Blog
Sterling Financial Group. Inc. is an investment advisory firm that oversees clients’ assets and provide a range of comprehensive wealth management services. Our team has the skill and expertise to offer exceptional economic advice and market analysis, as well as a strong network of professionals to refer to for legal and tax advice, enhancing our ability to successfully assist clients in achieving their financial goals. Michael Hatch, Principal of Sterling Financial Group, Inc., has been helping clients in formulating and implementing complex wealth management strategies and managing their assets for over twenty-five years. Michael Hatch began his career as a financial advisor in 1989 and has operated predecessor firms as a principal since that time.
Back to School: Repayments Resume
During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal student loan payments were suspended, interest rates were temporarily set to zero, and lenders were advised to halt collections on defaulted loans. However, the recent bipartisan debt ceiling has...
Read MoreU.S. Housing Market Crossroads
Conflicting trends in recent months appear to indicate that the overall U.S. housing market is at a crossroads. In May 2023, median U.S. home prices fell slightly, down 3.1% year over year to $396,100. In addition, the number of homes...
Read MoreChatGPT and Beyond
ChatGPT, an advanced language model developed by OpenAI, has revolutionized the field of artificial intelligence (“AI”) with its remarkable ability to understand and generate human-like responses in natural language...
Read MoreThe First Half of 2023 is Officially Over
Well that went quickly! The first half of 2023 is officially over, and with it, certain concerns seem to have abated, while other topics seem to occupy a great deal of our mind-space. One governmental institution that constantly...
Read MoreThe Strength of our Custodians
Our clients custody their investment assets through either Charles Schwab & Co., Inc (“Schwab”) or LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (“LPL”). Considering recent events, we thought that we should highlight the...
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Client Interview
As a firm, we have many diverse long-term clients, so we thought instead of just highlighting what are sometimes abstract economic ideas, we would harness the knowledge and firsthand experience of those we know. Below is an excerpt...
Read MoreSECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 Retirement Savings Expansion
Major retirement plan changes resulted from the passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act last year, and starting January 1st of 2023, there are 92 new provisions that went into effect. We have selected several of the more significant changes that...
Read MoreDon Vernon turns 90 years old
My father-in-law, Don Vernon, turns 90 years old this month. Happy birthday, Don! Among many accomplishments, Don was married to his wife Kathleen for over 60 years and had three daughters (a doctor, a lawyer, and, my favorite, an...
Read MoreA New Home for Mom
At some point, most of us will no longer be able to live independently. Having recently helped my mom get placed in a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), I have learned a great deal about this topic. While by no means a...
Read MoreGood-bye and good riddance to 2022
Goodbye and good riddance to 2022, and welcome to 2023! I say good riddance because both personally and professionally, I am glad to leave the many challenges of 2022 behind — and I have heard from many of you who feel the same....
Read MoreShould I Consider I Bonds?
If you have extra cash at the bank, shorter-term investment options such as money market funds and CDs, now provide more interesting returns than they did last year. If you have some funds you won’t need for at least one year,...
Read MoreReframing Risk
Risk tolerance and time horizons are central topics to both financial planning and investment management. In volatile market periods, risk tolerance is put to the test, like a ship’s captain during a big storm. Over the last...
Read MorePossible Stagflation: What to Do
Possible Stagflation: What to Do The possibility of stagflation has reappeared in the news, afier nearly a forty-year hiatus. Stagflation is an economic cycle characterized by slow growth, a high unemployment rate, and high inflation....
Read MoreCommodities
In recent decades, upward spikes in commodity prices were driven by increased demand, like the rapid industrialization of China and the resulting rise of consumer demand in that country. This time, the situation is being driven by...
Read MoreTax & Estate Planning Considerations
As a firm, it is our goal to deliver timely updates and insights on topics we are thinking about for our valued clients and their families. Since personal tax filing deadlines for 2021 loom just around the corner, here are a few topics...
Read MoreEstate Planning Basics
THE WHO’S WHO OF ESTATE PLANNINGDo you ever wonder about the difference between a Healthcare Power of Attorney and a Power of Attorney? What about an Executor and Trustee? It’s easy to get confused due to the numerous terms...
Read MoreInflation and the CPI
Inflation and the CPIInflation seems to be in the news daily and on everyone’s mind–I just filled up my completely empty gas tank at a cost of $133.40! – inflation is on my mind as well. Below are some facts as to...
