On July 1, we woke to learn the stock market posted its worst first half since 1970.  The bond market did not do well either in the first six months. Today we review the investment markets for the first half of this year, and offer some thoughts about what you can do to weather this storm.   In this episode:   0:00 – Intro 0:14 – Disclaimer 0:34 – Stocks and bonds in the First Half 3:02 – A unique year for investors 4:12 – Something interesting: Some of the pandemic “winners” 6:53 – How does this bear market stack up? 8:28 – Is it as bad as we imagine? 9:21 – The four most dangerous words in investing. 10:36 – The next 100% move in stocks. 11:56 – Bad times make investing harder 13:40 – Working behind the scenes   To watch the full episode and see the charts please visit: https://cfswv.com/cfsblog/first-half-2022-investment-review   A dismal first half Stocks and bonds both suffered losses in the first half of the year.  This created some real challenges for all of us.   A Unique Year This is the first time in a long time we have seen stocks and bonds both decrease significantly.    Some interesting data:  A few pandemic “winners”  Several companies did very well during the covid pandemic.  Below are just a few examples of companies that enjoyed a meteoric rise.  Unfortunately, many of them also had a massive crash!   The Next 100% Move in Stock Prices. Nobody really knows which direction the next 20% move in stock prices will be.  We are pretty confident which direction the next 100% move will be.   Appearing in this video   Derek Bailey – Derek is the Commonwealth Financial Services Research Coordinator.  He closely monitors the investment markets and reviews investments we use to help our clients.   Daniel Spurgeon, CFP® - Dan is a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional in Parkersburg, West Virginia.  He specializes in retirement planning and wealth management.   Neal Watson, CFP® - Neal is a CFP® Pro in Marietta, Ohio.  He has been a financial consultant for 26 years.

Divorce can add challenges when planning for retirement, especially for women. Jennifer, 50, divorced her former husband a few years ago. She asks, “How can I Retire at 65?”  We take a closer look at her situation and dig into the details to make sure she is on the right track.   Watch now:  50 and Divorced: How Can I Retire at 65?   Timeline   – Introduction – Disclaimer – Jennifer’s Situation – Making her money work harder for her. – Social Security for Divorced Spouses – Social Secuiry’s basic rules for Divorced Spouses – Projecting her income – What can she do to improve her outcome – Checking the details – What does retirement look like? - What if she remarries? – Final Thoughts. - Outro   Video Jenifer sent us this information:   I’m 50 years old.  About 5 years ago, My ex-husband and I divorced after 23 years of marriage.  My oldest child will finish college next year, and the youngest is going to be a sophomore, but has plans on grad school.  Most of the jobs I’ve had have not been what I would call “high paying.”  When we divorced, I received about $200,000 from my Husband’s 401k, today it’s worth about $220,000. I don’t know much about investing, so I’ve just had it a fund that wouldn’t lose money.  We sold the house, and I have about $56,000 leftover from the sales proceeds. I’ve use some of this to help my kids while they are at school. I earn about $40,000 per year—I take home about $2,400 per month after all deductions. I have about $43,000 in my own retirement plan. I contribute about 6% of my pay and my employer matches that dollar for dollar.   What do I need to do so I can retire when I’m 65?   To learn more, please visit: https://cfswv.com/cfsblog 50-and-divorced-how-can-i-retire-at-65   #Retirement #RetirementPlanning   Looking at How Jenifer Invests Her Money   To this point, Jenifer has been very conservative with her investments.  This means she is giving up the opportunity to significantly improve her retirement picture.  By better allocating her investments she can pursue longer term growth to help her reach her needs.   Understanding Her Social Security Benefits   Jennifer was married for 23 years prior to her divorce.  She can potentially claim Social Security spousal benefits on her former husband’s earnings record.  There are a few rules that still apply.   Back of the Envelope Math   By doing some rough calculations, Jennifer is positioned well for retirement.  She still has time to save and allow compounding to work in her favor.  How much can she accumulate and how much income will her nest-egg generate.   What if? – Things she can do to improve her outcome   Things don’t always go as planned.  The answers aren’t always as simple as “save more.” There are other things Jennifer can do to improve her retirement picture   Checking the details   Most likely, Jennifer doesn’t want her ex-husband to inherit her nest egg.  Now is the time to check beneficiary designations and other legal documents.   What does retirement look like?   One of the more helpful things to help someone plan for their retirement is to understand what they want to do when they stop working.    What if she remarries?   If Jennifer remarries, it will add complexity to her situation.  Social Security benefits could change.  She needs to think about beneficiary designations and some other financial parts of life.   Need help?   If you would like help planning for your retirement, you can reach out to one of our financial advisors.   They can help you chart a course for what lies ahead.  Simply complete the form to arrange a 15 minute phone call.   Appearing in this video;   Nikki Lude, CFP® - Nikki is a Certified Financial Planner™ in Woodsfield, Ohio.   For nearly 20 years she has been helping people plan for retirement, manage wealth, and better integrate money with their lives.   Neal Watson, CFP®- Neal is a CFP® pro in Marietta, Ohio.  He began helping people with their retirement and financial planning needs in 19

