2024. Investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence helped drive the index to a new high. About 30...

Monday, June 10, 2024

At McDaniel Wealth Management, our mission is to empower you with the knowledge needed to make the best financial decisions for you and your family. We're excited to share our Spring 2024 newsletter, packed with valuable insights and...

Monday, June 3, 2024

The Markets Overall, May was a good month for investors. The adage, “Sell in May and go away,” would have been poor advice last month. Major stock indices in the United States finished the month higher. Connor Smith of Barron’s...

Friday, May 31, 2024

It’s FAFSA time! As your student prepares for college, they can now fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, for the upcoming school year. Even if your student won’t require help from the government, filling out...

Friday, May 31, 2024

Summer’s here, and the time is right for vacations, outdoor activities, and fun. It’s also a good time to consider a few financial matters. Here are some questions to ask yourself mid-year. Goals still the same for 2023? Has market...

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

The Markets Perception versus reality. A recent Harris poll, conducted on behalf of The Guardian newspaper, found that there is some confusion about the state of the American economy and U.S. stock market performance. A significant...

Monday, May 20, 2024

The Markets Reading the economic tea leaves. Tasseography practitioners read tea leaves to forecast the future. Some economic data serve a similar purpose. Policymakers, central bankers, economists, and investors look at leading...

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

The Markets Higher rates are doing what they’re supposed to do. Last week, Federal Reserve officials spoke about keeping the federal funds rate higher until it becomes clear that inflation will reach the Fed’s two percent target rate....

Monday, May 6, 2024

The Markets What will the Federal Reserve do? Uncertainty about the direction and timing of Fed rate cuts is causing stock markets in the United States to charge and retreat. U.S. stocks rallied for five consecutive months...

Monday, April 29, 2024

The Markets The economy appears to be slowing down. Last week, many investors were focused on economic data. The Personal Consumption report offers information about Americans’ income and spending over the previous month. It includes...

Monday, April 29, 2024

It's no secret that the cost of higher education has been steadily rising over the years and without proper planning and saving, it can be a significant financial burden on both you and your family. There are various ways to save for...

Monday, April 22, 2024

The Markets Investors have been recalibrating their expectations. There is a lot going on in the world that could affect the value of financial markets – wars, tensions between major powers, a strong dollar, and rising oil prices –...

Monday, April 15, 2024

The Markets Inflation and geopolitics and earnings. Oh, my! It was a rough week for stock markets. “The S&P 500 closed 1.5% lower on Friday, while the Nasdaq Composite dipped 1.6%. Every S&P 500 sector closed lower—and just about 40...

Monday, April 8, 2024

The Markets The bull charged from October 2023 through March 2024. Last week, it took a breather. Optimistic may be the best word to describe the first quarter of 2024. From the start of the year, investors were confident that an...

Monday, April 1, 2024

The Markets What do dieters have in common with the Federal Reserve? If you’ve ever dieted, you may be familiar with the weight-loss plateau. Many people experience steady progress. The bathroom scale moves lower week by week – until...

Monday, March 25, 2024

The Markets The central banks have spoken. No one expected the United States Federal Reserve to announce a rate change last week – and it didn’t. But Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s comments and the actions of other central banks led to new...

Monday, March 18, 2024

The Markets   Here’s the tea on stock markets and presidential elections.   Last week, a slew of headlines mentioned stock market bubbles and frothy valuations. The implication was that markets might be headed lower...

Monday, March 18, 2024

Tax season is upon us when we reconcile our dues with Uncle Sam. However, it's also a period when some unscrupulous individuals exploit this necessity, conducting scams to defraud unsuspecting taxpayers. In this digital age, tax scams...

Monday, March 18, 2024

With so much of our lives spent online, it’s sad to think of losing the important stuff. Pictures of your kids and grandkids; Personal items like cherished emails, texts, and voicemails from loved ones; Or the notes for that...

Monday, March 11, 2024

The Markets   The week got off to a good start...   In testimony before House and Senate committees, Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell noted that prices had been falling and unemployment rates remained quite low. As a...

Monday, March 4, 2024

The Markets   The bull market is alive and well.   “We know what investors are thinking,” reported Jacob Sonenshine of Barron’s. “The gains can keep coming, driven by an economy that is neither too hot...

Monday, February 26, 2024

  The Markets   Optimism abounds!   Enthusiasm for everything related to artificial intelligence (AI) drove a global stock market rally last week. Equity markets in the United States, Europe, and Japan hit all-time highs...

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

As the tax deadline quickly approaches, we would like to kindly remind you to submit your tax information by March 15, 2024. This will ensure the timely and accurate filing of your 2023 tax return before the April 15, 2024 filing...

Monday, February 19, 2024

The Markets   China is out of favor with investors.   For decades, China was among the fastest-growing economies in the world. Its real gross domestic product, which is the value of all goods and services it produces...

Monday, February 12, 2024

The Markets   China is out of favor with investors.   For decades, China was among the fastest-growing economies in the world. Its real gross domestic product, which is the value of all goods and services it produces...

Monday, February 5, 2024

The Markets   We’ve been hearing a lot about layoffs.   Last week, the January 2024 Challenger Report found that employers based in the United States cut more than 82,000 jobs in January. That’s a lot. In December...

Thursday, February 1, 2024

All LLCs doing business in Kentucky must file an Annual Report every year.  You need to file an Annual Report in order to keep your LLC in compliance and in good standing with the state. Reports can be filed any time between...