Read MoreMilestones in Focus - Financial Planning Timeline: The Golden Years
Aging is a natural progression and is something we all must face if given enough time on this earth. As the saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail”. In the golden years of any household’s lifecycle, the...
Read MoreSecond Home Considerations
During the Covid lockdown, media often cited the growing number of remote workers dialing in from a picturesque lake or mountain house. The rosy picture these articles painted forced many Americans to ponder if purchasing a second home...
Read More2022 SFG Q1 Newsletter Update
Our best to you for 2022; we hope the year has started off well for all of you and your families. We are now almost two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, and we know many have been impacted by this latest Omicron variant. Fortunately,...
Read MoreBook Review: Bitcoin for Dummies, A Wiley Brand By PRYPTO
Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are in the news everywhere, and it's not surprising that there's often partial or misinformation (and apprehension) about such a powerful new technology. Bitcoin is now a $2 trillion “asset...
Read MoreInvestment Insights: Why Do I Have Any Bonds In My portfolio?
At the surface, this seems like a reasonable question, given that ten-year US Treasury bonds are currently yielding a paltry 1.5%. At that level, bond yields are certainly not keeping up with inflation, especially this year...
Read MoreMilestones in Focus: Financial Planning Timeline: Retirement
You’ve made it! Congratulations on a long and successful career. Goodbye stressors, hello autopilot… right? Not so fast. Retirement can be an overwhelming and daunting aspect in one’s life and is not to be taken...
Read More2021 SFG Q4 Newsletter Update
Americans are typically an optimistic lot, yet ‘we’ suddenly turned gloomy in August as demonstrated by the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey, dropping more than 13% in August to the low for this decade....
Read More“Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” By Carol Dweck
Often, intelligence and aptitude are attributed to individuals at an early age. However, this can establish what Stanford professor Carol Dweck titles as “fixed mindsets” – that is, where an individual defines...
Read MoreMarkets Give and Take; A Primer on volatility
What Is Volatility?Volatility is defined as the range of possible returns for a given security or market index over a given period; this range can include upward or downward movements. The uncertainty of future events (i.e....
Read MoreMilestones in Focus - Financial Planning Timeline: 50’s to Early 60’s Pre-Retirement Checkup
Financial Planning Timeline: 50’s to Early 60’s Pre-Retirement CheckupIn this installment of Milestones in Focus, we will explore financial planning topics that should be top of mind when a household is in their 50’s...
Read More2021 SFG Q3 Newsletter Update
Many clients over the years have inquired about investment returns and wonder what should a reasonable expectation be for long-term returns? As with many things in finance, the answer isn’t simple or straight forward: it...
Read MoreCompany Spotlight: Tesla
Perhaps no founder in recent times has been more brazen and industry changing than Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla. His statements move industries; their cars have captured the imagination of millions; yet the company has yet to...
Read More2021 Q2 Outlook
Dear Clients & Friends,We hope you are well and are starting to make plans to move forward with your lives in a safe yet productive and enjoyable manner. We have much to be thankful for, as our office staff and their families here...
Read MoreSecond Home Considerations
During the Covid lockdown, media often cited the growing number of remote workers dialing in from a picturesque lake or mountain house. The rosy picture these articles painted forced many Americans to ponder if purchasing a second home...
Read MoreMilestones in Focus - Financial Planning Timeline: The Golden Years
Milestones in FocusBY KODY BROWN, CFP®Financial Planning Timeline: The Golden YearsAging is a natural progression and is something we all must face if given enough time on this earth. As the saying goes, “failing to...
Read MoreHealthcare Trends
In mid-December, the first vaccinations for COVID-19 were provided for front line healthcare workers. If successful, this vaccination would represent a huge leap forward in disease analysis, vaccination development and distribution, as...
Read MoreIs a Refinance the Best Choice for You?
With mortgage rates at historic lows, many clients are wondering if they should refinance their current loan. While moving to a lower rate may seem like a “no brainer” it is not always the case. Below is a summary of a...
Read MoreCalifornia Proposition 19
In November California passed Proposition 19, a constitutional amendment that implements the most significant changes to property tax transfer rules in over 20 years. Prop 19 liberalizes rules that allow property owners over age 55 to...
Read More2021 Firm Statement
Dear Clients and Friends: Welcome to 2021, we hope you have a safe and fulfilling new year. Our holidays were spent with close family or a few friends, enjoying our covered patio here in Pasadena. Many publications make...
