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I was recently speaking with one of my best friends, who is a pilot, about flight turbulence. He said there are two kinds of turbulence: natural turbulence caused by weather (wind) and pilot-induced turbulence, which happens when a pilot makes a mistake. We are...

I read recently that a young Australian Shepherd dog was missing after a traffic accident, and everyone was to be on the lookout. Though he was a pet, his breed's original job was to herd sheep. Another great shepherding tool was the use of a bellwether, where the...

When the world feels uncertain — inflation high, government debt ballooning, central banks under pressure — investors tend to look beyond the dollar for a safety net. Gold, the age-old hedge, often leads that retreat. But to understand why, you must see them not as...

As a kid, October was the month for opportunity. It’s when walnuts fell from the tree, and my Poppy and I would pick them up and haul them in feed sacks to sell. It was work in the beginning, but it gave us some extra spending money at the end. That might be exactly...

My wife and I bought our first house in 1997 for $23,000 and had a 7.5% mortgage rate. Even though the loan was small, it was still scary for a new finance guy and a school teacher. A lower interest rate would have really helped us out. We don’t worry so much about...

Markets are entering a new phase following the Federal Reserve’s latest decision, which marked a meaningful shift in its fight to balance inflation and economic growth. While the Fed’s move to lower rates was widely anticipated, the real story is what happens next —...

I was in Las Vegas over the weekend for the Eagles concert and had to walk through casinos to get to restaurants. I was shocked to see signs saying the casino takes credit cards. Instead of stopping their gambling, people were moving on from cash to credit and...

For nearly a century, September has been the S&P 500’s weakest month. Since 1928, the index has averaged a decline of just over one percent and has finished lower more than half the time—worse than any other month of the year. Fervent Wealth Management is a financial management and services entity in Springfield, Missouri.

Tariffs are no longer the US’s primary source of revenue, but they do generate direct revenue for the US government, providing an additional income stream to traditional taxation. Fervent Wealth Management is a financial management and services entity in Springfield, Missouri.

The S&P 500 has been trading down on the heels of the Nasdaq index, which continues to slide, putting more downside pressure on investors to pause on tech stocks. Fervent Wealth Management is a financial management and services entity in Springfield, Missouri.

For decades, the S&P 500 has been the yardstick by which portfolios, mutual funds, and even entire investment strategies are judged. Fervent Wealth Management is a financial management and services entity in Springfield, Missouri.

Market volatility, which is just a fancy way of saying market swing, is currently sitting at unusually low levels. Investors use volatility reports to measure market risk and watch for market uncertainty or instability. Fervent Wealth Management is a financial management and services entity in Springfield, Missouri.

So far, the earnings calls have had two themes: 1) tariffs/trade policy; 2) artificial intelligence (AI) spending. Fervent Wealth Management is a financial management and services entity in Springfield, Missouri.

President Trump announced last Tuesday night that a 15% tariff trade agreement with Japan, up from the previous rate of 2%, including the important Japanese automotive industry. Fervent Wealth Management is a financial management and services entity in Springfield, Missouri.

But with the market at historic highs, many investors are asking the same question: What now? Fervent Wealth Management is a financial management and services entity in Springfield, Missouri.

The strength of the market proves yet again that the fundamentals of the US economy and corporate America can withstand a lot. In a volatile first half, the S&P 500 experienced an impressive recovery from the April lows, ending June at a new record high. Fervent Wealth Management is a financial management and services entity in Springfield, Missouri.

There has been no shortage of market challenges in the first half of this year. There were tariff negotiations, a market correction, various Middle Eastern conflicts, a three-year low in the dollar, and a fight between President Trump and the Federal Reserve, all of which have the potential to negatively affect the markets.

Oil prices, geopolitical tensions, Federal Reserve policy — each headline seems to point in a different direction. Fervent Wealth Management is a financial management and services entity in Springfield, Missouri.