Since our July 2019 newsletter, the markets have seen increased volatility and uncertainty for a variety of reasons, while also elevating investor concern. At GFP, we are committed to helping you preserve your assets and protect your lifestyle during these volatile times. This newsletter and/or a simple phone call to us will help you gain a valuable perspective on how we are managing your assets to support your long-term goals and lifestyle choices. As your personal fiduciary, we educate, advise, and offer thoughtful analysis of this turbulent environment, and hope the information we share with you helps you better understand the relationship between your financial plan and your personalized investment portfolio.  In this month’s The Guardian Standard Newsletter, we discuss the current market environment and offer some perspective on increased uncertainty and volatility. We feel you become a better investor through becoming a more informed investor. We also discuss whether you should own life insurance and provide a resource for understanding your Social Security options. Enjoy!

What's Going on in the Markets?

Market volatility is normal. With that said we understand the uneasiness it may cause investors. The last couple of weeks were filled with plenty of news to stoke fear and volatility. Concerns over a trade war between the U.S. and China continued. We saw a rate cut and uncertainty surrounding the Fed’s next move. The Treasury curve remained inverted for most of the month, and we saw the resignation of Theresa May as UK prime minister after failing to deliver on BREXIT plans. To read our full commentary, please click here.

Do You Understand Your Social Security Options?

Social Security can feel like a complex decision to navigate. Do you take it early or delay? Are your benefits taxed? If you are married is your options different than if you are single or widowed? These are some of the questions we regularly hear. Our friends at Blackrock provide a great resource to helping you understand these questions and more. They educate you on Social Security from A-Z and provide a retirement estimator that helps you see the difference between taking benefits early, at full retirement age or delaying. If you have questions on how your Social Security decision affects your overall plan, we can help. To view the article, please click here.

Should You Own Life Insurance?

Life insurance can be a great tool for protecting loved ones. It can also be confusing and misrepresented by agents looking for their next sale. So how do you know if you need life insurance? Or how much do you need? Most commonly life insurance is used for family protection. Family protection is about replacing income and providing assets to help the family remain financially strong during the very tough time of losing a loved a one. Business owners may also consider life insurance for succession planning or protecting against the loss of a key person in the business. While we do not sell life insurance, it is part of our planning process. We can help you understand if you have the right amount of coverage, the right type of coverage at the right price. Please let us know if you would like to discuss whether you need to own life insurance or review your existing coverage.

Have questions? Please contact us at 949.771.2969 or here.