White House Financial & Settlement Solutions, LLC

The last few months have seen some big changes in the bond market. At the end of August, the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield had risen more than 100 basis points from its May 1.66% low, with corporate, mortgage, and municipal bond yields following suit. This seems to have spooked mutual-fund investors, who yanked approximately $60 billion from bond funds in June, $11.7 billion in July, and $27.2 billion in August. (Source: Morningstar) With bond yields now higher than they’ve been in several years and showing few signs of retreating, the question is: where do we go from here? In our opinion the relative attractiveness of the bond market is currently less attractive than other areas of the market: Nevertheless, it remains an essential part of a well-diversified portfolio, helping to manage income and market volatility and drawdowns, particularly amid flights to more conservative investments. Thus, while we will recommend adjusting client portfolio exposure to favor   val...

If you go to our website at http://www.whitehousellc.com/news-events.php you can find educational videos on a variety of topics. We frequently update our library of videos on a monthly basis and address subjects of continuing concern, such as when to claim Social Security benefits, as well as important current issues, such as the recent Detroit Bankruptcy filing.

August was a difficult month for the U.S. equity market. The S&P 500 Index lost 2.90% while the Russell 2000 Index, tracking U.S. small-cap stocks, fell 3.18%. Overseas, equity markets fared slightly better. The MSCI World ex U.S. Index dropped 1.29%, while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index logged its fifth monthly decline in 2013 with a 1.72% loss. Fixed-income markets followed suit with investment-grade bonds, as represented by the Barclay's U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, slipping 0.51%. Meanwhile, the Barclay's U.S. Corporate High-Yield Bond Index, a measure of the non-investment grade bond market, lost 0.61% in August. The U.S. economy continued to show sputtering improvement in August, but concerns about the possibility of a U.S.-led military strike weighed on global stock markets and boosted the price of oil. Emerging-markets equities also continued to reflect investor unease surrounding both inflation and local loan markets. In fixed income, yields rose as redemption...

On July 18 the city of Detroit filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection, making it the largest municipal bankruptcy case in U.S. history. We have been following this historic event with our strategic partners and have highlighted some of the key opinions and research pertaining to the city's filing in video format. We hope you find it informative. Detroit Bankruptcy Video Commentary

We know that many of our clients are concerned about the volatility we experienced in the financial markets during the second quarter of this year. Therefore, we'd like to present our insights into what transpired, what the catalysts were and our forecast for how the markets will react throughout the remainder of the year. Here is a basic recap of what transpired: The second quarter was a tale of two halves in the U.S., with mixed performance to go along with the mixed economic data. Financial markets reacted strongly in mid May after the Federal Reserve announced that its asset purchase program could soon wind down. All areas of the global fixed-income markets declined as real yields spiked. Global equity performance was mixed, with U.S. stocks outpacing most other regions. In the U.S., small caps led large caps. Emerging markets, encompassing both debt and equity, were laggards on rising treasury yields and uncertain growth in China. Concerns about moderating emerging m...

Thanks to everyone who attended the White House Financial & Settlement Consulting Client, Family and Friend appreciation event at our farm on Saturday! Thanks to my wife  Leslie Tewes White , daughters and team for making it a great event for the 9th year! Thanks to mother nature for the beautiful weather!! These events really make me appreciate the wonderful community of people I am blessed to associate with through my work, friends and my family! THANKS! White House Financial & Settlement Consulting helps busy professionals and entrepreneurs live easier and less stressful lives through the proper management of their financial resources.  We do this by acting as our clients’ trusted  adviser  providing a personal touch customized to the client’s needs!  Please visit our web site at  www.whitehousellc.com   or contact us directly for more information!

The role of Social Security in retirement planning is an important factor for long-term financial well-being.  The link below will take you to a video about the various options for Social Security recipients.  This is timely and important information for everyone regardless of when you are eligible to receive your benefits. ***The Keys to Unlocking Social Security***