05.03.12 – Monthly Investment Update
Weakening economic data and renewed anxiety about Europe brought equities’ winning streak to an end in April…
04.05.12 – Quarterly Investment Update
As the U.S. economy continued its slow march toward recovery and Europe managed to fight off the threat of a Greek default…
03.21.12 – Fraud Prevention Tips
Recently, several of us attended a continuing education session on fraud prevention. It was conducted by a local FBI agent and provided many tips for preventing fraud. We have summarized our Top Ten…
03.06.12 – Monthly Investment Update
The NASDAQ came on strong for the second month in a row (though at a somewhat slower pace than in January) as it briefly hit 3,000 for the first time since 2000…
02.03.12 – Monthly Investment Update
Believers in the “January indicator” should be excited about the prospects for stock market gains in 2012, as the first month’s performance was extraordinary…
01.09.12 – Quarterly Investment Update
After huge volatility throughout 2011 and a dismal third quarter, the equities markets rallied sharply in the fourth quarter…
12.05.11 – Monthly Investment Update
Europe’s ongoing debt problems hurt domestic equities last month, causing them to reverse much of October’s strong gains…
11.07.11 – Monthly Investment Update
Domestic equities defied October’s reputation as a bad month for stocks, making up for at least some of the damage done since July…
10.05.11 – Quarterly Investment Update
It was a roller-coaster quarter for equities, as weeks and even days when the Dow swung several hundred points in both directions seemed to become commonplace. By the end, the volatility had…
09.06.11 – Monthly Investment Update
Volatility turned extreme in the equities markets during August. The decline that began in July turned into a roller-coaster during August as global equities experienced wild swings…
08.10.11 – Special Update: Another Crisis of Confidence
The sharp stock market decline since the last week of July is being compared by some commentators to those painful days in 2008 and early 2009 when a recession grew into a full-blown credit crisis…
08.02.11 – Monthly Investment Update
Down to the wire: uncertainty about default, debt, and political infighting affected equities markets both here and abroad. Despite a strong initial week that gave the S&P 500 its biggest percentage gain since mid-2009…
07.28.11 – Special Update: Market Implications of Debt Ceiling Negotiations
We have received a number of calls over the past week regarding the debt ceiling negotiations and their investment implications. We remain confident that a resolution will be reached (if not by August 2nd, very shortly thereafter) and…
07.15.11 – Quarterly Investment Update
The momentum that carried stocks higher through the first four months of the year fizzled in May. Following April’s year-to-date highs, when the Russell 2000 hit its highest level on record, week after week of declines battered all four major U.S. indices. However, a rally in June’s final week…
06.15.11 – Investing: The Dangers of Concentrated Positions
In general, a concentrated position is a security holding that is disproportionately large relative to a fully diversified market benchmark. Concentrated positions work to distort overall portfolio performance by skewing returns either negatively or positively. For our clients seeking consistency of returns to achieve critical long-term goals, concentrated positions work to create additional downside risk exposure and the potential for large losses that undermine the intended long-term goals of the overall investment plan…
06.03.11 – Monthly Investment Update
Equities spent most of May in a gradual but relentless decline that reversed much of April’s strong gains. Concerned about slowing economic growth, investors rediscovered risk aversion…
05.17.11 – Estate Planning: Estate/Gift Tax Exemption Is Portable (For Now)
Recent legislation introduced a new, but perhaps temporary, estate planning concept–exemption “portability.” In short, the estate of a deceased spouse can transfer to the surviving spouse any portion of the federal estate tax exemption that it does not use…
05.03.11 – Monthly Investment Update
Domestic equities hit new year-to-date highs, as the Dow’s best month so far this year put it at a level not seen since May 2008…
04.15.11 – Quarterly Investment Update
Equities had spent much of this year’s first quarter alternately climbing the classic “wall of worry” and then falling back. After returning in February to levels last seen in June 2008, U.S. equities turned volatile in the wake of Middle Eastern turmoil and Japan’s triple disaster before climbing again in the quarter’s last week…
03.16.11 – Special Update: The Earthquake and its Aftermath
As we watch accounts of the massive devastation and human tragedy in Japan, our thoughts clearly go out to the Japanese people. As expected, the global financial markets are reacting to the possible economic ramifications, escalating fears and creating a wave of selling…
03.05.11 – Article from The Wall Street Journal: A Just-in-Case Portfolio
CapGroup was featured in a recent article published by The Wall Street Journal. The article highlights our Adaptive Risk Management process for creating and implementing customized investment portfolios with the potential for greater returns and lower risk over time.
