Blog

Summer 2025 Wrap

As summer winds down, we’re reflecting on a season filled with connection, adventure, and balance. From hiking trails to peaceful fishing spots, the Katahdin team made the most of every moment. Here’s to a productive fall ahead!

Mid Year Outlook

At the midpoint of 2025, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve seen in the markets so far this year, and share some thoughts about how we’re positioning your portfolio moving forward. There’s no sugarcoating it - this year...

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads in our Katahdin Financial Group. Cheers, Jay

Welcome to Team Katahdin

Volatility Perspectives

Friday marks the end of a wild and chaotic week of trading for markets. The week started with tariff scares, seeing markets seesawing between gains and losses before two consecutive days of finishing down both days. Early trading on...

Tariff Impacts

Tariff announcements earlier this week caused a stir among markets. The post-election “sugar high” has been erased, and markets are left to cope with uncertainties of which policies will be enacted next. In truth, the uncertainty of...

Pullback Perspective & A Case for Staying Invested

If you find yourself worried, uncertain, or anxious about the stock market – you are not alone. The market hates uncertainty and when sweeping changes comes from the political landscape, the market reacts accordingly. Pullbacks, like...

Themes to Watch for 2025

Key Themes to Watch in 2025 As we step into 2025, several critical themes will guide our outlook for the economy and the markets. Here are some of the key factors that will influence our strategy and investment decisions in the year...

Katahdin Technology Update

Happy New Year! To welcome 2025, we are upgrading our computers, phones, and support technology. During the transition to the new systems, we anticipate being delayed in responding to email and phones on Monday January 13th starting at...

Important Dates Year End 2025

The seasons are changing, days are shorter, and the end of the year is closing in quickly. We want to help you check off any lingering to-do items on your list. If you have any questions or need help making choices, please reach out to...

2025 Tax Brackets & Contribution Limits

As 2024 winds down, the IRS has released updated tax brackets and retirement contribution limits for the upcoming year. The current tax regulations will sunset at the end of 2025, which will bring changes to the forefront. The tax...

Seasonality & Market Sensitivity

The summer months typically bring more volatility due to lighter trade volume as many on Wall Street swap tracking stocks for travel during the dog days. The equity markets have had a robust first half of the year, due to strong...

Investing in Election Cycles

Election years cause additional stress and anxiety for both investors and for markets. The stress is more behavioral than fundamental and it’s important to zoom out for sake of perspective. Blackrock has produced a Student of the...

US Economic Growth

Headlines have been sharing mixed news recently – some good, some bad, some that make you scratch your head. Our partners at Alliance Bernstein offer some insights to help navigate the landscape. A few quick notes: US economy is...

Rates Higher for Longer-Maybe Not?

The Federal Reserve wrapped up its latest Open Market Committee meeting on Wednesday and, as expected, held the federal funds rate steady at 5.25%-5.50%. This was the third pause following the July hike, which was the 11th increase in...

Higher for Longer & Potential Shutdowns

“Higher for longer” is the phrase and marching order from the Federal Reserve. At the Fed’s September meeting, interest rates were left at their current rate of approximately 5.25%. The conversation has shifted toward...

Mid-Year Letter

With over half the year in the rearview mirror, we reflect on the major market drivers and what to anticipate to close out the year. For additional information and looking through charts, we turn to our partners at JP Morgan with their...

Debt Ceiling in Focus

The US debt ceiling is in focus as the Congress decides how to tackle the national debt. The US hit the $31.7 trillion dollar debt limit in January and has been relying on “extraordinary measures’ to meet existing...

Will the Fed pause?

The Fed has been raising rates for over a year in its fight against inflation. At the conclusion of the May meeting, the Fed raised rates for the tenth consecutive time. The base rate now sits over 5%, the highest since 2007. This...

2023 Themes

Every January most investment firms come out with a list of their favorite stock picks for the coming year. At year-end, the predictions are largely forgotten and only provide narrow perspective on the markets as a whole. Themes are...

SECURE Act 2.0

Near the turn of the year, the signing of the SECURE Act 2.0 made broad changes to retirement plans. The goal of the Act is to make saving for retirement simpler and provide options for savers no matter their stage in life. In total 92...

