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Stocks Open Higher | Daily Market Update

Published: Tue, 19 Jan 2021 16:00:42 +0000

Tuesday, January 19, 2021 Top Story Market Signals Covers It All This week’s Market Signals podcast covers all the latest events impacting markets and the economy: Q4 earnings, a new stimulus proposal, the Democratic blue wave, and President-elect Joe Biden’s … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Small Caps and Energy Continue To Run

Published: Fri, 15 Jan 2021 21:12:53 +0000

Market Blog January 15, 2021 Index Performance US and International Equities The major market indexes finished the week lower. In addition, many international markets followed in lockstep with their US counterparts. Emerging markets (MSCI EM Index) outperformed developed international markets … Continue reading →

5 Charts on the Democratic Blue Wave

Published: Fri, 15 Jan 2021 17:00:19 +0000

Economic Blog January 15, 2021 One of the top questions we’ve received recently has been what a blue wave may mean for investments. After the Democrats won the two Senate runoff elections in Georgia, they will now control the White … Continue reading →

Retail Sales Down | Daily Market Update

Published: Fri, 15 Jan 2021 16:00:02 +0000

Friday, January 15, 2021 Top Story Retail Sales Worse Than Expected Retail sales in the United States declined 0.7% month over month in December, below all but two of the 70 forecasts in Bloomberg’s consensus survey (US Census Bureau). The … Continue reading →

Our View on Financials Has Improved

Published: Thu, 14 Jan 2021 17:25:56 +0000

Market Blog January 14, 2021 Heading into 2020, we maintained our preference for growth stocks as we believed that earnings growth would become harder to come by as the economic cycle aged, and their robust earnings growth was greatly appealing. … Continue reading →

Jobless Claims Higher | Daily Market Update

Published: Thu, 14 Jan 2021 16:00:27 +0000

Thursday, January 14, 2021 Top Story New Street View Video Sets Positive Tone The stock market has started off 2021 surprisingly well, and LPL Research Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick says this bull market is alive and well. “Surprises to … Continue reading →

Small Business Optimism Falls to Recovery Low

Published: Wed, 13 Jan 2021 17:00:38 +0000

Economic Blog 1/13/21 Rising COVID-19 cases and concern about the policy environment put a dent in small business optimism in the month of December, the index’s second straight monthly decline. As shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, the … Continue reading →

Inflation Grew In December | Daily Market Update

Published: Wed, 13 Jan 2021 16:00:57 +0000

Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Top Story Consumer prices in line with forecasts Consumer inflation for December, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), grew 0.4% month over month, buoyed by higher gasoline prices. Core inflation, excluding food and energy prices, … Continue reading →

Treasuries Hit Key Levels

Published: Tue, 12 Jan 2021 17:00:41 +0000

Economic Blog 1/12/2021 Treasury yields hit two key levels the first week of 2021. As shown in the LPL Chart of the Day, the 10-year Treasury yield moved above 1% for the first time since March 2020, and the 10-year … Continue reading →

Treasury Yields Rising | Daily Market Update

Published: Tue, 12 Jan 2021 16:00:55 +0000

Tuesday, January 12, 2021 Top Story 2021 Policies Update and the Markets In this week’s Market Signals podcast and video, LPL Research talks about 2021 policy updates and the possibilities of higher taxes and more regulation, more stimulus, higher Treasury … Continue reading →

2021 Policy Outlook Updates | Daily Market Update

Published: Mon, 11 Jan 2021 16:00:53 +0000

Monday, January 11, 2021 Top Story Stocks open modestly lower as investors reassess risk sentiment. The US dollar traded higher with demand supported by higher Treasury European stocks pulled back from a 10-month high in midday trading as Germany underperforms. … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Markets Take Senate Surprise in Stride

Published: Fri, 08 Jan 2021 21:00:11 +0000

Market Blog January 8, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. US and International Equities This week, we gained clarity on the makeup of Congress with the Georgia US Senate runoff. Democrats will now have control of both chambers of Congress, … Continue reading →