Monday, January 29, 2024

The Markets   Even better than expected!   The United States economy is not performing the way anyone thought it would. Instead of tipping into a recession last year, it crushed expectations. Gross domestic product, which is...

Monday, January 29, 2024

January 29 to February 2, 2024, is Identity Theft Awareness Week. Anytime is a good time to tighten up your identity security, but if you haven’t been as careful as you intended, consider this your annual reminder. Here are a...

Monday, January 22, 2024

The Markets   Are you feeling optimistic or pessimistic?   Consumers are a force to be reckoned with – and we’re all consumers. We buy coats and tweezers, electricity and bread, screens and fishing poles. We...

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

The Markets   Is inflation retreating?   Last week, we received a lot of information about inflation. Some seemed to support the idea that inflation was sticky, meaning it wasn’t moving lower, while other data suggested...

Monday, January 8, 2024

The Markets   And we’re off…to a slow start.   Last week, investors appeared to suffer from a New Year’s hangover. The culprit was too much optimism.   After its December meeting, with inflation easing...

Thursday, January 4, 2024

This year makes a very special year for McDaniel Wealth Management as we celebrate our 20th anniversary!  Over the last two decades, McDaniel Wealth Management has grown from a small team in our quaint hour on First Street to 213...

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

The Markets   2023 was a big year for U.S. stocks.   The story of 2023 has its roots in 2022, when the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index lost almost 19.5 percent amid rising inflation and aggressive Federal Reserve rate...

Monday, December 18, 2023

  The Markets   Have rates peaked?   Last week, at its final policy meeting for 2023, the United States Federal Reserve indicated that rates may have peaked. After the meeting, Chair Jerome Powell said:   “As...

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

The Markets   Still exceeding expectations.   Last week, the United States Treasury market rallied. Yields fell and bond prices rose as some bond market investors enthusiastically embraced the idea that the Federal Reserve...

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

The Markets   We’re cycling along.   It’s easy to forget that economic activity tends to move in cycles. A full cycle, known as the business cycle, typically includes four stages:   Contraction occurs when...

Monday, November 27, 2023

HAPPY FALL! It is our mission at McDaniel Wealth Management to equip you with the knowledge you need to make the best financial decisions for you and your family.  Check out this season's newsletter for tax tips, updates from the...

Monday, November 27, 2023

The Markets   In November, investors were more optimistic than consumers.   At the start of November, investors were decidedly bearish. During the week of November 1, the AAII Investor Sentiment Survey found that about 50...

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Markets   Is it done? (We’re not talking about the turkey.)   Last week, investors enthusiastically embraced the idea that the Federal Reserve (Fed) could be done raising rates – and that it might even begin...

Monday, November 13, 2023

The Markets   Earnings grew in the third quarter.   Four times a year, during earnings season, publicly traded companies report how well they performed during the previous quarter. The strength of corporate earnings –...

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

The Internal Revenue Service has released new limits for the coming year. After months of high inflation and financial uncertainty, some of these cost-of-living-based adjustments have reached near-record levels. Individual Retirement...

Monday, November 6, 2023

The Markets   Will there be a year-end rally?   Last week, there was a lot of speculation about whether the United States will see a year-end stock market rally. Some say yes, and some say no.   For example, at Bank of...

Monday, October 30, 2023

The Markets   The Mark Twain Effect?   Historically, economic theory was based on the idea that financial decisions were grounded in rational thought. In recent years, behavioral economists have recognized that people...

Monday, October 30, 2023

The Social Security Administration has announced a 3.2% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2024. This adjustment means the average Social Security retiree beneficiary will see their monthly check increase by about $57 to $1,849,...

Monday, October 23, 2023

The Markets   Stay calm and consider the big picture.   Today, investors have a myriad of worries that are creating tremendous uncertainty. A September Investopedia survey found investors are concerned about how their...

Monday, October 16, 2023

The Markets   Markets were resilient.   Last week, investors had a lot to process – geopolitics, inflation, consumer sentiment, the possibility of government shutdown – and markets were volatile. Toward the end of...

Monday, October 9, 2023

The Markets   Financial markets lost ground during the third quarter.   While year-to-date returns for the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index remain above the historic average, which was 10.24 percent, including...

Monday, October 2, 2023

The Markets   Inflation is slowing but consumers aren’t feeling it.   In August, for the first time in two years, inflation (excluding volatile food and energy costs) dropped below four percent. Last week, one of the...

Monday, September 25, 2023

  The Markets   How high will they go?   Just as the market anticipated, the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) chose not to raise interest rates last week. However, Fed officials made it clear another rate...

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Medicare’s annual open enrollment period begins October 15 and ends December 7. During this time, current Medicare beneficiaries have the option to adjust their coverage for the coming year. Any changes to your plan will go into...

Monday, September 18, 2023

  The Markets   Adding new ingredients to the economic blender.   The performance of United States economy in 2023 has been as unexpected as a lentil-avocado-cinnamon smoothie – a tasty surprise. Last week,...

Monday, September 11, 2023

The Markets   All the work, work, work.   2023 has been a remarkable year so far. It has, “confounded economists, humbled forecasters, and rewarded investors. Despite a rapid rise in interest rates, the U.S. economy...

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

The Markets   Lowering inflation.   If you’ve ever waited in traffic while the center section of a bridge lifts to allow ships and sailboats to pass underneath, you may have noticed the enormous counterweight that...

