Griffin Financial Advisors, LLC

Released last week, was the annual report from Social Security and Medicare showing how long these programs will be able to provide benefits as promised. The report stated these entitlement programs, which many retirees rely upon, are in jeopardy. So where do we stand today, and what can we expect moving forward. Currently, there are roughly 61.5 million people who receive retirement or disability benefits from Social Security. According to the report, this is the first-year costs/outlays will exceed income/deposits since the 80’s (chart per the WSJ). Due to higher costs, the program will have to tap into its 3 trillion-dollar trust fund. Although $3 trillion may seem like a lot of money, these reserves are forecasted to only last until 2034.   This is much sooner than previously expected. As a result, Social Security would be forced to cut recipients benefits to 75% of their scheduled amount. For Medicare, it is even worse. Today, 58.4 million people receive Medicare. T...

Recently, the Russell 2000 (RUT) index reached an all-time high. The Russell 2000 is comprised of small U.S companies. Although this small cap sector lagged large multinational companies last year, it is now breaking out into uncharted territory. So what is causing this? Last year, investors believed multinational companies would benefit more from the pickup in the global economy. Now, those same companies are at risk because of the potential of trade disputes, mostly with China. Although, we do not think a full-blown trade war will occur, negotiations are currently taking place. Therefore, investors may have concerns and are looking for other areas to invest. Investors may be moving money into small cap companies because their business has less global risk.   According to a recent research note from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the S&P 500 gets 30% of its revenue from business overseas compared to 21% for the Russell 2000. Hypothetically, earnings for s...

First and foremost, it is important to understand, we do NOT recommend cryptocurrencies. We are providing this blog post for informational purposes only. Bitcoin-the one subject everyone has been talking about recently. Whether you have heard the term in the news or discussed it at Christmas dinner, it has been all the craze the last few months. And for good reason. Bitcoin is up over 1,400% this year alone! So, what is Bitcoin? Is it something to buy and if so, what are the risks. To begin, Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency today. A cryptocurrency is a digital currency that is “mined” with computers. To clarify, individuals use certain technology, along with computer hardware and power, to solve a difficult puzzle. Once the puzzle is cracked, a new bitcoin is released. There is a total of 21 million Bitcoins to be mined and brought to the market. However, you can acquire Bitcoin without mining it. Many online companies allow the purchase and sale of Bitcoin. Th...