US Jobs Growth Turns Negative

Published: Fri, 08 Jan 2021 17:00:59 +0000

Economic Blog 1/8/2021 The differences in strength between the stock market and real economy were laid bare this week as the stock market surged to new highs while the jobs market continued to deteriorate and remains well short of its … Continue reading →

Jobs Growth is Negative | Daily Market Update

Published: Fri, 08 Jan 2021 16:00:05 +0000

Friday, January 8, 2021 Top Story Jobs Growth Turns Negative The US economy lost 140,000 jobs in December, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, missing Bloomberg survey estimates of a 50,000 gain. This represents the first monthly loss … Continue reading →

Equity Winners and Losers in 2020

Published: Thu, 07 Jan 2021 18:19:52 +0000

Markets Blog 1/07/21 2020 was a good year for stock investors despite unprecedented challenges. After being down more than 30% at the March 2020 lows, the S&P 500 Index ended the year with a solid 18.4% total return. Last year … Continue reading →

Jobless Claims Lower | Daily Market Update

Published: Thu, 07 Jan 2021 16:23:11 +0000

Thursday, January 7, 2021 Top Story LPL Research Condemns Violence in Washington, DC LPL Research condemns the violent actions at the US Capitol Building on Wednesday and hopes for healing in our nation’s political and societal divides. We fully support … Continue reading →

2020 in 20 Charts

Published: Wed, 06 Jan 2021 17:00:50 +0000

Market Blog January 6, 2021 Well, we can officially say goodbye to 2020. Although there still will be many challenges in 2021, we do see much better times ahead. Just how amazing was it? “2020 will go down in history … Continue reading →

2020 In 20 Charts | Daily Market Update

Published: Wed, 06 Jan 2021 16:00:44 +0000

Wednesday, January 6, 2021 Top Story 2020 in 20 Charts 2020 was a historic year in many ways, which made it hard to highlight just a few charts. So in honor of 2020, we picked 20 charts that show how … Continue reading →

Two Tales of 2020 Bond Returns

Published: Tue, 05 Jan 2021 18:18:28 +0000

Economic Blog 1/5/2021 US investment-grade bonds had a solid 2020 despite a tumultuous year overall. The broad Bloomberg Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index had a total return of 7.5%—not as strong as 2019’s 8.7% but its fifth-best year in the … Continue reading →

Markets Are Watching Georgia I Daily Market Update

Published: Tue, 05 Jan 2021 15:57:24 +0000

Tuesday, January 5, 2021 Top Story 10 Lessons LPL Research Learned in 2020 LPL Research reviews its top 10 takeaways from 2020, the year-end Santa Claus Rally, and what the markets are saying about the Georgia runoffs in this week’s … Continue reading →

December Market Insights

Published: Mon, 04 Jan 2021 17:46:29 +0000

Market Blog View enlarged table. US and International Equities The S&P 500 Index, Dow Jones Industrial, and Nasdaq Composite indexes, continued their November run in December. As noted last month, November was a record-breaking month for equities, thanks to … Continue reading →

Welcome to 2021 I Daily Market Update

Published: Mon, 04 Jan 2021 16:42:25 +0000

Monday, January 4, 2021 Daily Insights Markets start the New Year higher. US markets continue their trek higher following last year’s nine-month rally. Market participants appear optimistic for a better 2021 in the wake of COVID-19 vaccine progress and December’s … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Ending the Year with Stimulus

Published: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 21:02:00 +0000

Market Blog 12/31/2020 US and International Equities As we finish out a challenging year this week, Congress passed COVID-19 relief, providing increased unemployment benefits, small business assistance, along with an additional $600 stimulus payment. In addition, Congress is presently in … Continue reading →

