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Throughout the course of human history, change has occurred slowly and then suddenly. We barely notice the slow and steady change, which is the predictable result of evolution. Read More

Friends, We have many opinions and feelings about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Our prayers go out to a nation and its people who are in distress. Our job is to consider the impact on financial markets, so we are sharing with you some thoughts. Keep in mind this is a constantly evolving situation.  Let’s look at the history of markets af...

Like a B-rated horror movie that just won’t end, 2021 closed with yet another named variant of COVID-19 (Omicron), wreaking hav-oc on our lives. Read More

Spring is upon us. I’ve always marveled at how sunshine and the flowers of spring can lift the mood of not just an individual but of a whole society. Read More.

The Advocate - July 2020 As you receive this issue of The Advocate, we are enduring our 6th month of the COVID-19 crisis.    Read More

There has been a lot of question around how to gain forgiveness for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan. It seems we may finally have some guidance. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has released a PPP Loan Forgiveness Application. It is relatively well known that the purpose of PPP Loans was primarily to aid small businesses in sustaini...

The night of March 3rd, 2020, brought devastation in the form of an EF-4 tornado to the Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee area. It took less than 15 minutes for the devastating act of nature to destroy over 500 structures and take 18 lives (13 adults and 5 children) in the western part of our community. The degree of the destruction was similar ...

The Advocate - April 2020 Hello. I hope this letter finds you in good health and staying safe with your family. I trust you are coping with the new and different stresses placed on us by COVID19.    Read More

The past week provided a continuation of extremes. First, we saw the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. increase by a factor of 5x, hitting 131,000 and eclipsing China. Most of thegrowth occurred inmetropolitan areas, especially New York, but the rest of the country also saw their numbers rise. Even our home state of Tennessee saw infec...

With COVID-19 dominating almost every aspect of the news, we won't spend time trying to offer more. Suffice it to say, we are living in a historical moment that few of us, if any, have witnessed before. The actions taken by our federal, state, and local governments are akin to wartime measures. While they may feel extreme, the spread of the virus a...

The past week has been challenging for all of us. Federal and state governments, universities, sports organizations, companies, and school systems all took precautionary steps to help curtail the spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19. Some of these actions haven’t been seen since World War II. In response to the uncertainty, the selloff in U.S. st...

In light of the extreme volatility we’ve experienced this week, we wanted to continue to update you on events and our thoughts. However, to begin, we would like to make you aware of a tragedy that occurred in our hometown. Cookeville-Putnam County Tornado You may already be aware of the terrible, EF-4 tornado that devastated parts of our communi...

In our most recent Quarterly Letter, we called your attention to the potential threat of the Coronavirus and its associated respiratory disease, COVID-19. In light of the current volatility we are experiencing in the global markets as a result of this concern, we felt it important to provide you with this update. What We Know The spread of COVI...

Market and Economic Review During Q4, favorable policy developments—including further monetary easing by the Federal Reserve and de-escalation of the US-China trade confrontation—provided additional fuel to power stock markets to a strong finish in 2019. The global economy remains sluggish but is showing signs that conditions are no longer dete...

Quarterly Investment Letter  - 3rd  Quarter 2019   Market and Economic Review During Q3, the Federal Reserve and other central banks eased monetary policy in an effort to counter flagging global-growth momentum. However, further escalation of the US-China trade conflict continued to weigh on confidence, and it remains uncl...

Quarterly Investment Letter                           2nd  Quarter 2019   Market and Economic Review During Q2, the US-China trade tension escalated, providing an additional source of concern about the global growth...

Quarterly Investment Letter 1st Quarter 2019   Market and Economic Review In a reversal from the sharp downturn in Q4 2018, prices for riskier assets posted substantial gains during Q1 2019. Global equity markets rallied, with the US leading the way. High-yield corporate bonds and commodities also rebounded. Financial markets responded fa...

Quarterly Investment Letter   4th Quarter 2018   Global equity markets suffered sharp volatility and a widespread rout in the final quarter of 2018. News flow on the US-China trade dispute drove alternating optimism and pessimism throughout the quarter. Concerns about the pace of US interest-rate hikes and signs of slowing economic growt...

Quarterly Investment Letter   3rd Quarter 2018 Global equity markets overall closed 2018’s third quarter with an advance. However, trade relations continued to worry many investors, in particular surrounding China. Economic troubles in Turkey and Argentina also weighed on certain markets. Some observers took cheer in promising trade negotiati...

Quarterly Investment Letter   2nd Quarter 2018 Global equity markets overall closed 2018’s second quarter with a slight gain. Intensifying trade tensions and their potential to slow global economic growth weighed on sentiment. Concerns also arose that the synchronized global growth story might be coming to an end. While the US economy loo...

Quarterly Investment Letter   1st Quarter 2018 Despite mostly strong January performance, global equity markets generally shed value for the first quarter of 2018. Concerns arose that strong economic growth in some parts of the world, particularly the United States, would lead central banks to increase interest rates sooner than expected....

Happy Holidays! Santa came early to our house this year and brought us regulatory approvals that made us smile. Over the years we've had the privilege of working with many different Certified Public Accountants in crafting solutions for our clients. While we deeply respect the professionalism and capabilities of these individuals, time and again we...

2015 Review: Economy & Markets The US economy and broad market showed modest gains during the year, although investor discipline was tested by news of a global economic slowdown, rising market volatility in China and emerging markets, falling oil and commodities prices, and higher US interest rates. Read More

The Advocate-Winter 2015 I hope this finds you well and looking forward to the holidays ahead. The weather outside certainly seems to be turning Christmas-like! Read More

2014 Review: Economy & Markets Despite a bumpy ride throughout 2014, the US economy gained pace while the US equity and fixed income markets outperformed most markets around the world. This performance came with higher market volatility in the US, a rallying dollar, slowing economies in Europe and Asia, and rising geopolitical tensions, inclu...

The Advocate-Winter 2014 As we embark into to 2014, for the first time in the past several years, I detect a bit of wind at our back. Despite the cold weather, ten degrees as I write this, the sun is shining and I feel a sense of optimism.... Read More

The Advocate-October 2013 I am pleased to present the first edition of our new newsletter. Inside you will find timely information shared by our team, our partners, and other individuals whowe feel bring insightful perspective that we feel may be beneficial to you...   Read More