Read MoreBook Review: Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
Leonardo Da Vinci, the quintessential “Renaissance man”, is renowned for paintings such as The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. He stood alone in his insatiable pursuit of the arts, science, nature, and technology. In this...
Read MoreUnemployment in the United States
The Federal Reserve is tasked with a dual mandate to provide stability of prices (i.e. control inflation), and to promote full employment. Thus, the government tracks many statistics related to inflation and employment figures to give...
Read MoreLies, D----ed Lies and Statistics
In a year when statistics are flying around like an infielder’s drill in baseball, we thought it prudent to touch on the confusion often present in common statistics. While often mistakenly attributed to Mark Twain, one can find...
Read MoreFinancial Planning Timeline: Milestones in Focus
As a firm, we would like to introduce a new section to our newsletter that will cover financial planning milestones throughout each phase of an individual’s life. Topics include savings vehicles, contribution and distribution...
Read MoreIrrational Exuberance 2.0: Bounce, Gut Check, Swoosh
The phrase "irrational exuberance" was used by Alan Greenspan in late 1996 during the dot-com boom of the 1990s; it was interpreted as a warning that the stock market might be overvalued given an apparent disconnect between...
Read MoreAge Based Demographics
Investing Fundamentals Summer greetings and our best wishes that you and your family are safe and healthy, and getting outdoors to enjoy the warmer weather. With all of the news and facts reported, we know that at times the information...
Read MoreThe CARES Act Overview
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed on March 27th of this year, initiated a $2 trillion economic relief package for the American worker and business alike. According to the U.S. Department of the...
Read MoreSterling Financial Group Market Update
Dear Clients and Friends: We know that you are dealing with many challenges at this time but please know that we are here to support you in any way that we can. With the recent volatility in the markets, we did hear from several...
Read MoreWhat Have You Done With My Small Cap Premium
In the ten-year period ending 12/31/18, publicly held large cap stocks outperformed small cap stocks, rising an average of 13.3% versus 12.0% (FTSE Russell, 2019). Large cap stocks are generally defined as companies with a value...
Read MoreReduce Waste - It's Time to go Paperless
Many of our clients have expressed that they no longer want to receive paper delivery of financial statements and notices of activity in the mail. LPL and Charles Schwab provide several options to minimize the printed materials...
Read MoreWhat Does All This Economic Data Mean to Me?
Happy fall! For those of us that enjoy college football, this is one of our favorite times of the year, while I know others are wanting summer to stick around longer. Now that the third quarter of 2019 is over, I thought I would recap...
Read MoreThe Big Freeze
In 2017, data security took center stage when Equifax fell victim to one of the largest data breaches of all time. Nearly one hundred and fifty million people had their personally identifiable information stolen, or fifty five percent...
Read MoreWhy Adding Real Estate Now Makes Sense
Late in the economic cycle, income-generating investments are viewed as an attractive buffer against stock market volatility. Real estate can be an income- generating option that has the potential to be a strong investment when held...
Read MoreNew Additions to the Firm
Many of you have asked how our team has changed in our transition. The core group of our service team, including Lisa Cortes, Danielle Smith, and Kody Brown, is looking forward to speaking with you and assisting in any way they can....
Read MoreBook Review “Mastering The Market Cycle” by Howard Marks
Howard Marks is a legendary investor and founder of Oaktree Capital Management, currently managing in excess of $120 Billion; earlier this year Oaktree agreed to be acquired by Brookfield Asset Management. Howard Marks has long been...
Read MoreDe (Coding) the Future: How Artificial Intelligence Will Augment Our Lives
Our team recently had the opportunity to tour the Googleplex and spend an evening with professors from CalTech. What is the Googleplex you ask? It is the corporate headquarters of Google (parent company, Alphabet, Inc.) which occupies...
Read MoreWhy Dividends Make Sense Now
Why Dividends Make Sense Now By Berkeley Harrison, CFA Time for a different allocation? Volatility has returned to the equity markets, as evidenced by an increase in the VIX (a popular measure of the U.S. stock market’s expected...
Read MoreDow Jones Normal Volatility
Welcome to this first edition of Sterling Financial Report, we hope you find this information useful and that we continue to be a resource for you and your family. With the first half of 2019 complete, financial markets have rebounded...
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