Stock Buybacks – How do they work?
Stock buyback have been getting negative press lately. The recently signed Inflation Reduction Act calls for a 1% excise tax on these transactions. Many proponents of this tax hope it will dampen the enthusiasm for stock buybacks. It is not clear why. Stock buybacks are a legitimate technique for value maximizing managers to distribute excess […]
NYS Unemployment Fraud – What to do if you’ve been a victim?
During the pandemic, unemployment benefits were increased significantly to help alleviate the financial burden for those who found themselves out of work. An unfortunate outcome is that unemployment fraud has become much more common, and many people have unknowingly had unemployment benefits claimed against their Social Security number in 2021. The NYS Department of Taxation […]
Fee-Only Advisor vs Fee-Based Advisor? What’s the difference?
As if the financial industry weren’t complicated enough, there are fee-only investment advisors and fee-based advisors — and a Registered Investment Advisor firm can be either. As the wording implies, fee-only investment advisors like Rockbridge receive NO commissions or any other forms of compensation from ANY outside sources. At the other end of the spectrum, commissioned brokers receive most or all of their […]
Inflation Commentary (August, 2022)
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) climbed to a historically high 9% over the past twelve months prompting concerns for ongoing inflation. There is much discussion in the popular press as to the causes and to the extent it is “transitory” or is becoming embedded in economic activity. While the emergence of inflation contributes to market […]
Capital Market Activity (August, 2022)
After a sharp decline in the first six months of this year, stocks were up nicely in July; a global equity portfolio was up just over 6%. These results were a welcome respite from what we have experienced thus far this year. Markets look to the future. Let us hope they signal positive expectations for […]
