Polaris Perspective

Polaris Perspective

by Jeff Powell & Jeremy Witbeck

Investing Business News News Commentary

Season 1

A Year to Remember

It can be hard to feel optimistic when there are still so many challenges ahead. In early 2020 the entire world underwent a transformation – not only because of the pandemic but also due to heightened concerns over racial justice and climate change. Most of our normal routines changed immediately. As 2020 comes to a close, Jeff Powell, CIO, Managing Partner & Founder of Polaris Wealth & Jeremy Witbeck, Partner at Polaris Wealth, review some of the year’s milestones and what they are looking forward to in 2021.

Last Call for End of the Year Tax Moves

The end of the year is a good time to check on your financial accounts. The last day of December is sometimes a significant deadline so it can make sense to do some year-end housekeeping, including evaluating tax strategies and making plans for the coming year. Jeff Powell, CIO, Managing Partner & Founder of Polaris Wealth & Jeremy Witbeck, Partner at Polaris Wealth, address key year-end tax moves you want to make in the last few weeks of 2020 in order to help reduce next year’s tax obligations.

Sitting on a Pile of Cash

A majority of American investors are optimistic about U.S. stocks, but they are still sitting on piles of cash. In fact, the U.S. Investors are sitting on the largest pile of cash ever. The amount of cash in bank accounts is now at a record $16 trillion, more than twice as much as 2009 levels. Jeff Powell, CIO, Managing Partner & Founder of Polaris Wealth & Jeremy Witbeck, Partner at Polaris Wealth, discuss what that could means for stocks and what they should be doing with all that cash.

What’s Ahead for the Stock Market?

Wall Street got the new month started on the right foot on Tuesday, as majxor market benchmarks continued their upward surge and retained much of their momentum from November. Market participants have proposed a number of explanations for the strong performance in stocks lately. Yet largely going unnoticed is a dramatic shift in the way that investors think about the stock market. Jeff Powell, CIO, Managing Partner & Founder of Polaris Wealth & Jeremy Witbeck, Partner at Polaris Wealth, discuss how the change in view certainly explains the gains, but it also raises some concerns for the near-term future.

Market Landscape: We are More Optimistic. Why You Should Be Too.

The year of 2020 will be remembered for the COVID-19 pandemic, protests against racial injustice, debates over returning to school or the office, and political posturing. It will also be remembered for the confounding behavior of financial markets. They rallied, even though the world and the economy still feel chaotic and broken. Jeff Powell, CIO, Managing Partner & Founder of Polaris Wealth & Jeremy Witbeck, Partner at Polaris Wealth, explain why they are more optimistic, particularlly for next year.

Post-Election Landscape: The Economy & The Vaccine

Jeff Powell, CIO, Managing Partner & Founder of Polaris Wealth & Jeremy Witbeck, Partner at Polaris Wealth, assess the post-election landscape for financial markets and discuss the recent development of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine .

PRELIMINARY REACTIONS: ELECTION + MARKETS

Curious, hopeful, nervous…. The U.S. presidential election map took shape — amid concerns over drawn-out counts in some states. Jeff Powell, CIO, Managing Partner & Founder of Polaris Wealth & Jeremy Witbeck, Partner at Polaris Wealth, discuss election results today and the potential impact on financial markets.

The Stock Market’s Fear Gauge is Hitting Fresh Highs

Wall Street’s favorite gauge of stock-market volatility rocketed to its highest level since mid-June on Wednesday as rising COVID-19 cases and renewed lockdown efforts spurred fears of a prolonged economic slowdown. While record-high coronavirus case counts have fueled concerns about the pace of economic recovery, the prospect of timely fiscal support is all but exhausted. Jeff Powell, CIO, Managing Partner & Founder of Polaris Wealth & Jeremy Witbeck, Partner at Polaris Wealth, discuss the recent volatility in the financial markets.

The Politics of Financial Markets

How do financial markets react to political events such as elections or regulatory decisions? And what are the political repercussions of financial market events? Jeff Powell, CIO, Managing Partner & Founder of Polaris Wealth & Jeremy Witbeck, Partner at Polaris Wealth, discuss the relationship between politics and the financial markets.

Active vs. Passive Management

Whenever there’s a discussion about active or passive investing, it can pretty quickly turn into a debate because investors and wealth managers tend to strongly favor one strategy over the other. Jeff Powell, CIO, Managing Partner & Founder of Polaris Wealth & Jeremy Witbeck, Partner at Polaris Wealth, & Matthew Erickson, Senior Portfolio Manager, provide their thoughts on their roles and responsibilities as investment managers and their approach of portfolio management for Polaris Wealth Clients.

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