Covenant Wealth Strategies Blog (April 2022 - September 2022)

Navigating Market Volatility
It’s been a rough few weeks for the stock market. It is important to remember that good investment decisions see beyond the current circumstances.

Bill Lloyd Earns His CRPC Designation
The CRPC® is a professional financial planning designation that recognizes financial advisors as specialists in helping clients prepare for retirement.

Medicare Open Enrollment Resources
Medicare open enrollment is from October 15th - December 7th this year for Medicare coverage in 2023.

Timely & Relevant News: Inflation, Inflation, Inflation
While the market drop was one of the worst days for the Dow since June 2020, the drop only erased 5 days of recent gains, pulling the S&P 500 back toward its Sept. 6th close of 3,908.

Happy Labor Day!
Our office will be closed on Monday, September 5th. We will resume normal operations on Tuesday, September 6th.

How To Prepare and Invest in the Right College Majors
A college education is a financial equation of two halves: the cost of the investment to attend and the potential income related to the degree earned.

The Inflation Reduction Act - What Is It? How Will It Impact Medicare?
The Inflation Reduction Act was recently signed into law. This new legislation outlines the most significant changes to Medicare in almost two decades.

Ward Keever Presents At LPL Financial's Focus Conference
Ward joined a select group of LPL Financial advisors invited to present at the conference, which was held this year in Denver, Colorado.

Important Financial Lessons Your Child/Grandchild Probably Won't Learn In School
There are some important financial lessons that even the most challenging class curriculums don't teach.

How A Financial Plan Helps You Endure Market Volatility
A key characteristic of a well designed financial plan is the consideration of market volatility - and for a good reason.

3 Factors That Could Change The Course Of Inflation
For the past year, supply-related problems contributed more to inflation than demand-related imbalances, however that may be changing soon. There are at least three factors that could change the course of inflation.

Are We In A Recession?
The first announcement for GDP data came out during the last week of July and was negative. This appears to be the definition of a recession - 2 consecutive quarters of negative GDP data. Are we in a recession and why has a recession not been called?

Managing Market Volatility
If the U.S. can add some economic growth in the second half of the year as inflation begins to taper off, we would expect valuations to get a nice lift by year-end.

2022 Mid-Year Outlook: Navigating Turbulence
Market turbulence cannot be avoided, however it also need not deter us from making progress toward our financial goals.

Reasons For Optimism In The Second Half Of 2022
While market optimists are scarce these days, there are several historical patterns that provide reasons for optimism as the second half of 2022 gets underway.

Our Office Will Be Closed On Monday, July 4th
Bold strips, bright stars and brave hearts, the Fourth of July is an opportunity for us to freely gather and celebrate what makes America special.

Higher Rates Break Homebuilder Stocks
One of the bigger stories from the past couple of weeks is the historic move in interest rates.

The Fed Continues To Focus On Inflation
Inflation data continues to run hot. We saw an increase in market volatility after the recent release of May's CPI data. The S&P 500 Index officially moved to a bear market last week.


Covenant Celebrates Adding A New Team Member!
Please help us welcome Anthony "A.J." Pietruszka!

Inflation Running Hot From Food And Energy
Headline inflation in May rose 8.6% from a year ago, accelerating from April’s 8.3% to the highest year-over-year growth rate.

The Feds Response To A Tight Job Market
Employment in May grew by 390,000. Job growth does not exist in an economy that has a high chance of going into a recession.

Savings Rate Falls As Inflation Takes A Bite
The savings rate in April fell to 4.4% from 5.0% in March, the lowest rate since 2008.


Memorial Day
In observation of Memorial Day, our office and the markets will be closed on Monday, May 30th.

Why Are The Markets So Volatile?
According to multiple news outlets, the stock market is off to its worst start for the year since 1939 (thru April 2022).

Let's Talk About The Market Sell-Off
Many investors forget that double-digit declines during a year are actually normal.

Is The Yield Curve Inversion Indicative Of A Recession?
The fundamentals of the U.S. economy are currently very strong. So why are Wall Street and some economists suddenly worried about a recession?

Forbes Recognizes Ward Keever and Team as a Best-In-State Wealth Advisor
This is the team's second year being recognized by Forbes.

Will Rising Mortgage Rates Squash The Housing Market?
Mortgage rates made a steep climb recently as markets reacted.

Take These 5 Financial Steps Before Starting Your Home Search
Doing some financial housekeeping before purchasing a home can pay dividends in the long run, especially if you’re attempting to buy in a competitive market.

Is Your TV Spying On You? Join Us For Our Cybersecurity Event
From TVs to thermostats to light bulbs, more and more devices have Wi-Fi capability. Are they vulnerable to hacking?

Timely and Relevant News: Federal Reserve Meeting Recap: We Have Liftoff
As expected, the FOMC voted to increase the fed funds rate by 25 basis points (0.25%) and signaled further rate increases are appropriate.

Inflation Hits 40 Year High
Inflation hit a new 40-year high in February. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) climbed to 7.9% year over year and 0.8% month over month from January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.