03.01.11 – Monthly Investment Update
Strong performances early in the month helped domestic equities turn in a February that took the Dow Jones Average to its highest level since June 2008. February also was the third straight month of gains for both the Dow and the S&P 500…
02.22.11 – Social Security: What Should You Do at Age 62?
Is 62 your lucky number? If you’re eligible, that’s the earliest age you can start receiving Social Security retirement benefits. If you decide to start collecting benefits before your full retirement age…
02.04.11 – Monthly Investment Update
The first month of the new year started with a bang, though it ended with a bit of a whimper. Large caps generally took over the leadership role held for much of the almost two-year-old rally by the small caps and the NASDAQ…
01.27.11 – Annual Client Report
Last year at this time, the global economy and financial markets were on the mend, although there were serious concerns over the pace of growth in the advanced economies and even greater worry over the underlying health of the world’s banking and financial systems…
01.12.11 – Quarterly Investment Update
A strong fourth quarter rally, punctuated by a December sprint, turned an okay year for stocks into a very good one. The large-cap S&P 500 Index gained 10.8% for the quarter and ended 2010 up 15.1%…
12.08.10 – Monthly Investment Update
November turned out to be a mixed month for broad asset classes, with most of the positive news coming from domestic equity markets. A new round of worries over debt in the European Union…
11.08.10 – Monthly Investment Update
The fourth quarter got off to a positive start with gains across all equity asset classes during the historically weak month of October. Large-cap domestic stocks, as represented by the S&P 500 Index…
10.12.10 – Quarterly Investment Update
The stock market continued its roller coaster ride in the third quarter, with strong September gains bringing returns solidly into the black for the full quarter. The S&P 500 Index (a proxy for large cap domestic stocks)…
09.14.10 – Tax Planning Update
As summer comes to an end and the closing months of 2010 are now upon us, we thought it would be helpful to share some planning updates and reminders…
09.09.10 – Monthly Economic Update
After strong gains in July, stocks reversed sharply in August, continuing the tug-of-war pattern that has characterized equity returns through most of the year. When the smoke cleared at month’s end…
08.10.10 – Monthly Economic Update
July was a very strong month for most asset classes, pushing many segments of the markets into positive territory for the year. Bulls took back Wall Street, encouraged by earnings reports…
07.28.10 – Mid-Year Client Report
Macro Investment Environment: In our opinion, there are three chief concerns that have resulted in the second quarter’s market disarray. They are, in order of importance, the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone…
07.09.10 – Quarterly Economic Update
Equity markets around the world stumbled during the second quarter, ending a winning streak dating to March of 2009. Renewed concerns of the possibility about a double dip recession in the US, combined…
06.04.10 – Monthly Economic Update
Stocks corrected sharply, as the S & P 500 Index turned in the worst performance in the month of May since 1962. European debts and rumors about a slowdown in China hung like dark clouds over the global…
05.26.10 – Market Correction or New Bear Market?
Given the significant drop in global equity markets over the past two weeks, investors are asking whether this is a normal (albeit severe) correction within a cyclical Bull Market or a cyclical top to be…
04.08.10 – Quarterly Economic Update – Client Newsletter
The opening quarter of 2010 can be summed up in four words: so far, so good. Despite persistent warnings of an imminent stock market correction, the likelihood of a “double dip” recession or a tepid…
03.25.10 – Umbrella Liability Insurance – Client Newsletter
In this month’s newsletter, we revisit a very important asset protection tool that everyone should consider. While none of us likes to imagine a massive liability claim for damages…
03.10.10 – Investment Advisor Certified for Fiduciary Excellence
News Release – CEFEX, the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence, LLC has certified Capital Advisory Group, LLC (“CapGroup”) of Richmond, VA to be in conformance with the Fiduciary…
01.19.10 – Homebuyer Credit Update – Client Newsletter
On Nov. 6, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 (the Act). One of the key provisions of the new law…
01.31.10 – Annual Client Report
Yes, 2009 was an extraordinary investment year by any standard you want to apply. When it began, the global economy and banking industries were still reeling from a free-fall in the markets that would continue…