Last Call for 2022

It has been a whirlwind of a year – many headlines and stories to reflect on. Our partners at LPL Financial have provided the biggest stories of the year in ten charts. Enjoy the look back at 2022 and may 2023 bring you...

Mixed Government and Markets

Financial markets can take good news and bad news in stride – the key to stability is avoiding surprises. As the ballots are counted from the midterm elections, another potential surprise finds itself in the review mirror. The...

Commitment to Eradicating Inflation

Jerome Powell and The Federal Reserve have recommitted to fighting inflation. Following the recent bottom in mid-June, markets quickly responded by recovering from bear market territory. In August, additional student aid was provided...

The Second Half Outlook-Slowdown or Recession?

 Recent data suggests that key parts of the U.S. GDP are still expanding, despite the impact of inflation, the pandemic, and geopolitical developments.Based on the latest fundamentals, our forecast is for the US economy to expand...

Stock Splits – Google (Alphabet)

Astute Alphabet (GOOGL & GOOG) investors may see some changes when logging into accounts this week. Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. announced intentions a 20 to 1 stock split earlier this year. What does the split mean?...

NUANCES OF A RECESSION, PART 2 OF 2

From the beginning of the year, broad market indexes have flirted with and dipped into bear market territory by posting losses of 20% or more. Today, the market will move full percentage points in a day seemingly as a regular...

Nuances of a Recession, Part 1 of 2

June signals warmer days, summer vacations, or maybe relaxing at camp. The end of June wraps up the second quarter for domestic businesses and provides a measuring point for business performance through the first half of the year. So,...

Raising Rates - Feds Fight Inflation

Sorting through the headlines, two have emerged as noteworthy over the past several days. Interest rates and inflation data have taken center stage as the Federal Reserve announced their intention to raise interest rates. Adjusting...

In The Headlines

Don't Fight the Fed

11 Things to Know About Russia and Ukraine

Lessons Learned from 2011

Consumer Price Index Pops

Inflation: Temporary or Here to Stay?

As we approach the kickoff of the holiday season, we wanted to wish you a peaceful and joyful time with the ones you love. Judy, Amy, Garrett, and I are so thankful to have you as partners and appreciate your trust and friendship, as...

Welcomed Volatility

The markets have been resilient to much of the economic confusion across the globe, able to shrug off interruptions toward full recovery. We now have enough event related topics to rattle near term pricing. Whether it is China’s...

What Could Happen The Rest of the Year

We wanted to post our mid-year letter, even though we are staring down the 4th Quarter within weeks. Our investment strategy will continue to take a cautious approach during these uncertain times. The market has been testing all-time...

Hot Inflation Data

Inflation data is heating up and we are beginning to see some volatility spill into the capital markets. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its monthly report on inflation this week revealing that the headline Consumer Price...

Treasury Yields are Rising. Now What?

Treasury yields typically don’t take headlines unless movement sparks enough interest. This is exactly the case in the bond market and it's garnering attention as we mull over the direction of inflation this coming year. Treasury...

Tax Season Dates At-A-Glance

Outlook 2021

We hope you and your family, whether together ‘live or virtually’ are enjoying the kickoff to the holiday season. What a year to reflect on and be grateful for the very basics of life, family and friendships. Though the...

Covid-19 in Charts

What a difference a few weeks make! In our blog post mid-March, we mentioned the capital markets can move upward with the same ferocity of the initial sell off. This is exactly what we have experienced over the last two months....

The Anatomy of a Recession 2.0

Last fall we published ‘The Anatomy of a Recession’ from our research partners at Clearbridge Investments. As I mentioned then, recessions don’t occur overnight, but as we have recently discovered they definitely can...

S&P 500 (aka S&P 5)

As we head into the middle of earnings season, it is important to recognize the unprecedented concentration of 5 companies that are driving returns in the U.S. stock market. The S&P 500 is the index that tracks the largest 500 U.S....

Investing Perspectives

During volatile and uncertain times, we often reach out to our strategic partners and plan through the next tactical decisions for portfolio rebalancing. Thankfully we work in collaboration with some of the best research firms in the...

Market Bottom Process

We have been on more research calls and plowed through more reports in the last 30 days than possibly the last 25 years combined. The medical and financial story continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace. I want to share what we...

The Next Chapter - Patience

As mentioned in our last few posts, volatility is here to stay (for a while at least) and last week was no exception. The equity markets were up over 10% for the week, during which we experienced multiple 5% swings daily. The...

