Skip to main content

August Financial Market Performance


On the back of a relatively good earnings season, August saw moderate gains, with the S&P 500 Index nearly surpassing its year-to-date high during the month.

Domestic large-cap stocks, as measured by the S&P 500, gained 2.25% for the month, while small- and mid-cap stocks fared even better. Foreign stocks were mixed; developed markets, as measured by the MSCI World ex-U.S. Index, rose 2.85% while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell 0.33%. The bond market was relatively flat in August: Treasuries and the Barclays Municipal 1-10 Year Index fell slightly, while the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index inched up 0.07% for the month. High-yield bonds, however, continued to fare well, with the Barclays U.S. Corporate High-Yield Index gaining 1.17%. (Source: Morningstar.  Please note that it is not possible to invest directly in to an index.)

Overall, the economy remains sluggish. This is reflected in mild second-quarter GDP growth numbers, recently revised upwards from 1.5% to 1.7%. (Source: Morningstar)

We hope you find this information useful, and welcome your feedback. Thank you for your business, and please don't hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.
White House Financial & Settlement Consulting helps families live easier and less stressful lives through the proper management of their financial resources.  We do this by acting as our clients’ trusted advisor providing a personal touch customized to the client’s needs!  Please visit our web site at www.whitehousellc.com for more information!

Popular posts from this blog

COVID will not stop us providing unique settlement solutions using structured settlement annuities!

I hope that you are doing well! We just FINALLY completed the settlement of a case for a minor (age 17) that we were initially engaged by our plaintiff attorney client in February 2021, to provide structured settlement annuity quotes! Although the claimant was very close to the age of majority the key to the case was not giving him all of the settlement proceeds, which was over $120,000, at age 18. Having been in this business for over 20 years I cannot tell you the number of sad cases we have witnessed where the young claimant receives their settlement proceeds at age 18 only to blow through all the funds before anyone can blink and make bad decisions with the proceeds! This case involved two liability insurance carriers Liberty Mutual and Member Select. We coordinated multiple rounds of document revisions and had to have a separate set of different documents for each insurance carrier. In addition, one of the carriers would not fund the annuity until we had a fully executed court ord...
Post a Comment
Read more

Using a structured settlement annuity pre-suit

 We recently were engaged by the Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) in the case of an 11 year old boy who was struck by a care while riding his bike.  The father of the boy settled the case directly with the liability auto insurance carrier pre-suit and the GAL contacted us to ensure that the boy's settlement funds were handled appropriately. The case settled for a total of $65,000 and $59,000 was being allocated to the structured settlement annuity for the boy as follows: $5,000 paid immediately upon settlement $10,000 at age 18 $20,000 at age 21 $25,000 at age 25 $35,718 at age 30 this is total benefits of $95,718! The annuity was placed with a large life insurance company rated A+ by the A.M. Best rating agency and provided the family and GAL with the peace of mind that the young man would not receive the entire amount at age 18. In addition, due to the use of the structured settlement annuity, all of the interest gained during the payout period ($31,718 to be exact) is INCOME TAX FRE...
Post a Comment
Read more

SECURE ACT 2.0 New Retirement Rules Workshop

 The SECURE Act is by far the biggest retirement-oriented legislation to be enacted in over a decade. Many Americans are left wondering, “What does this mean for me?” Here’s what you need to know. If you have any questions or if I can do anything for you please do not hesitate to email me at cyril.white@fourfinancial.com or call me at (734) 272-4322! I recently did three webinar workshops covering the SECURE Act and what it means for our clients.  Click on the video link below to watch the full webinar workshop! The SECURE Act, passed in late 2019, is by far the biggest retirement-oriented legislation to be enacted in over a decade. The new law is a very good thing for some retirees and not such a good thing for others. Barely half of the workforce is covered by a retirement savings plan through their employer, and the SECURE Act is meant to address this issue, among other things. Here are some key provisions in the Act that may affect your retirement plans. 1. Required minimu...
Post a Comment
Read more