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Steve Coker, CFP
- Apr 1
- 2 min
Lowering your Medicare Premiums Due to a Life-Changing Event
Many retirees are surprised to learn that Medicare premiums are variable, increasing considerably for higher income individuals. The...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Mar 20
- 2 min
Investing Basics: How does the Fed Funds Rate Impact Interest Rates?
On Wednesday March 16th Federal Reserve raised rates for the first time since 2018. The increase was widely anticipated and fairly small,...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Mar 6
- 2 min
More Inflation, Less Growth
I am old enough to remember the 70’s, when gas lines were common, and inflation was eating away at earnings. Unfortunately, the current...


Carole Meitler
- Feb 26
- 2 min
Market Volatility and Investment Timing
Ideally, wouldn’t we all love a crystal ball that could tell us when to buy low and sell high? However, as famed mutual fund manager,...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Feb 13
- 2 min
Inflation Persists!
The annual inflation rate in the US accelerated to 7.5% in January, the highest level since February of 1982 and well above market...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Feb 4
- 2 min
Choppy Seas
2022 has begun with some choppy seas. From January 1, 2022, to January 27, 2022, the S&P 500 dropped -9.2 percent to mark the first...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Jan 7
- 3 min
2021: A Year in Review
To the surprise of many, 2021 was a wonderful year for stocks. Despite the extensive list of worries, the stock market continued to...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Dec 3, 2021
- 2 min
Inflation – Persistent or Transitory?
Inflation has clearly been on the rise this year, as seen in the economic statistics and at the local store and gas station. Inflation...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Oct 24, 2021
- 4 min
Preparing for a job change
A record 4.3M Americans quit their jobs in August. There are many reasons for the shift: record high job openings promising better...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Oct 10, 2021
- 3 min
The Worry List
Back in August we wrote about some of headwinds to economic growth for the remainder of the year. The list was short and included some of...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Jul 25, 2021
- 2 min
What is a fair share?
This week congress is expected to begin negotiations on sweeping changes to the U.S. tax code. We expect taxes to go up, particularly for...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Jul 16, 2021
- 3 min
More Inflation
In May I emphasized that inflation was on the move, and that inflation will become more and more important to investors in the months...


Steve Coker, CFP
- May 14, 2021
- 2 min
What about inflation?
The stock market was rattled this week on the release of April’s inflation data. Consumer price inflation (“CPI”) for the month of April...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Apr 11, 2021
- 2 min
Economic Boom
The S&P 500 hit another record this week as a combination of a receding virus, massive stimulus, and low interest rates pushed stocks,...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Feb 19, 2021
- 1 min
How the Economic Machine Works
As the virus recedes, investors are getting back to the nuts and bolts of the economy – a welcome change compared with tracking covid...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Feb 13, 2021
- 3 min
Adding up the stimulus
How could the stock market continue to rise during the pandemic? Why are stocks rising while so many Americans are still unemployed? The...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Jan 15, 2021
- 3 min
The Year Ahead – 2021 Outlook
When we wrote our 2020 outlook almost exactly one year ago, we outlined a basic expectation for 2020 and then highlighted the key risks...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Jan 9, 2021
- 3 min
2020 A Year in Review
Now that 2020 is over there are many who would rather not look back! Certainly 2020 will be remembered as a challenging year as many...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Dec 11, 2020
- 3 min
Valuation Check – What could possibly go wrong?
Despite the upheaval we have all felt during 2020, the stock market has made what appears to be a miraculous recovery, with the S&P 500...


Steve Coker, CFP
- Nov 1, 2020
- 2 min
Election Jitters
The market sold off this week as investors digested a combination of both positive and negative news including record breaking 3rd...