Are Lower Interest Rates a Good Thing?

by David Maddux, CEO | CIO We sent the following note to clients on September 13th Are Lower Interest Rates a Good Thing? Seasons may be changing.  Sometimes we can detect the shift from one season to another, like maybe it is less hot in the early mornings and evenings.  Although it still feels like […]

Higher Interest Rates Are A Good Thing – Part 2

by David Maddux, CEO | CIO We sent the following letter to clients on January 25th. Summary: Anecdotal Update – a story we can all learn from Landscape and shifting narratives – recession to “Goldilocks thinking” Portfolio approach – Barbell of risk free (stable income) and diversified growth (expected over time) – inflation and valuations […]

20 Months and Counting, but Bonds Look Great

by David Maddux, CEO | CIO We sent the following note to clients on September 1st.  20 Months And Counting, But Bonds Look Great The longer I invest in liquid markets the more I appreciate how dynamic they can be.  As last year was coming to a close, stock prices were attempting a recovery from […]

Where Did My Paycheck Go?

by Heidi Ellingson, Executive Assistant | Marketing Coordinator Where Did My Paycheck Go? I think we’ve all asked that of ourselves. If you’re like most people, you think of making a budget as a way to force us to control our spending (and ourselves). In all reality, it can help you see the light at […]

Higher Interest Rates Are a Good Thing

 by David Maddux, CEO | CIO We sent the following note to clients on January 25th. My note this time last year was “This Is Not Normal,” in which I shared a variety of anecdotes that the environment had gotten frothy and complacent with abnormal risky behavior.  The shine has come off quicker than I […]

Tax Loss Harvesting

January 30, 2023 by Barry Brindise, Financial Planning Director Tax Loss Harvesting When it comes to investing in any type of asset, experiencing losses can be very frustrating.  However, there is an investing strategy called, “Tax Loss Harvesting” or “Tax Loss Selling,” which can be used to take those losses and use them to offset […]

Yield to Maturity Summary

January 30, 2023 by Barry Brindise, Financial Planning Director Yield to Maturity (YTM) and How to Think About Fixed Income Returns At Brightwater Advisory, our process invests client resources in a diversified portfolio of assets.  Depending on each client’s needs, an investment plan will reflect an allocation between growth assets like stocks and exchange traded […]

Roth Conversions in Retirement Planning

November 8, 2022 by Barry Brindise, Financial Planning Director, Brightwater Advisory Roth Conversions in Retirement Planning Retirement accounts come in many shapes. Beyond plans offered by employers to their employees, the ”Traditional Individual Retirement Arrangement” (Traditional IRA) is a very popular savings tool for workers with earned income. For those without an employer plan, the […]

The pros and cons of Series I savings bonds

September 20. 2022 by Barry Brindise, Financial Planning Director, Brightwater Advisory Series I-bonds: The Good: Series I bonds are an alternative to TIPS that are worth consideration when seeking a higher rate of return than, for example, short term treasuries, etc. There are two components to the bonds rate of return, the “fixed piece” has […]