Monday, August 28, 2023

The Markets   Becalmed.   The Chinese government’s zero-COVID policy took the wind from the sails of its economy. When the government finally ended the policy earlier this year, many economists anticipated that pent-up...

Monday, August 21, 2023

The Markets   Higher bond yields may be good for income investors – and not so good for stock markets.   After more than a decade of near-zero interest rates, the “free money” era – a time when people...

Monday, August 14, 2023

The Markets   Consumer sentiment is a lagging indicator. It’s also a contrarian indicator.   After rising sharply in June and July, consumer sentiment leveled off this month. The preliminary August reading for the...

Monday, August 7, 2023

  The Markets   An unwelcome surprise.   Last week, Fitch Ratings startled markets by lowering the credit rating of United States Treasuries from AAA to AA+. It was the second rating agency to downgrade U.S. Treasuries;...

Monday, July 31, 2023

The Markets   Central bank palooza!   While music lovers attended concerts and festivals across the United States, central banks had a lollapalooza of their own. The U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) led things off last Wednesday,...

Monday, July 24, 2023

The Markets Better than expected. In January of this year, the Bloomberg’s MLIV Pulse survey collected and shared investors’ expectations for stock markets. Survey participants were generally a gloomy group....

Monday, July 17, 2023

The Markets Disinflation was in the air! To the great relief of the Federal Reserve, the American economy has been experiencing “disinflation,” which is a slowdown in the rate of inflation. For example, last week...

Monday, July 10, 2023

The Markets Markets are playing Federal Reserve (Fed) Clue. Last week, investors parsed the monthly Employment Situation Summary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for clues about whether the Fed will raise the federal funds...

Monday, July 3, 2023

The Markets Showing remarkable resilience. Throughout the first half of 2023, the U.S. economy and financial markets proved to be resilient – and so did investors. U.S. stock markets moved higher amid enthusiasm for...

Monday, June 26, 2023

 The Markets The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Express is traveling fast. Investors are enthusiastic about AI. Late last year, an AI research lab introduced a chatbot that could answer questions – and people were...

Monday, June 19, 2023

The Markets Rebalancing ahead! There is one decision all investors should make: how to allocate the money they’re investing. Asset allocation decisions are usually based on a myriad of factors: expected returns,...

Monday, June 12, 2023

The Markets Leaping over the wall of worry. The “wall of worry” is an obstacle – or set of obstacles – that investors face. This year, the wall reached a considerable height as inflation, the War in...

Monday, June 5, 2023

The Markets As Gomer Pyle used to say, “Surprise, surprise, surprise!” Gomer Pyle USMC was a popular American sitcom in the 1960s. It focused on a naïve, do-gooding auto mechanic from Mayberry RFD who joined...

Monday, June 5, 2023

Summer’s here, and the time is right for vacations, outdoor activities, and fun. It’s also a good time to consider a few financial matters. Here are some questions to ask yourself mid-year.Goals still the same for 2023? Has...

Friday, June 2, 2023

It’s FAFSA time! As your student prepares for college, they can now fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, for the upcoming school year.Even if your student won’t require help from the government,...

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

The Markets It’s a three-ring circus! For centuries people have embraced the circus. Enjoying the sticky fluff of cotton candy while elephants, clowns and trapeze artists perform in the spotlights. Merriam...

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

It is our mission at McDaniel Wealth Management to equip you with the knowledge you need to make the best financial decisions for you and your family.  Check out this season's newsletter for tax tips, updates from the firm, and a...

Monday, May 22, 2023

The Markets Investors aren’t happy, but stocks are up. If you ever participated in a fantasy football league, you may have experienced a run on a position during your draft. One person picks a kicker or defense...

Monday, May 15, 2023

The Markets Brace yourself! The debt ceiling standoff continues. Consumers aren’t optimistic. The Consumer Sentiment Index fell to a six-month low in May, dropping 9.1 percent month-to-month. Participants in the...

Monday, May 8, 2023

The Markets The labor market just keeps growing…and growing… Last week, the April employment report for the United States arrived. It showed that unemployment dropped to the lowest level in more than 50 years...

Monday, May 1, 2023

The Markets Get real! Despite more than a year of aggressive Federal Reserve rate increases, the United States economy is still growing, albeit more slowly. U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) – the value of all goods and...

Monday, April 24, 2023

The Markets Better than expected. It’s earnings season – the time when publicly traded companies report on how profitable they were during the first quarter of 2023. So far, reports suggest that companies listed...

Monday, April 17, 2023

The Markets Keep your eye on the big picture. Last week, there was nothing too surprising in economic and financial news. Inflation eased, as expected, although it remained above the Federal Reserve (Fed)’s target...

Monday, April 10, 2023

The Markets Ambiguous images. Some illustrations are optical illusions. When two people view the picture, they may see completely different images. A good example is Rubin’s Vase. One viewer may see a vase, while...

Monday, April 3, 2023

The Markets Perhaps we should call this a pushmi-pullyu market. The first quarter of 2023 brought Dr. Dolittle’s pushmi-pullyu – the rarest animal of all – to mind. It is the offspring of goat-antelopes and...

Monday, March 27, 2023

The Markets What’s your jam? When you think of fun, are you running an Arctic marathon? Biking to your favorite burger place? Gaming with friends online? Each has inherent risk: Polar bears and hypothermia, traffic and...

Monday, March 27, 2023

With so much of our lives spent online, it’s sad to think of losing the important stuff. Pictures of your kids and grandkids; Personal items like cherished emails, texts, and voicemails from loved ones; Or the notes for that book...

