We'd rather be posting an "Are you ready for some football?"-themed piece, but unfortunately, Darn Dorian is what is now commanding our attention.  As we continue to monitor Hurricane Dorian, and hope for the best, we wanted to send out our financial hurricane advisory.  It includes steps to help ensure that you've done adequate preparation to not only storm-proof your home, but to weather-proof your finances, as well.

The Market Update for Thursday, August 22, provides encouraging signs based on stocks' resiliency, with the S&P 500 Index climbing 1/2% through Wednesday's close amid light volumes.  Read more from LPL Research here.

Appreciating the sponge cake/cotton candy-like Miami delicacy that lies inside a sprouted coconut...One needs to be skilled in the Miami art of machete coconut splitting to access this delicacy, known by names such as coconut pearl, coconut "embryo", coconut apple, or coconut cotyledon in English.  Take it from us, as your trusted advisors, if the opportunity presents itself, don’t miss out on this treat!

The S&P 500 Index is within 1% of our year-end fair value S&P 500 target of 3,000 after rallying 20% this year and broaching that target several times in July. We set that target in November 2018 and have maintained it since then. Now that we’re close to reaching the target, is it time to sell?

A qualified retirement plan remains one of the best tax advantaged savings opportunities available to small business owners and their employees.

If you are not maxing out your contributions, you should seriously consider doing so.  With the increased contributions and match amounts, if applicable, not only will you boost your retirement savings, but you could reduce your taxes as well.

The last 10 years have brought American investors the longest bull run in history. When volatility  descends upon us once again,  here are some brief pointers on how to "remain calm and carry on."

LPL Research writes, “Our favorite leading indicators are signaling that further economic growth and stock market gain may lie ahead..”

Key takeaways include:

LPL Research writes, “Earnings season delivered as expected. With 92% of results for S&P 500 Index companies in the books, first quarter 2019 earnings are tracking to roughly flat with the prior year [Figure 1].

LPL Research writes that “Stocks reached new highs last week. The S&P 500 Index completed a V-shaped recovery last week to register its first record high since September 20, 2018, to close at 2933.68 on April 23.  Here we share our thoughts on what this record could mean for stocks going forward.”

Key takeaways include:

Miami, FL — April 16, 2019 — Austin A. Frye, an independent LPL Financial advisor at Frye Financial Center in Aventura, today announced inclusion in LPL’s Chairman’s Council. This premier award is presented to fewer than 2% of the firm’s more than 16,000 financial advisors nationwide*.