Different...Not Different

I have had many conversations over the last few weeks and continue to hear the claim that ‘this is different’. How the Coronavirus outbreak has virtually stopped our sense of normalcy is certainly different. I have never...

Calm During Chaos

It is difficult to find a recent headline that doesn’t create some aspect of immediate fear and angst. The markets have shuttered, travel has essentially stopped and there is a constant reminder that a virus is spreading on a...

Monday Market Drama

When negative events begin to lineup, the market will react in a more violent way. Today we had a 2000 point sell off in the DJIA. This was the result of the combination of fear regarding Coronavirus impact on the economy and the...

Coronavirus Economic Impact

The Coronavirus continues to be in the news headlines for two significant reasons. The first is the obvious health implications now that the virus has spread to multiple continents in such a rapid fashion and has entered the United...

SECURE Act

We wanted to touch on recent legislation that became effective January 1st, 2020. It will inevitably affect many retirement savers, for better or worse. Here are a few of the most significant changes that you should be aware of:...

The Anatomy of a Recession

With so much conversation regarding a global slowdown and the risk of recession, I thought it would be timely to share an update. Attached to this link you will find ‘The Anatomy of a Recession’ from our partners at...

Spooky Start to the 4th Quarter

The month of October has opened on a volatile note, after a historically calm September in the equity markets. The headlines of Impeachment, Manufacturing Weakness, Global Slowdown and Softer Employment Report have led to a selloff...

Record 1st Quarter - What's Next?

Happy Spring Everyone! The weather and capital markets have kept us guessing on what’s coming next. While we know we can’t control the weather, we can control risk management. I thought now would be a good time to update...

Tax Season Essentials

Market Update: Volatility Continues to Take Headlines

Volatility continues to take the headlines; with a focus on trade, economic slowdown, oil prices and interest rates. The market is not a fan of confusion and there is enough of it out there in the global markets to keep this chop...

Observations on the US Midterm Elections

Political ads are finally over, for now, and the US midterm elections on November 6th resulted in a divided government—the widely expected outcome—with the Democratic Party gaining control of the House of Representatives...

Market Update

Last week we saw a significant move in the market leading to an increase in concern among investors. It is important to remember that with the US economy in late stage recovery, and with mid-term elections coming up, there is a greater...

Enjoy The View: Current Market Outlook Podcast

The second episode of Enjoy The View podcast is out. In this episode we discuss what we have experienced to this point in 2018, and what we expect throughout the rest of the year. The combination of economic headwinds and tailwinds has...

Enjoy the View: Intro Podcast

We are excited to release our new Podcast! This is the introduction to the Enjoy the View podcast hosted by Jay Tobias and the Katahdin Financial Group Team. This intro will give you insight into how the Enjoy the View podcast well be...

2018 Mid-Year Outlook

We are excited to release the Mid-Year Outlook that our research team at LPL has put together. This dives into many segments of current market and economic trends and factors - with a Netflix twist to it. Policy remains a key theme to...

Volatility Wins as the Battle Rages

In recent days, the market has seen increased volatility with multiple 500 point swings as a battle rages over where the next big move will take us in 2018. Tariffs, inflation, data breaches and potential trade wars descend us toward...

Market Volatility

After a multiple year calm in the equity markets, we finally slipped into a correction (defined as a 10% or more drop from recent highs), and the result was a number of chaotic 1000 point swings in the Dow Jones Industrial Average....

Market Recap

Finally, we are observing volatility in the market, something we have talked about and hoped for over quite some time. It is a natural part of the capital markets movement but hasn’t shown up for years. The reason behind this...

Tax Season Dates and Important Information

We hope you all have had a great start to your new year. For clients that were with us at Wells Fargo Advisors, you will be receiving tax documentation from BOTH Katahdin Financial Group/LPL Financial, and Wells Fargo Advisors. Please...

New Tax Law Investment Implications

I hope that you have enjoyed spending time with loved ones during this holiday season. Congress recently passed the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law. Although the depth of detail of this new law may be intimidating, on balance, its...

Equifax Information

Last week, one of the big four credit reporting agencies, Equifax, announced it experienced a security breach resulting in criminals accessing personal information of approximately 143 million Americans between May and July of this...