Monday, March 20, 2023

The Markets Unknowns and uncertainty. Financial markets were volatile last week as investors parsed the risks around bank closures, central banks offered additional protections for depositors, and regulators took a...

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

We wanted to share a quick update in light of the recent news about Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and discuss our thoughts on its impact on the markets and future Fed moves. What happened?Regulators seized the assets of SVB on Friday,...

Monday, March 13, 2023

The Markets Thrown for a loop. Early last week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told Congress the Fed is committed to bringing inflation down to 2 percent. If economic data continues to come in hot, he said, then...

Monday, March 6, 2023

 The Markets Sibling discord. Stocks and bonds are two of the better-known asset classes in the family of potential investments. Last week, they were in opposition. Bond yields have been moving higher in...

Monday, February 27, 2023

The Markets Is it good news or bad news? The answer depends on your perspective. Last week, we learned that: Consumer sentiment is at its highest level in more than a year. Consumers are feeling better about current...

Thursday, February 23, 2023

The tax deadline is quickly approaching and we are ready to prepare your tax return, but we'll need your 2022 tax information by March 15, 2023, in order to ensure that your 2022 tax return will be successfully filed before the...

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

The Markets Brace for a bumpy ride. There were some unwelcome surprises in last week’s economic data that caused markets to reassess expectations for 2023. For example: Inflation didn’t fall as fast as...

Monday, February 13, 2023

 The Markets This time may be different...or it may not be. There has been a lot of speculation about how the Federal Reserve’s policies will affect the United States economy. Economists have differing opinions...

Monday, February 6, 2023

All LLCs doing business in Kentucky must file an Annual Report every year.  You need to file an Annual Report in order to keep your LLC in compliance and in good standing with the state. Reports can be filed any time between...

Monday, February 6, 2023

The Markets What do Samuel Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) and the current economic expansion have in common? Author and humorist Twain was prematurely reported to be dead. It first happened in 1897. Twain was on a speaking tour...

Monday, January 30, 2023

The Markets The vicious cycle of inflation. Last week, we learned that pay increases at central banks in many parts of the world won’t keep pace with inflation. As a result, their employees may not be able to maintain...

Monday, January 30, 2023

January 30 to February 3, 2023, is Identity Theft Awareness Week. Anytime is a good time to tighten up your identity security, but if you haven’t been as careful as you intended, consider this your annual reminder. Here are a few...

Monday, January 23, 2023

The Markets “It’s hard to be a contrarian for very long these days because the consensus seems to change so quickly,” opined Ed Yardeni via LinkedIn last week. We’ve certainly seen a shift in...

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

The Markets Bullish or bearish? After last year’s geopolitical turmoil, economic malaise, and tumultuous stock market decline, many financial professionals – from investors to asset managers – have strong...

Monday, January 9, 2023

The Markets It’s being called the “Goldilocks” report. Last Friday, we learned that demand for workers in the United States remained strong in 2022. The unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent in December....

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

The Markets It’s finally over. 2022 was a dismal year for financial markets. Major United States stock indices moved lower, trimming or eliminating the previous year’s gains. The Standard & Poor’s 500...

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

The Markets What a year!  In some ways, it feels as though we lived through several years in 2022. The onslaught of events included, “The first major European war since the 1990s, unprecedented sanctions,...

Monday, December 19, 2022

The Markets Bad news is bad news, once again. For months, investors have cheered bad economic news. When the United States economy showed signs of weakness, stock markets often reflected investor enthusiasm. The thinking was...

Monday, December 12, 2022

The Markets What comes next? The U.S. stock market tends to be a forward-looking vehicle. Investors make decisions today based on what they think may be ahead for the economy, and how economic change may affect the companies...

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Effective for transactions on or after January 1, 2023, Kentucky tax law (HB 8) applies the 6% sales and use tax to charges for the services listed below.Businesses that provide these services must begin charging and collecting tax on...

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

The Markets What will it take to slow this economy down? In 2001, railway workers slowed a runaway train in Ohio by latching a second engine to the back of the locomotive and applying the brakes. In all, the train traveled...

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

The Markets There was a shift in the winds of monetary policy. Last week, it became clear the Federal Reserve (Fed) had softened its hawkish stance. The minutes of the central bank’s November policy meeting indicated...

Monday, November 21, 2022

The Markets Thanksgiving and football go together like turkey and stuffing. For some families, though, this year may be more like a turducken, stuffed with American football and the sport the rest of the world knows as...

Monday, November 14, 2022

The Markets Last week was remarkable for many reasons. One reason is that sky watchers around the world had an opportunity to see a total lunar eclipse. The moon, Earth and sun aligned, causing the moon to appear crimson. We...

Monday, November 14, 2022

A recent survey found that 28% of workers are very confident about having enough money to live comfortably through their retirement years. At the same time, 27% are not confident.1In 2001 congress passed a law that can help older...

Monday, November 7, 2022

The Markets It’s the lag time. To no one’s surprise, the Federal Reserve continued to battle inflation last week, raising the federal funds rate for the fourth time this year, reported Claire Ballentine of...

Thursday, November 3, 2022

As fall ushers in the start of the holiday season, we're embracing the cooler temperatures, drier weather, and preparing for the coziest season of all! It’s a time to enjoy friends, family, great food, and a whole lot of football.

Monday, October 31, 2022

The Markets Some companies are doing better than others – a lot better. It’s earnings season; the time when companies share how well they performed during the previous quarter. Earnings reports are important...