Happy New Year! | Daily Market Update

Published: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 16:00:51 +0000

Thursday, December 31, 2020 Happy New Year to all from LPL Research! We made it through a very challenging 2020. Have a happy, healthy, and safe 2021. Top Story What a big end of year rally means. The S&P 500 … Continue reading →

Why A Year-End Rally Bodes Well For 2021

Published: Thu, 31 Dec 2020 13:00:51 +0000

Market Blog 12/31/2020 Welcome to the last day of 2020! It has been a devastating year in so many ways, yet for investors it has been quite rewarding. Much of the gains in 2020 have taken place the final two … Continue reading →

Housing Data Continues to Surge

Published: Wed, 30 Dec 2020 17:00:47 +0000

Economic Blog 12/30/20 For many economic data series, 2020 has been a roller coaster. Not for housing, however. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures jump-started the “nesting” behavioral shift away from urban apartments and into single-family … Continue reading →

Home Prices Continue to Climb | Daily Market Update

Published: Wed, 30 Dec 2020 16:00:31 +0000

Wednesday, December 30, 2020 Top Story Home prices continue to climb. While some industries continue to struggle during the pandemic, housing data in the United States (US) remains a strong point of the US economy. Standard & Poor’s 20-city composite … Continue reading →

Three Fed Takeaways from an Extraordinary Year

Published: Tue, 29 Dec 2020 17:54:05 +0000

Economic Blog 12/29/2020 2020 was an extraordinary year for the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed responded swiftly and decisively to the rapidly accelerating financial and economic uncertainty brought on by efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The current Fed was … Continue reading →

2020 Fed Takeaways | Daily Market Update

Published: Tue, 29 Dec 2020 16:00:03 +0000

Tuesday, December 29, 2020 Top Story Lessons learned from the Fed in 2020. The Federal Reserve (Fed) will remain in focus for markets in 2021. “Don’t fight the Fed” seems like obvious investor guidance in hindsight, but it didn’t in … Continue reading →

Solid Holiday Shopping Season | Daily Market Update

Published: Mon, 28 Dec 2020 16:00:31 +0000

Monday, December 28, 2020 Top Story Solid holiday shopping season. Holiday sales grew 3%, beating forecasts for a 2.4% increase according to MasterCard’s SpendingPulse. Online sales rose 49% year over year. These results were impressive for a recessionary period—the comparable … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Small Caps Take Advantage of Holiday Cheer

Published: Thu, 24 Dec 2020 17:28:26 +0000

Market Blog 12/24/2020 Data is as of 11:15 AM ET View enlarged chart. US and International Equities This week, concerns about a new COVID-19 strain in the United Kingdom along with new lockdown restrictions have weighed on the markets even … Continue reading →

Markets Close Early Today | Daily Market Update

Published: Thu, 24 Dec 2020 16:00:25 +0000

Thursday, December 24, 2020 Top Story Markets Close Early Today The NYSE and NASDAQ will close at 1 p.m. ET today. The bond markets will close at 2 p.m. ET. All markets will be closed Friday, December 25, and will … Continue reading →

Jobless Claims Beat Expectations | Daily Market Update

Published: Wed, 23 Dec 2020 16:16:32 +0000

Wednesday, December 23, 2020 Top Story Jobless Claims Beat Weekly jobless claims halted their recent skid as 803,000 Americans filed for unemployment insurance according to the US Department of Labor, ahead of Bloomberg consensus estimates of 880,000. Continuing claims also … Continue reading →

Do You Believe In The Santa Claus Rally?

Published: Wed, 23 Dec 2020 15:17:21 +0000

Market Blog 12/23/20 “If Santa should fail to call, bears may come to Broad and Wall.” —Yale Hirsh December is widely known as one of the best months of the year for stocks, but most don’t realize that the majority … Continue reading →

Some Tips on TIPS

Published: Tue, 22 Dec 2020 19:54:06 +0000

Economic Blog 12/22/2020 With concern about inflation rising for some investors, we’ve started to receive questions about Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, or TIPS. With TIPS, the principal of the bond, the part that’s paid back when the bond matures, is adjusted … Continue reading →

Is Brexit Fishing For A Deal?

