Rusty Eriksen and David Wise summarize Hilltop's updates on the equity and income markets, including thoughts on recent conversations with clients.

It feels good to know that you’ll be able to provide financially for your family after you die. But what if you could also leave a more meaningful part of yourself behind? Writing an ethical will is a simple way to be there for your loved ones when you are gone. 

You’ve mastered the basic differences between a Traditional and a Roth IRA (by reading part one of this post) and you’re ready to start saving. Now, which type of account should you use? 

You’re a saver, and you’ve heard that contributing to a Traditional or Roth IRA is a good tax move. But you may be bewildered about the difference and trying to decide which one is for you. We’re here to help! This post is part one of two and will discuss the rules of Traditional and Roth IRAs.

A commonly cited indicator of recessions, an inverted yield curve, may have presented itself recently.  Here are some smart steps you can take.

Budgeting does not have to be difficult or time-consuming. It can actually be comforting to know that you have a plan for your money, especially if that includes a regular Starbucks run! To help you get started, here are five simple steps for creating a basic budget.

Chris Hostetler and Ben Yeager summarize Hilltop's updates on the equity and income markets, including thoughts on US economic strength, Brexit negotiations, US-China trade negotiations, the Fed's interest rate policy and more.

By Miles Pfeifer (guest post) I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the year-end holiday season. If you’re a business owner, Congress has already prepared an exciting ‘gift’ for you, as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017: a shiny new business tax deduction. For those who qualify, properly taking advantage of these new tax rules may result in substantial tax savings. As part of the new tax laws, effective for income earned in 2018, the IRS has added a new Internal Revenue Code Section 199A, and come up with some ‘exciting’ new terms, most importantly “Qualified Business Income” (QBI) and “Specified Service Trade or Business” (SSTB). As is often the case with Congress and the IRS, the new laws come with instructions. Lots of instructions. The IRS has published its first set of guidance for these new rules, totaling only 184 pages. Don’t worry, more explanations are anticipated. For those brave enough to read on, ...

By: Chris Hostetler There was a fascinating report last week from Credit Suisse, which validates something I tell my clients all the time: if you live in the United States, you are probably among the wealthiest people in the world. According to Credit Suisse, a net worth of $93,000 puts you in the top 10% globally. (If you want to see how your net worth stacks up among other Americans, here’s a cool tool built on Federal Reserve data: https://dqydj.com/net-worth-percentile-calculator-united-states/) But if you use this information only as a scorecard to satisfy your inner competitor, then I think you’re missing the point. Instead, think about these numbers and recognize how much you have to be grateful for! The numbers in these studies compare your wealth only to people who are alive in 2018. But think for a minute about what a basic income affords you today. If you have an iPhone and air conditioning and indoor plumbing, your lifestyle would be the envy of kings and queens from just 2 ...

Ben Yeager and Rusty Eriksen provide a summary view of our investment committee’s latest research, sharing our thoughts on market volatility, interest rates and international markets.