Monday, October 24, 2022

The Markets Markets turned – again. Markets continue to be volatile. Last week, stocks headed north. Nicholas Jasinski of Barron’s reported the change of direction reflected investors’ desire for the market...

Monday, October 17, 2022

The Markets We’re not there yet. Investors are understandably eager for the stock market to hit bottom. Some hoped it happened last week, but it did not.  Despite the Fed’s rate hikes, last week the...

Monday, October 10, 2022

The Markets Bah humbug! Last week, OPEC+, which includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied oil producers like Russia, chose to cut production by two million barrels a day. The stated goal is to...

Monday, October 3, 2022

The Markets The third quarter marked a change in attitude. So far, 2022 has been a tough year for investing. We’ve experienced an unusual phenomenon – the simultaneous decline of stock and bond markets. Throughout...

Monday, September 26, 2022

The Markets Central bank tightening sparked recession fears. Last week, the Federal Reserve (Fed) raised the federal funds rate for the fifth time this year. During 2022, the Fed has lifted its benchmark rate from near zero...

Monday, September 19, 2022

The Markets It’s open to interpretation. Jackson Pollock was an action painter. He poured, dropped, and dripped paint onto horizontal canvases. Some people look at his work and wonder why it’s highly valued....

Monday, September 12, 2022

The Markets Central banks are hawkish. Stocks popped higher, anyway. Last week, despite signs that inflation is slowing, U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) officials emphasized their commitment to tightening monetary policy to lower...

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

The Markets You may have heard this one: Don’t fight the Fed. The Fed is the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States. Among other things, the Fed influences monetary conditions in pursuit of price stability and full...

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Schools across the nation are getting back to business. For students, it’s a return to education after vacations, summer jobs, and other activities.For parents, grandparents, and guardians, “back to school” often...

Monday, August 29, 2022

The Markets Markets were tuned to the signals coming from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. During World War II, United States armed forces often relied on high-powered radio sets to communicate. When determining whether transmissions...

Monday, August 22, 2022

The Markets Is this a bear market rally or a new bull market? Investment professionals are in the middle of a heated debate. Since mid-June, United States stock markets have moved higher, regaining about $7 trillion as many...

Monday, August 15, 2022

The Markets Rally caps were waving. In recent weeks, investors have embraced the idea that economic data will persuade the Federal Reserve to slow the pace of rate hikes. Last week’s inflation data fanned their...

Monday, August 8, 2022

 The Markets The strength of the United States economy continues to surprise. If you have ever been camping, you may have banked your campfire by covering the hot coals with ash. It’s a process that keeps the coals...

Friday, August 5, 2022

"Where there's a will, there's a way." Sage advice that applies not only to our lives but to your estate strategy.When was the last time you reviewed your will or estate strategy? August is National "Make a Will" Month, an excellent...

Monday, August 1, 2022

The Markets Investors thought they heard a dovish note from the Federal Reserve and markets rallied. Last week, we learned from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that economic growth in the United States slowed for the...

Monday, July 25, 2022

The Markets A lot of people are worried that a recession may be in our future. Some think it may already be here. Unemployment is low (3.6 percent), and inflation is high (9.1 percent). Both tend to occur when an economy is...

Monday, July 18, 2022

 The Markets Nobody is happy, but Americans are feeling more optimistic. Last week, headlines blasted the new inflation numbers. Prices were up more than 9% year-over-year in June, according to the Bureau of Labor...

Monday, July 11, 2022

The Markets Rising inflation is a bit like a child throwing a temper tantrum in the grocery store. The red-faced parent, in this case the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed), tries to calm the child. Sometimes, it works and the child...

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

The Markets The first six months of 2022 have earned a place in history books. 2022 is likely to become part of the lore passed from generation to generation. Stories will be told about this bear market, as well as the...

Monday, June 27, 2022

The Markets Last week, bad news was good news. Consumers were feeling blue in June, according to the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey. The survey scored sentiment at 50, which was the lowest level on record....

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

The Markets The fight against inflation intensified. Last week, the Federal Reserve (Fed) delivered a message that it is serious about fighting inflation. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) lifted the federal funds...

Monday, June 20, 2022

Summer’s here, and the time is right for vacations, outdoor activities, and fun. It’s also a good time to consider a few financial matters. Here are some questions to ask yourself mid-year.Goals still the same for...

Monday, June 13, 2022

 The Markets Inflation is proving to be far more tenacious than markets had hoped. The idea that inflation peaked in March was put to rest last week when the Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed that inflation accelerated...

Monday, June 6, 2022

The Markets How strong is the United States economy? That’s the question investors were mulling after last week’s jobs report. More jobs were created in May than economists expected, and the labor force...

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

 The Markets Investors reassessed and markets bounced. Last week, major U.S. stock indices moved higher for the first time in weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 6.2 percent, the Standard &...

Monday, May 23, 2022

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Monday, May 16, 2022

Monday, May 9, 2022

Monday, May 2, 2022

Monday, April 25, 2022

Monday, April 18, 2022

Monday, April 11, 2022

Monday, April 4, 2022

Monday, March 28, 2022

Monday, March 21, 2022

Monday, March 14, 2022

Monday, March 7, 2022

Thursday, March 3, 2022

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Monday, February 28, 2022

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Monday, February 21, 2022

Monday, February 14, 2022

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Monday, January 31, 2022

Monday, January 24, 2022

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

It is our mission at McDaniel Wealth Management to equip you with the knowledge you need to make the best financial decisions for you and your family. Check out this season's newsletter for tax tips, updates from the firm, and a...