Want to Retire at 57? Here’s what you need to know Many young people would like to retire as early as they can.  It is possible, but there are some major obstacles in front of you.  If you want to retire at 57 (or any age for that matter), here is what you need to know.   To learn more, please visit – https://cfswv.com/cfsblog/want-to-retire-at-57   Obstacle 1 – Health Insurance   Health insurance will be a significant expense if you retire prior to being eligible for Medicare.  Expect a large outlay and coverage with high deductibles and out of pocket limits.   Obstacle 2 – Long-term stress on your savings.   Retiring early means your savings will have to last longer.  This means you need to set your withdrawal rate lower to reduce the risk to your nest egg.  It might also mean you have to accumulate more.  In addition, if you retire prior to age 62, you can’t depend on Social Security for a portion of your income.   Obstacle 3 – Debt   Mortgage payments and car payments are often big items on your household budget.  Doing what you can to eliminate those payments makes retiring (at any age!) easier.    What can you do – Save more!   It is an obvious suggestion.  If retiring early is on your mind, you need to be very aggressive with how much you save.  It will have the biggest impact on how much you accumulate over time.  You might also need to be more aggressive with your investments to try and improve the longer term returns.   What can you do – Eliminate debt.   If you can find room in your cash flow to pay off the mortgage or your car before you retire, you’ll be in a better position.  Look closely at how this strategy can impact your longer-term plans.   What can you do – Live a healthier lifestyle.   You may not avoid health insurance premiums.  But you can do things to improve your health.  Doing things to help you avoid chronic conditions or other longer term problems can result in smaller expenses for health related costs.   What you should know – Retiring early can impact Social Security benefits.   Retiring early can reduce your primary Social Security benefit.  In addition, you may be in a position where you need to start taking your benefits early. That will also reduce your benefits.   What you should know – Accessing retirement accounts without the 10% penalty.   Traditional IRA’s, 401k’s and other types of retirement plans often come with a 10% tax penalty for early distributions.  There are ways to get the money out of these accounts without facing the penalty.  They can be complicated, and you should talk to an advisor.   What you should know – plan for future tax flexibility   When you are saving for retirement think about taxes in the future. Tax deferral is a useful tool, but having the ability to manage your taxes in the future can also be beneficial.   It starts with a plan   If you want to retire early, the financial planning process is critical.  It can help you determine how to make that dream a reality.  If you need help, reach out to one of our financial advisors to talk about your retirement planning needs.   Appearing in this Episode:   Mike Seese, CFP® - Mike is a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional in Parkersburg West Virginia.  He has been helping clients with retirement planning and wealth management for more than 25 years.   Andy Dollman – Andy is a financial consultant in Parkersburg, West Virginia.  He has been working with clients for 4 years to help them plan for retirement.   Neal Watson, CFP® - Neal is a CFP® Pro and a financial advisor in Marietta, Ohio.  He started helping clients plan for retirement in 1996.

