by Jamie Osborn | May 17, 2018 | Articles & White Papers
Less than two years ago, the 10 year Treasury note yielded less than 1.5%. Now we have seen the 10 year yield reach 3%. The rate change has resulted in principal loss in bond funds for many investors because bond prices fall as rates rise, and it has raised questions...
by Jamie Osborn | Apr 24, 2018 | Quarterly Chartbooks
You can download our comprehensive market review in charts and tables from the link below. Topics covered include: Q1 2018 Chartbook TABLE OF CONTENTS: Market Summary World Stock Market Performance World Asset Classes US Stocks International Developed Stocks Emerging...
by David Dirks | Apr 24, 2018 | Market Commentary
Plum Street Advisors Q1 2018 Market Commentary – April 4, 2018 Volatility returned with a vengeance during the first quarter of 2018. Although the S&P 500 ended the quarter down just -0.76% on a total return basis, the ride was a lot wilder than the...
by Jamie Osborn | Apr 4, 2018 | Articles & White Papers
The U.S has been in a period of low rates for nearly a decade. As the economy is now approaching full employment and higher inflation, interest rates have been rising from their historic lows. As rates rise, the value of existing fixed-interest bonds falls. What...
by David Dirks | Feb 8, 2018 | Articles & White Papers
February 7, 2018 When people say “volatility is back”, what they really mean is that downside volatility is back. Most people would not have called it “volatility” if the market was up 6.1% over 2 days at the beginning of this February, instead of down. At Plum...
by David Dirks | Jan 10, 2018 | Articles & White Papers
Financial Roles of a Non-Profit Board Member By David Dirks and Jamie Osborn, Plum Street Advisors LLC As a non-profit board member, you take on a wide range of oversight responsibility. Non-profit board members are expected to set and guide the mission and strategy...
by David Dirks | Jan 10, 2018 | Market Commentary
Plum Street Advisors Q4 2017 Market Commentary – January 3, 2018 The markets anticipated and then celebrated the passage of a business-friendly US tax cut during the fourth quarter. On December 20th, Congress passed a bill that dramatically cut corporate tax...
by David Dirks | Jan 10, 2018 | Quarterly Chartbooks
You can download our comprehensive market review in charts and tables from the link below. Topics covered include: Q4 2017 Market Charts TABLE OF CONTENTS: Market Summary World Stock Market Performance World Asset Classes US Stocks International Developed Stocks...
by David Dirks | Oct 31, 2017 | Articles & White Papers
At Plum Street Advisors we seek to build portfolios that will have not just strong returns, but strong returns for the amount of risk being taken. This focus on both risk and return is one of the reasons we hold an allocation to gold in our portfolios. While our...
by David Dirks | Oct 31, 2017 | Market Commentary
October 3, 2017 The third quarter marked the eighth quarterly increase in a row for the S&P 500. Volatility continues to be extremely low as markets tick up quarter after quarter. The third quarter finished strongly as the US Congress finally turned its...