Monday, November 8, 2021

The Markets Feeling bullish… Investor bullishness ticked higher last week on all four investor sentiment gauges tracked by Barron’s. Investor optimism may have been fanned by positive financial and economic news. For...

Monday, November 1, 2021

The Markets The road to recovery is slow and bumpy. Last week, we learned that economic growth slowed in the third quarter as a new wave of COVID-19 surged across the United States, reported The Bureau of Economic Analysis. Gross...

Monday, October 25, 2021

The Markets It’s MESSI! No, this commentary is not about Lionel Messi, the Argentine soccer phenom who is widely regarded one of the greatest footballers of all time. However, it is about something that economists say may be as...

Monday, October 18, 2021

The Markets Don’t get spooked! Barron’s Big Money Poll is an exclusive survey of market sentiment among professional investors. Last week, Nicholas Jasinski reported on 2021’s findings: “America’s money...

Monday, October 11, 2021

The Markets The word “jouncy” may have started life as a combination of bouncy and jolting – and it’s a pretty good way to describe what happened to stock markets last week. The week started with the Standard &...

Monday, October 4, 2021

The Markets September strikes again… If you look back over the last 20 years, September has been the worst performing month for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, according to Nasdaq. This year, the S&P 500 dropped 4.8...

Monday, September 27, 2021

The Markets Central banks have a lot of influence on investors, markets and economies. For the last year or so, the Federal Reserve has been purchasing $120 billion of bonds every month to ensure United States markets remained liquid...

Monday, September 20, 2021

The Markets In recent weeks, bullish sentiment has drifted lower like sediment settling after a storm. Every month, Bank of America (BofA) surveys global asset managers. The most recent survey, which was conducted in early September,...

Monday, September 13, 2021

The Markets The Delta variant could take a toll on economic growth. There was some good news last week. The 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases in the United States declined. The bad news was that the rate of infection remained...

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

The Markets Stagflation isn’t trending, but it was mentioned in quite a few headlines last week. Stagflation is a portmanteau of ‘stagnation’ and ‘inflation.’ It occurs when a country experiences slow...

Monday, August 30, 2021

The Markets “Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder,” advised the Persian poet Rumi. Last week, Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s words helped grow the week’s...

Monday, August 23, 2021

The Markets Markets were shaken last week by a potent cocktail of central bank tapering and economic growth concerns mixed with coronavirus and a splash of the new Chinese privacy law. On Wednesday, the minutes of the United States...

Monday, August 16, 2021

The Markets What is the most important driver of economic growth in the United States? The most common way to measure economic output is Gross Domestic Product or GDP. It’s the value of all goods and services produced in our...

Monday, August 9, 2021

Are we there yet? For months, investors have wondered when the Federal Reserve (Fed) might begin to “normalize” its policies, a process that will eventually lead to higher inteårest rates. Last week, a...

Monday, August 2, 2021

The Chinese dragon cast a shadow over free trade and foreign investment last week. For decades, investors have recognized the investment potential of China. Since the country opened to foreign trade and investment in 1979, its economy...

Monday, July 26, 2021

Shortest ever. Last week, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) finally announced the official dates for the recession that occurred in 2020. Economic activity peaked in February 2020 and bottomed in April 2020. That makes...

Monday, July 19, 2021

The term “peak growth” has become almost as popular as the comedy show Ted Lasso. Peak growth is a catchphrase with the potential to mislead. When the term is applied to the U.S. economy, it does not mean the United States...

Monday, July 12, 2021

There was a gapers’ block in financial markets last week as equity investors slowed to see what the United States Treasury bond market was up to. U.S. Treasury bonds rallied last week. Yields on 10-year Treasuries dropped from 1...

Tuesday, July 6, 2021

The world is about halfway back to normal. The Economist developed the Global Normalcy Index (GNI) to measure the post-pandemic return to normal. In March 2020, the GNI was 35 overall, with 100 being the normal pre-pandemic level. At...

Monday, June 28, 2021

What begins with the letter “I”? Infrastructure is essential and sometimes taken for granted. Pipes carry drinking water to our homes, offices, and healthcare facilities, and carry away sewage and wastewater. Highways,...

Monday, June 21, 2021

Is that a hawk? The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) met last week. They get together eight times a year to review current economic and financial conditions, assess risks to price stability and economic growth, and adjust...

Monday, June 14, 2021

It’s transitory. It’s not transitory. It’s transitory. It’s not transitory. Media analysts were plucking the inflation daisy petals last week. On Thursday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Consumer...

Monday, June 7, 2021

Pulling the economy out of the shed. If you’ve ever stored tools or machinery in a shed or garage for an extended period of time, you know they often need some care and repair to function properly. The same appears to be true of...

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Are we at a tipping point? One side effect of the pandemic was a collapse in demand for oil, which led to “the largest revision to the value of the oil industry’s assets in at least a decade,” reported Collin Eaton...

Monday, May 24, 2021

The Markets What do markets hate? They hate uncertainty, and recently there has been plenty of it. Some of the questions plaguing economists and pundits include: Why aren’t people returning to work? Americans, like people in...

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Uncle Inflation is here. Will he overstay his welcome? Ever since the financial crisis, central banks have pursued expansionary monetary policies to encourage reflation and avoid deflation. Well, it’s taken some time, but...