Paul and Elaine are 58 years old.  So far they have saved about $58,000 for their future.  What can they do to plan for retirement?  We take a look at some basic concepts to help them get on the right track with their retirement planning.    Paul sent us this question.   I’m 58 years old and have a little over $58,000 in my 401k.  My wife, Elaine works but doesn’t have a retirement plan at work.  Combined, we make about $85,000 per year, (Paul earns $60k, Elaine makes $25k).  We have about 17 years left on our mortgage and the payment is $1,100 per month.  Currently, I save about 5% of my pay in my 401k, because that is all my employer will match.  I checked with Social Security, they estimate my benefit to be about $2,100 per month, and Elaine’s at $1,350.  I would like to retire before lunch hour on the day of my funeral, what can I do?   Watch Now:  I’m 58 Years Old with $58K, How Can I Retire?   – Intro – Disclaimer – Tip 1:  Make a Good Decision About Social Security – Tip 2:  Save More – Tip 3:  Eliminate Debt – Tip 4:  Consider Using a Roth 401(k) or Roth IRA – General guidelines if you’ve started planning for retirement later in life. – The importance of understanding cash flow. – Outro   Appearing in this video   Todd Kimpel, CLU®, ChFC® - Todd is a financial advisor with more than 4 decades of experience helping people plan for retirement and manage wealth.  He is located in Wheeling, West Virginia.    Andy Dollman – Andy is a financial consultant in Parkersburg West Virginia.  He has been working to help people plan for retirement for 3 years.   Neal Watson, CFP® - Neal is a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional in Marietta, Ohio.  He has over 25 years’ experience helping clients create financial plans and manage wealth.   #Retirement #RetirementPlanning #RetirementIncome

Today we discuss 5 key things you need to know about Social Security when planning for retirement.  Intro Your normal retirement age How your benefit is calculated The impact of inflation Spousal and Survivor Benefits How Social Security Benefits are taxed Where do you start? Avoid this mistake if you’re self employed Outro To learn more, and see the charts used in the video, please visit:  Appearing in this video: Nikki Lude, CFP® - Nikki is a Certified Financial Planner™ in Woodsfield, Ohio.  She has been helping clients plan for retirement and manage wealth for over 15 years.  Tyler Szafrzn, CRPC®-Tyler is a financial consultant in Wheeling West Virginia.  He joined the Commonwealth Financial Services team in 2021.  He works with clients to help them with their financial planning needs. Neal Watson, CFP® - Neal is a CFP®  Professional in Marietta, Ohio.  He has over 25 years experience in retirement planning, investment management, and financial planning.

Medicare is health insurance for retirees.  Once you reach age 65, you are eligible for insurance coverage under the program.  In 2020, an estimated 54 million retirees were covered.  You paid into the program over your working life, and now it is time to understand how it works.  Today we cover the basics of Medicare, Medicare Supplements and Medicare Advantage Plans. – Intro – The basics of Medicare, Part A, Part B, and Part D – Medicare doesn’t pay for everything – Filling in the gaps – Other important things to know about supplements and Medicare Advantage Plans – Understanding the difference between supplements and advantage plans. – The key factors you should consider – Start early and know the details To learn more, please visit:  https://cfswv.com/cfsblog/basics-of-medicare Appearing in this video: Neal Watson, CFP® - Neal is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional in our Marietta, Ohio office.  He has over 25 years helping people with their retirement planning and wealth management needs. Michael Seese, CFP® - Mike is a CFP®  Pro in our Parkersburg Office.  He began his career more than 25 years ago.  He works to help people plan for their retirement and build wealth. Julie Daley, RICP® - Julie is a financial consultant in our St. Clairsville office.  She has been helping clients plan for retirement, build wealth, and plan for a strong financial future for over 15 years

