In our quarterly Economic & Market Update Newsletter, we separate the relevant from the noise, to bring you timely content that helps you on the path to and through retirement!  1st Quarter 2024 Commentary & 2024 Outlook The economy and markets remained incredibly resilient in 2023, which has continued in the first quarter of 2024. This has been a very confusing time for investors. The economy is still on shaky ground with manufacturing in decline for over a year, and problems in real estate and other interest rate sensitive sectors. But the service sectors (which account for mos ..read more

In our quarterly Economic & Market Update Newsletter, we separate the relevant from the noise, to bring you timely content that helps you on the path to and through retirement!  4th Quarter 2023 Commentary & 2024 Outlook Stock Market Update Stocks climbed a wall of worry for most of 2023 and far exceeded even the most optimistic forecasts. First, investors were worried about a regional bank crisis, then they were concerned about the Fed raising rates too aggressively, and finally, fears about an imminent recession. But none of these fears materialized. The economy continued to gr ..read more

In our quarterly Economic & Market Update Newsletter, we separate the relevant from the noise, to bring you timely content that helps you on the path to and through retirement!  September Commentary & 3rd Quarter 2023 Recap Stock Market Update The optimism around artificial intelligence (AI) led to a strong recovery in markets through mid-summer, but then reality hit in August as investors started to believe that interest rates would remain higher for longer. September was a particularly rough month for markets. In the 3rd quarter, the S&P 500 fell about 3.6%, the Dow lost 2 ..read more

In our quarterly Economic & Market Update Newsletter, we separate the relevant from the noise, to bring you timely content that helps you on the path to and through retirement!  July Commentary & 2nd Quarter 2023 Recap Stock Market Update Stocks continued to climb a wall of worry in the first half of 2023. The S&P 500 was up nearly 16% this year at the close of the second quarter. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 3.8% this year, despite soft economic data, prominent bank failures, fears about the debt ceiling, and continued worries about an imminent recession. Economi ..read more

In the Market & Economic Outlook, we separate the relevant from the noise, to bring you timely content that helps you on the path to and through retirement!  January Commentary & 4th Quarter 2022 Recap 2022 will go down in history as one of the worst years for both stocks and bonds ever. The S&P 500 Index finished down 20% and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index dropped 15%, a historic decline for bonds. This combination of losses hasn’t been seen in the last half century. For much of the year, investors struggled with the uncertainty of mid-term elections, the outcome of ..read more

In the Market & Economic Outlook, we separate the relevant from the noise, to bring you timely content that helps you on the path to and through retirement!  July Commentary & 2nd Quarter 2022 Recap The combination of rampant inflation, rising interest rates, and dampened consumer sentiment have led to stocks and bonds having their worst 6-month start to a calendar year in decades. As concerns over COVID-19 dim, concerns over inflation and a slowing economy have gained steam. Many pundits believe that the stock market will retreat even lower, and that the U.S. economy is already ..read more

Why We Plan Podcast: Help Your Clients Find Clarity In this episode of the Why We Plan Podcast, Jared Johnson, CEO of BEI, and Ashley Micciche, Business Exit & Retirement Advisor for True North Retirement Advisors, talk about the different exit paths an owner can take. Ashley highlights how she is still surprised by the lack of clarity owners have on their futures. Business owners are typically overwhelmed with the number of paths they can take when planning for the ownership transfer of their business. Tune in to learn how to coax the answer out of your clients on where they genuinely wa ..read more

Business Confidential Now Podcast: Easiest Way To Establish An Attractive Business Exit Strategy with Financial Security Do you have a realistic exit strategy for your business? One that will give you financial security? Or do you just plan to turn the lights off one day, unplug your computer and call it quits? Or maybe you’re not sure. Well, if you want more financial security than cashing your last paycheck, listen to this recent interview on the Business Confidential Now with Hanna Hasl-Kelchner, where we discuss all the highlights of creating a realistic exit strategy for your business. H ..read more

Morning Blend on Mater Dei Radio: “What Mark Twain Said About Money” What did Mark Twain say about money & how does it apply to Catholics today? That’s what David Endres and Ashley Micciche discussed on a recent interview on the Morning Blend on Mater Dei Radio. Twain said: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do”. While that’s not exactly a quote about money, it does have important applications for managing your finances, and it is quite relevant for people thinking about retirement. The sentiment behind it also ha ..read more

Systems Simplified Podcast: Step-by-Step Exit Strategies for Business Owners Are you a business owner looking to exit your business and successfully retire in the near future? If so, do you know the right ways to prepare your business for a smooth and successful exit? On this episode of the Systems Simplified podcast, Adi Klevit is joined by Ashley Micciche, the CEO of True North Retirement Advisors, to discuss Ashley’s step-by-step exit strategy for business owners who are looking to retire with financial security. Together, they talk about how to find a business successor, Ashley ..read more