Monday, May 10, 2021

Like a gender reveal gone wrong, last week’s employment report delivered an unexpected surprise. Economists estimated 975,000 new jobs would be created in April. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported there...

Monday, May 3, 2021

It’s Spring and economic recovery is in the air. Last week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported the U.S. economy grew at a 6.4 percent annualized rate for the first three months of 2021. While that’s good news for...

Monday, April 26, 2021

It wasn’t just the price of pork chops. Last week, as investors weighed the news, strong corporate earnings were offset by higher grocery prices and rising numbers of global coronavirus cases. Solid corporate earnings weighed...

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

As you are aware, the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal income tax filing due date was extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. That deadline is quickly approaching! We are ready to...

Monday, April 19, 2021

Where are Treasury bonds going? The direction of bond yields is influenced by investors’ expectations for economic growth, among other factors. When economic growth is expected to weaken, bond yields tend to move lower. When...

Monday, April 12, 2021

Investors didn’t stumble over inflation last week. Why not? Inflation – rising prices of goods and services – can be measured in a variety of ways. For example, the Consumer Price Index considers changes in the amount...

Monday, April 5, 2021

Zoom, zoom, zoom.Big economies tend to recover from recessions about as quickly as semi-trucks accelerate from stop lights. In other words, recovery tends to be slow. That may not be the case this time.“Everything in this economic...

Monday, March 29, 2021

Last week, unemployment claims were looking good and consumers were feeling good. The number of Americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits declined. Just 684,000 people filed claims during the week of March 20, down 97,000...

Monday, March 22, 2021

What are professional asset managers thinking? Bank of America recently published the results of its March global asset managers’ survey, which polls 220 professional investors responsible for about $630 billion in assets,...

Monday, March 15, 2021

Investors had a lot to be enthusiastic about last week. Major stock indices in the United States soared, finishing the week higher and setting new records along the way, reported Al Root of Barron’s. There was plenty of good news...

Monday, March 8, 2021

Neanderthal DNA may make people more – or less – susceptible to COVID-19, reported The Economist. It all depends on whether you have the genes and, if you do, which DNA string you inherited. No matter what your gene...

Monday, March 1, 2021

On Monday, Feb. 22, the White House announced several changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that went into effect on Wednesday, Feb. 24. These changes are intended to further target “the smallest businesses and those...

Monday, March 1, 2021

Students of financial markets may have noted a historically unusual event last week. On Thursday, the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes briefly matched the dividend yield for the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index. This type of...

Monday, February 22, 2021

It’s a contrarian’s dream come true. Contrarian investors like to buck the trend. They buy when other investors are selling and sell when others are buying. Last week, Bank of America (BofA) delivered a contrarian’s...

Thursday, February 18, 2021

All LLCs doing business in Kentucky must file an Annual Report every year. You need to file an Annual Report in order to keep your LLC in compliance and in good standing with the state. Reports can be filed any time between January 1...

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Way back, when radio disk jockeys played 45-rpm vinyl singles, the A-side of a disk was the song the record company was promoting and the other side – the flip side – held a song that sometimes had an equal or greater...

Monday, February 8, 2021

The Markets It’s not a black diamond ski run yet, but the yield curve for U.S. Treasuries is steeper than it has been in a while. A yield curve is the line on a graph showing yields for different maturities of bonds. Yield curves...

Monday, February 1, 2021

Recently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that tax season will start a little later than usual. This year the IRS will begin accepting and processing 2020 tax returns on Friday, February 12, 2021.1 In light of the...

Monday, February 1, 2021

The Markets They say people watching the same event often see different things. That seems to have been the case last week when share prices of a few companies experienced tremendous volatility. Some cast the events as a David vs....

Monday, January 25, 2021

The Markets Last week, as COVID-19 vaccination efforts continued, there was speculation about stock market corrections and asset bubbles. On Sunday morning, Bloomberg reported 63 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine had been...

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Investors were rocked by economic data showing the economy hit the brakes hard in December. Last week, major U.S. stock indices decelerated as investors gaped at the economic damage caused by the rising number of coronavirus cases...

Monday, January 11, 2021

The event at the United States Capitol building had a resounding impact around the world, but it didn’t deter global stock markets. Last week, investors weighed the violent disruption of America’s 2020 presidential election...

Monday, January 4, 2021

Last week was the cherry on top of a turbulent year for investors. After the $900 billion fiscal stimulus bill was signed on Sunday, major U.S. stock indices moved higher. The Washington Post reported, “The S&P 500-stock index,...

Monday, December 28, 2020

U.S. stock markets remained calm as a fresh chapter opened in the coronavirus stimulus saga last week. Congress managed to cobble together a new stimulus package that was acceptable to both sides and pass it. The proposed package...

Monday, December 14, 2020

When it comes to beverages, frothy can be delicious. In what may be the least inspiring description of fizzy drinks ever written, a group of food engineers explained, “Aeration in beverages, which is manifested as foam or bubbles...

Monday, December 7, 2020

When is bad news good news? Take a look at last week. Major stock indices in the United States hit all-time highs on Friday, despite a lackluster employment report and a surge in COVID-19 cases, reported Lewis Krauskopf of Reuters....

Monday, November 30, 2020

Last week, vaccine optimism immunized investors against signs of economic weakness. In previous commentaries we’ve written about narrative economics, which holds that popular stories may affect individual and collective economic...

Monday, November 23, 2020

The U.S. economy is like a semi-trailer truck. No one likes being stuck behind a semi at a stoplight because big trucks don’t go from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds. Neither does the U.S. economy. When the pandemic brought our economy...