Published: Tue, 22 Dec 2020 19:43:39 +0000

Economic Blog 12/22/2020 Brexit, the United Kingdom’s (UK) withdrawal from the European Union (EU), is making news again as it stumbles toward its apparent conclusion on December 31, 2020. The major sticking point now: fish. The UK officially left the … Continue reading →

Stimulus Bill May Help | Daily Market Update

Published: Tue, 22 Dec 2020 16:00:35 +0000

Tuesday, December 22, 2020 Top Story Stimulus Bridges to Recovery Recent economic data shows evidence of slowing momentum in the US economy, but the new stimulus package could keep the recovery moving forward. This week’s Market Signals podcast reviews the … Continue reading →

Stimulus Deal Nears | Daily Market Update

Published: Mon, 21 Dec 2020 16:00:36 +0000

Monday, December 21, 2020 Top Story Stocks Open Lower The S&P 500 Index opened roughly 1.5% lower, while the tech-focused NASDAQ fared better. Stocks are responding to more curbs to contain the spread of COVID-19 and bucking a tailwind created … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Small Caps Strong in the wake of Dollar Weakness

Published: Fri, 18 Dec 2020 21:00:40 +0000

Market Blog 12/18/20 View enlarged chart. US and International Equities The major market indexes reversed course from last week to finish this week higher. The tech-laded Nasdaq composite was the bright spot, returning 3% this week. So far, the Nasdaq … Continue reading →

Leading Indicators Signal Need For Bridge Stimulus

Published: Fri, 18 Dec 2020 17:58:30 +0000

Economic Blog 12/18/2020 Leading economic indicators are flashing yellow, as it becomes clearer that rising COVID-19 case counts and renewed lockdowns are inflicting damage on a budding economic recovery. On December 18th, the Conference Board released its November report … Continue reading →

At your death, you leave behind the people that you love and all your worldly goods. Without advance planning, you have no say about who gets what, and more of your property may go to others, like the federal government, instead of your loved ones. If you care about (1) how and to whom your property is distributed, and (2) ensuring that your property is preserved for your loved ones, you need to know more about estate planning.

Key Estate Planning Documents You Need

There are five estate planning documents you may need, regardless of your age, health, or wealth:

Durable power of attorney
Advance medical directives
Will
Letter of instruction
Living trust

The last document, a living trust, isn't always necessary, but it's included here because it's a vital component of many estate plans.

Durable power of attorney

A durable power of attorney (DPOA) can help protect your property in the event you become physically unable or mentally incompetent to handle financial matters. If no one is ready to look after your financial affairs when you can't, your property may be wasted, abused, or lost.

A DPOA allows you to authorize someone else to act on your behalf, so he or she can do things like pay everyday expenses, collect benefits, watch over your investments, and file taxes.

There are two types of DPOAs: (1) an immediate DPOA, which is effective immediately (this may be appropriate, for example, if you face a serious operation or illness), and (2) a springing DPOA, which is not effective unless you have become incapacitated.

Caution: A springing DPOA is not permitted in some states, so you'll want to check with an attorney.

Advance medical directives

Advance medical directives let others know what medical treatment you would want, or allows someone to make medical decisions for you, in the event you can't express your wishes yourself. If you don't have an advance medical directive, medical care providers must prolong your life using artificial means, if necessary. With today's technology, physicians can sustain you for days and weeks (if not months or even years).

There are three types of advance medical directives. Each state allows only a certain type (or types). You may find that one, two, or all three types are necessary to carry out all of your wishes for medical treatment. (Just make sure all documents are consistent.)

