Holly Springs, NC - Robert W. Volpe, CFP®, President, Sterling Fox Financial Services and Branch Manager, Raymond James Financial Services, located at 104 Osterville Drive, Holly Springs, NC, was recently named a member of the 2024 Chairman’s Council.* This marks the seventh consecutive year that Volpe has qualified for this important recognition....

Elder fraud complaints to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (or IC3) increased by 14% in 2023, and associated losses increased by about 11%, according to IC3’s 2023 Elder Fraud Report, released April 30.  

Key financial lessons to teach your children as they grow.

Talking to kids about money can be awkward, but it’s important. That’s the takeaway from a recent T. Rowe Price survey, which showed that parents consider topics like death and politics easier to discuss with kids than saving for a goal. A full 85% wanted to avoid the issue by signing their kid up for a personal finance course.

Whether you get a refund or end up owing, you have options.

Tax season can be a period of new possibilities – especially when it comes down to what to do with your refund or, on the flip side, how to settle your bill.

If you receive a refund

Here’s a look at what’s at stake nationally in the November 5 election, analysis of historical stock market trends in election years, and portfolio considerations for long- and short-term investors.

We started 2023 with many market participants very worried about a large or deep recession, and the negative impacts that would have. Our economy proved to be resilient in 2023 and the recession that was widely telegraphed never came. Inflation fell from 6.1% to 3.4% for the year. The lower inflation data we saw at the end of October and November started to turn the tide with the expectation that the Fed was done raising rates. Then, surprisingly the Fed announced the welcome news of a pivot in December, ahead of expectations, signaling three potential rate cuts in 2024. That news pushed both bond and stock markets higher into year end and we would expect it to continue into 2024.

“Backdoor” strategies let you enjoy the benefits of a Roth while getting around some of the limitations.

For people looking to build a balanced retirement savings portfolio, a Roth IRA can serve as a great companion to an employer plan such as a 401(k). But if you earn too much money, you may not qualify to invest fully – or at all – in a Roth IRA. And no matter how much you earn, you may find that contribution limits prevent you from building as fat a fund as you’d like. 

Hello, we hope you have had a great summer, enjoying time with family & friends, and hopefully some great vacation memories have been made. We have also been pleased to see the positive growth in the markets as compared to the downturn we were experiencing at this time last year.

The most popular prediction headed into 2023 was that markets would suffer through a rough first half but rally by year’s end. However, stocks and bonds have refused to comply with that forecast.

Raymond James Chief Economist Eugenio Alemán discusses how this development impacts his team's forecast.

The US economy has been looking so solid lately that Federal Reserve officials will probably need to double their projection for growth in 2023 when they publish an updated outlook later this month.

Following a string of stronger-than-expected reports on everything from consumer spending to residential investment, economists have been boosting their forecasts for gross domestic product. One widely-followed, unofficial estimate produced by the Atlanta Fed even has it expanding 5.6% on an annualized basis in the third…

Living life and facing death can be liberating – and it doesn’t have to be hard.

Depending on the source, about half of Americans know they should have a will but don’t. And a National Library of Medicine study found that in 2017 only a third of us had completed end-of-life forms that outline our wishes for comfort and care during that final transition. Not surprising, maybe, since the process can be confusing and perhaps distressing when considering our own mortality. What may be surprising is the fact that the unpredictable pandemic may have shifted Americans’ attitudes toward codifying our wishes in a very practical sense.

With the baseball season halfway completed, Seattle, Washington will host the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby next Monday and Tuesday, respectively. These events are put on to celebrate and acknowledge the best performing players and homerun hitters throughout the season to date. Personally, it has been an exciting season thus far, as my hometown Baltimore

Today (July 7, 2023) was a good day for those that believe the Federal Reserve (Fed) has done enough to slow down economic activity in order to rein in the U.S. labor market as well as inflation, i.e., that is, for us! This doesn’t mean that the Fed is going to agree with us any time soon, but it helps us be more confident regarding our outlook for the second half of the year.

With the SECURE Act 2.0, required minimum distributions (RMDs) are getting a lot of media attention. Pundits discuss strategies for what to do at certain ages, and how market volatility and rising interest rates may affect distribution strategies from your individual retirement accounts.

The youngest members of the family might seem the most informed on today’s tech – but that’s not always the case.

Preparing the next generation for everything, even deterring cybercriminals or tracking down lost devices, is still the responsibility of older generations. These tips can help shield young people from online danger.