Monday, November 16, 2020

Vaccine can be a powerful word. It’s worth 14 points in Scrabble (42 on a triple word square) and, last week, it was worth a whole lot more than that to financial markets. On Monday, a pharmaceutical company and a biotech company...

Monday, November 9, 2020

It’s said markets hate uncertainty, but that wasn’t the case last week. Despite tremendous uncertainty about the outcome of the United States election, major domestic and international stock indices moved higher and the...

Monday, November 2, 2020

The Markets Last week, financial markets and economic data told very different stories. Reviewing economic data is a bit like looking in a rearview mirror. Typically, it offers information about what is behind us. For example, last...

Monday, October 26, 2020

The Markets Stimulus talks led investors in a merry dance last week. So far in 2020, stock markets have been sensitive to fiscal stimulus. Last week, there was optimism a new stimulus package could be negotiated before the election....

Monday, October 19, 2020

The Markets It was a turbulent week for investors. Waves of positive and negative news buffeted financial markets last week: The financial sector delivered upbeat earnings news Currently, many financial companies in the Standard &...

Monday, October 12, 2020

The Markets Yes. No. Maybe? Markets were sharply focused on the status of stimulus last week. First, it was on. Then, it was off. Then, it might be on. Then, it was off again. There was a big bill. There was a smaller bill. There were...

Monday, October 5, 2020

Last week, the third quarter of 2020 came to an end – and the fourth quarter delivered a doozy of an October surprise. President Trump has the coronavirus On Friday Americans awoke to the news President Trump had contracted...

Monday, September 28, 2020

For four weeks, the U.S. stock market has sparked and sputtered like a campfire in light rain. Today, pandemic-driven demand is providing fuel for the investors. The need for certain types of products and services has accelerated and...

Monday, September 21, 2020

Investors weren’t happy with central banks last week. After the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell confirmed the economy is recovering more quickly than anticipated: “With the...

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Last week, the Nasdaq Composite Index set another record. So far, 2020 has been memorable for many reasons, not the least of which is the incredible speed at which some events have been occurring in financial markets. This year,...

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Stock markets in the United States retreated a bit last week. U.S. stocks have been trending higher for months. Last week, they gave back some gains. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 3.3 percent, while the S&P 500 Index fell 2.3 percent,...

Monday, August 31, 2020

8.31.2020 The Markets The stock market rallies like it’s 1986. August has been a good month for stock investors. At the end of last week, the S&P 500 Index was up 6.8 percent for the month. The Index is poised to deliver its best...

Monday, August 3, 2020

AUG 2020 Commentary August 3, 2020 The Markets Last week delivered a mixed bag of financial and economic news. As many expected, the U.S. economy did not fare well during the second quarter. COVID-19 lockdowns and business closings...

Monday, July 20, 2020

JUL 2020 Commentary July 20, 2020 The Markets Is the United States economy recovering or faltering? It depends on who you ask and which data you consider. For example, last week, the Department of Labor reported fewer people applied...

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

JUL 2020 Commentary July 13, 2020 The Markets Please don’t scream inside your heart. Last week, a reopened Japanese theme park asked patrons to wear masks to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. It also asked them not to...

Monday, July 6, 2020

JUL 2020 Commentary July 6, 2020The MarketsWhat a quarter!Who could have guessed a global pandemic would produce outsized stock market returns? Near the end of last quarter (March 23), the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 30...

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

JUN 2020 Commentary June 29, 2020The MarketsBlame it on the coronavirus.Stock markets in the United States and Europe retreated last week as the number of new COVID-19 cases increased steadily in America. On Thursday, there were more...

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Could it be the upside surprises?U.S. stock markets have marched higher despite a pandemic, an economic downturn, and social justice protests – and a lot of people have wondered why.1Greg Rosalsky of Plant Money spoke with Nobel...

Monday, June 15, 2020

The Nasdaq Composite dipped its toes into record territory last week before retreating. Stock indices in the United States rallied early last week on optimism about the reopening of businesses across the country. The Nasdaq Composite...

Monday, June 8, 2020

The employment report electrified U.S. stock markets last week.American stock markets responded enthusiastically to the news U.S. unemployment was 13.3 percent in May. If it seems inexplicable double-digit unemployment would thrill...

Monday, June 1, 2020

It was a good week for stock markets in the United States, but there was trouble in Asia. U.S. stock markets rallied last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, and Nasdaq Composite all gained more...

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

The Markets It was a good week for stock markets in the United States, but there was trouble in Asia. U.S. stock markets rallied last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, and Nasdaq Composite all...

Monday, May 18, 2020

America is reopening, state by state. That’s welcome news for many businesses, but we’re far from business as usual. Last week’s economic news included unemployment hitting an 80-year high, a record drop in retail...

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Lots of useful information in our Spring 2020 Newsletter!

Monday, May 11, 2020

The stock market is not the economy. It’s an important point to remember when headlines marvel that U.S. stock markets are moving higher while the U.S. economy is contracting. Stock markets are not mindful of the present moment....

Monday, May 4, 2020

There are signs COVID-19 may be in retreat. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control reported, overall in the United States, for the week ending April 25 (officially week 17 of the coronavirus), the number of:1 • People visiting...

Monday, April 27, 2020

We live in interesting times. There is discussion about whether the saying, “May you live in interesting times,” is a blessing or a curse. At this point in 2020, we all understand why.1 Last week, the world watched in...