Bristlecone Blog

Financial markets got off to a rocky start in 2022 as inflationary pressures, tightening monetary policy, a Covid resurgence in China, and the outbreak of war in Ukraine led to a selloff in both stock and bond markets. The S&P 500 experienced its first negative quarter since the onset of the pandemic two years ago. Growth stocks were hit especially hard, with the Nasdaq 100 Index declining nearly 20% before recovering to finish the quarter at a 9% deficit. Even bonds were no haven, with the Barclays Aggregate Bond Index falling 6%--its worst quarterly return in almost 40 years (...)

After changing jobs, many wonder what to do with a 401k account at their former employer. While some make the mistake of simply withdrawing their 401k balance, there are three practical alternatives

Increased 401(k) contribution limits, corrected 1099 forms, new IRS life expectancy tables, Qualified Charitable Distributions mistakes, and backdoor Roth IRA Conversions... Oh My!

You've built up a nice retirement nest egg while working in the U.S. but decided to retire in France. What should be done with your retirement account(s) once you take French residency?

The return of inflation worries is an unwelcome change for investors and makes the current environment challenging. While this development will likely lead to short-term volatility, it is in more difficult times that sticking with a well-thought-out, long-term plan is most important.

Stock-based compensation is expanding to more and more companies. Yet, employees are left fending for themselves to make the most of it. Here are 3 challenges and ideas on dealing with them.