First, a living will allows you to approve or decline certain types of medical care, even if you will die as a result of that choice. In most states, living wills take effect only under certain circumstances , such as terminal injury or illness. Generally, one can be used only to decline medical treatment that "serves only to postpone the moment of death." In those states that do not allow living wills, you may still want to have one to serve as evidence of your wishes.

Second, a durable power of attorney for health care (known as a health-care proxy in some states) allows you to appoint a representative to make medical decisions for you. You decide how much power your representative will or won't have.

Finally, a Do Not Resuscitate order (DNR) is a doctor's order that tells medical personnel not to perform CPR if you go into cardiac arrest. There are two types of DNRs. One is effective only while you are hospitalized. The other is used while you are outside the hospital.

Will

A will is often said to be the cornerstone of any estate plan. The main purpose of a will is to disburse property to heirs after your death. If you don't leave a will, disbursements will be made according to state law, which might not be what you would want.

There are two other equally important aspects of a will:

You can name the person (executor) who will manage and settle your estate. If you do not name someone, the court will appoint an administrator, who might not be someone you would choose.
You can name a legal guardian for minor children or dependents with special needs. If you don't appoint a guardian, the state will appoint one for you.

Keep in mind that a will is a legal document, and the courts are very reluctant to overturn any provisions within it. Therefore, it's crucial that your will be well written and articulated, and properly executed under your state's laws. It's also important to keep your will up-to-date.

Letter of instruction

A letter of instruction (also called a testamentary letter or side letter) is an informal, non-legal document that generally accompanies your will and is used to express your personal thoughts and directions regarding what is in the will (or about other things, such as your burial wishes or where to locate other documents) . This can be the most helpful document you leave for your family members and your executor.

Unlike your will , a letter of instruction remains private. Therefore, it is an opportunity to say the things you would rather not make public.

A letter of instruction is not a substitute for a will. Any directions you include in the letter are only suggestions and are not binding. The people to whom you address the letter may follow or disregard any instructions.

Living trust

A living trust (also known as a revocable or inter vivas trust) is a separate legal entity you create to own property, such as your home or investments . The trust is called a living trust because it's meant to function while you're alive. You control the property in the trust, and, whenever you wish, you can change the trust terms, transfer property in and out of the trust, or end the trust altogether.

Not everyone needs a living trust , but it can be used to accomplish various purposes. The primary function is typically to avoid probate. This is possible because property in a living trust is not included in the probate estate.

Depending on your situation and your state's laws, the probate process can be simple, easy, and inexpensive, or it can be relatively complex, resulting in delay and expense. This may be the case, for instance, if you own property in more than one state or in a foreign country , or have heirs that live overseas.

Further, probate takes time, and your property generally won't be distributed until the process is completed. A small family allowance is sometimes paid, but it may be insufficient to provide for a family's ongoing needs. Transferring property through a living trust provides for a quicker, almost immediate transfer of property to those who need it.

Probate can also interfere with the management of property like a closely held business or stock portfolio. Although your executor is responsible for managing the property until probate is completed, he or she may not have the expertise or authority to make significant management decisions, and the property may lose value. Transferring the property with a living trust can result in a smoother transition in management.

Finally, avoiding probate may be desirable if you're concerned about privacy. Probated documents (e.g., will, inventory) become a matter of public record. Generally, a trust document does not.

Caution: Although a living trust transfers property like a will, you should still also have a will because the trust will be unable to accomplish certain things that only a will can, such as naming an executor or a guardian for minor children.

Tip: There are other ways to avoid the probate process besides creating a living trust, such as titling property jointly.

Caution: Living trusts do not generally minimize estate taxes or protect property from future creditors or ex-spouses.

VyStar Investment Services can help you achieve your estate planning needs and help you seek professional help from an attorney or financial advisor will help you understand the strategies that are available to formulate and implement your estate plan.

Call us today at (904) 908-2495 to schedule a no cost, no obligation consultation or send us an email VISMarketing@vystarcu.org.

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