This column was published in the Knoxville News Sentinel on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019. A new year allows us to start fresh and think about new things – new resolutions, new habits, new goals and new opportunities for growth. Last year wasn’t particularly kind to investors. Equity markets across the globe ended lower, and volatility picked up during the fourth …
What’s Slowing Santa’s Sleigh?
With the approach of the Holiday Season, many investors are wondering if they will enjoy a “Santa Claus” rally in the final weeks of 2018. So far, the headlines have not been filled with Holiday cheer. Global equity markets have fallen sharply as investors have grown increasingly worried about global trade, a hard Brexit, and slowing economic growth. In the US, company-specific news …
What kind of bias do you apply to your finances?
This column was first published in the Knoxville News Sentinel on December 12, 2018 We all fall into traps that have the potential to take us off track of achieving our financial goals. Some of us are more conservative with our money than we can afford, and some of us are more aggressive than we should be. There are four …
How Trusts Allow You to Take Care of Those You Love
Trust is the foundation of love and one of the key elements of what binds families together. A financial trust can function much the same, helping you to care for the most important people in your life after you are gone. What is a Trust? A trust is a fiduciary relationship in which a grantor transfers assets to a trustee, …
Happy Holidays and Merry Cryptocurrencies
As we find ourselves in the middle of the holiday season attending various holiday parties, family gatherings, ugly sweater contests, and open houses, invariably, conversation turns to the stock market. Perhaps an uncle took a bet in a hot internet stock that paid off and now fancies himself the chief investment advisor in the family. Or maybe your colleague lost a bundle …
Financial Insights, Reflections on 2018
This article originally appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel’s business column on November 18, 2018. As this year is drawing to an end, here are a few random thoughts related to the markets. October was one of the worst months for stocks that we’ve seen in years, but there is likely a bright future ahead. Since 1950, the S&P 500 …
Blazing Her Own Trail
This article by Roger Shirley first appeared in The Tennessee Banker November/December 2018 issue. Sharon Miller Pryse didn’t start out to be the owner and chief executive of a highly successful trust company. Personal drive, ambition, an entrepreneurial spirit, and at the right place at the right time early in her career, however, came together to set that course. Pryse …
Social Security: What You Don’t Know May Hurt You
During retirement planning, there are many considerations and an important one is social security. You may be asking yourself questions like: When should I claim social security? Should I collect my social security as soon as I’m eligible? After all, I did pay into it all these years, so I’m entitled to it, right? Besides, it may run out so …
Try these tips for analyzing your investment needs
This article originally appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel’s business column on October 21, 2018. The market has recently had the long-awaited “hiccup.” I happened to be at an investment conference when the market was off 1,300 points over two days. Dr. David Kelly, chief global strategist at J.P. Morgan, was one of the keynote speakers. He had some excellent …
How Sharon Pryse took control of her own destiny
By Cortney Roark, published in the Knoxville News Sentinel on February 5, 2018 As founder and CEO of the Trust Company, which manages $3 billion in assets, it’s expected that Sharon Pryse has a roomy office. What’s not as expected is the seat she chooses when guests enter the room. When clients – or a reporter and photographer – walk …