Blog – Page 19

Market Week: March 23, 2020

The Markets (as of market close March 20, 2020) Following the Fed's latest interest rate cut last weekend, stocks opened markedly lower on Monday, prompting the third circuit breaker in the last six sessions as trading was halted only seconds after the opening bell. By midmorning on Monday, the Dow had lost 8.5%, the S&P 500 slid 7.7%, and the Nasdaq fell 7.8%. By the end of the day, the Dow posted its worst percentage decline since 1987, the S&P 500 fell 12.0%, and the Nasdaq was off … [Read more...]

Eleven Ways to Help Yourself Stay Sane in a Crazy Market

Keeping your cool can be hard to do when the market goes on one of its periodic roller-coaster rides. It's useful to have strategies in place that prepare you both financially and psychologically to handle market volatility. Here are 11 ways to help keep yourself from making hasty decisions that could have a long-term impact on your ability to achieve your financial goals. 1. Have a game plan Having predetermined guidelines that recognize the potential for turbulent times can help … [Read more...]

Change in Business Hours and Practices in response to COVID-19

We have changed our business hours and practices in response to the COVID-19 health threat. We will answer phones between 9:AM and 5:PM Monday through Friday, and Saturdays from 9:AM until 3:PM. We have reduced our staffing levels to allow for maximum workspace and are taking precautions to keep everyone safe, including working from home. As you may already know, we are no longer scheduling appointments and are transacting business by phone, e-mail, and fax. We have a secure drop-box … [Read more...]

Market Week: March 16, 2020

The Markets (as of market close March 13, 2020) While the hope may have been that it couldn't get worse, unfortunately, it has. The coronavirus has not only posed a significant health threat to millions of people worldwide, but its impact has been felt economically and in the stock markets, both here and globally. Last Wednesday, the World Health Organization officially designated the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, having reached more than 100 countries and more than 100,000 reported … [Read more...]

How we are responding to the COVID-19 health threat

We are still OPEN for business. We’ve changed our process for filing your tax returns. Dear Friend, If your 2019 tax returns have already been completed and filed, you can choose to ignore what follows. It concerns folks with tax returns that have not yet been completed by Erb Financial. It’s hard not to turn on the radio or talk with friend without the coronavirus becoming the main topic. It’s on everyone’s mind. Erb Financial has decided to … [Read more...]

Coronavirus Concerns? Consider Past Health Crises

“Putting current market volatility into historical perspective can help you stay the course during turbulent times.” During the last week of February 2020, the S&P 500 lost 11.49% — the worst week for stocks since the 2008 financial crisis — only to jump by 4.6% on the first Monday in March.1 By all accounts, the drop was largely driven by ever-increasing fears about the potential effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its ultimate impact on the global economy. Although many market … [Read more...]

Flu Season and COVID-19

Flu Season is upon us and the COVID-19 outbreak could be here as well. We are taking precautions. Erb Financial has never taken flu season lightly, and the new Covid-19 outbreak reinforces the precautions we are taking. We encourage all customers and employees to stay home if they are not feeling well or are sick. All employees practice recommended personal hygiene practices including regular hand washing and disinfecting work spaces. Multiple times throughout the day … [Read more...]

The Coronavirus and the Global Economy

As of February 26, 2020, the death toll from COVID-19 — the official name of the coronavirus first reported in Wuhan, China — passed 2,700, while the number of confirmed cases exceeded 80,000. Almost all were in China, most of them in Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province. But more than 2,500 cases, including 46 deaths, had been reported in almost 40 other countries. A surge of cases and deaths in South Korea, Italy, and Iran caused new concern that the virus may be difficult to … [Read more...]

Epidemics and Stock Market Performance

Epidemics 2020 (Click Here to Open) Dear friends, Given the recent market volatility sparked by concerns surrounding the spread of the coronavirus, we thought we would drop you a note. It is our belief that the effects of this crisis on markets around the world will be temporary and relatively short-lived as similar incidences in the past. Please refer to the chart on our blog (linked below) which we're hoping helps us all hold to a long-term perspective. Broadly, our recommendation … [Read more...]

Tax Preparation Checklist 2019

View or Download the TAX PREPARATION CHECKLIST (PDF form) … [Read more...]