One of the most valuable resources in the world of money is time.  Whether you are saving for retirement, managing risk, building a portfolio or planning an income stream, time is a major part of the equation.  Today, we focus on the value of time. 0:00 – Intro 0:42 – The power of compounding 4:10 – Time heals investment wounds 6:27 – Longer holding periods reduce risk 8:51 – Time affects your retirement income choices 10:35 – Use the time you have wisely 13:25 – Final Thoughts 14:47 – Outro This episode was inspired by two blog posts.  The first, Being Present, can be found here.  (https://spilledcoffee.substack.com/p/being-present).  And the second is called The Tail End.  It can be found here. (https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/12/the-tail-end.html).  The original author uses some more colorful language.  Our apologies if you find this offensive. To watch this episode and view the charts used, please visit:  https://cfswv.com/cfsblog/the-value-of-time Appearing in this episode Daniel Spurgeon, CFP® - Dan is a Certified Financial Planner™ located in Parkersburg, West Virginia.  He helps clients with retirement planning, investment management, and comprehensive financial planning. Tyler Szafran, CFPC® - Tyler is a financial consultant in Wheeling West Virginia.  He has over 8 years of experience helping people navigate the financial world. . Neal Watson, CFP® - Neal is a CFP® Pro in Marietta, Ohio.  For more than 25 years, he has helped clients plan for retirement.

This year has been a challenge for investors.  The stock market has dropped significantly and is well into a correction.  It has fallen enough, we are almost in a bear market.   (The NASDAQ is in a bear market!).   Probably one of the more frustrating parts of 2022, the bond market has not helped the way it normally does. To see the charts used in this presentation, please visit: https://cfswv.com/cfsblog/almost-a-bear-market-for-stocks About Commonwealth Financial Services. Commonwealth Financial Services has 9 financial consultants in Ohio and West Virginia. We have offices in Wheeling, Parkersburg, St. Clairsville, Woodsfield, Marietta, and Athens. There are 4 Certified Financial Planner Professionals on staff, and our financial advisors have more than 130 years of combined experience. We help people with retirement planning, investment management, and wealth management strategies. #StockMarket #BearMarket #StockMarketCorrection

Shares for more than 6,000 companies trade on the US Stock Exchanges.  Add in the shares from other countries  and you have a number that will blow your mind.  How do we look at Stocks?  It starts with how we keep score.  Then we break down the various parts of the market as a whole.  This is a deeper dive into stocks. Time line. Intro Keeping Score – the common indexes Size Matters Growth vs Value give up making a killing to avoid being killed Snow or Rain, it’s all water Outro To learn more, please visit: https://cfswv.com/cfsblog/a-deeper-dive-into-stocks Appearing in this video – Andy Dollman – Andy is a financial consultant in Parkersburg, West Virginia.  He specializes in helping people with their retirement planning and wealth management needs. Nikki Lude, CFP® - Nikki is a Certified Financial Planner™ Pro in Woodsfield, Ohio.  She earned her CFP® designation in 2008 and has been helping clients since 2003.  Neal Watson, CFP® - Neal is a financial advisor in Marietta, Ohio.  He has helped clients with their retirement planning and wealth management needs for more than 25 years. To learn more about Commonwealth Financial Services or to contact an advisor near you, please visit: https://cfswv.com

In case you hadn’t noticed, interest rates are up.  We haven’t had to deal with this in quite some time.  It is a major concern for our clients.  Today we talk about the challenges of higher interest rates.  In this episode: Intro What higher interest rates mean for existing bond investments. If bonds are going to decrease in value, why should I hold them? The current struggles with holding cash. Higher interest rates affect everyone. We are hiring. Parting thoughts. To learn more about this topic, please visit: https://cfswv.com/cfsblog/challenges-with-higher-interest-rates Mike Seese, CFP® - Mike has been a financial advisor for more than 25 years.  He has helped clients navigate through both the difficult and good times.  He is located in our Parkersburg, WV office. Julie Daley, RICP® - Located in St. Clairsville, Ohio, Julie works with families and retirees to help them plan for a better future.  She has more than 15 years experience as a financial advisor. Neal Watson, CFP® - Neal is in our Marietta, Ohio office.  He began his career as a financial consultant in 1996.  We are hiring:  To learn more about the career opportunities at Commonwealth, please click here.