Weekly Financial Trends and Insights
Every week in our Key Wealth Institute emails, we dive into trending topics and their potential impacts to investors to deliver timely insights and advice from our in-house experts. Here, you’ll find all of our Key Questions in one place, so you always have access to the latest market information.
Key Questions: How Much Tech Do You Really Own?
Technology has become an increasingly dominant force in US stock markets – and thus in many investors’ portfolios. Over the past 15 years, tech companies have delivered standout growth and returns, causing broad market indices to tilt heavily toward the tech sector.
Key Questions: What Makes a Good Investment Fund Manager?
Within Key Wealth, we design customized portfolio solutions comprised of high-quality, US publicly traded securities, principally stocks and bonds managed by my colleagues led by Steve Hoedt (equities) and Rajeev Sharma (fixed income). To complement these holdings, we utilize a wide array of investment vehicles spanning the full spectrum of asset classes. Moreover, our investment platform is completely “open architecture," meaning it consists of options solely selected based on our clients’ best interests.
Key Questions: How Do We Invest in Tech?
In the nearly 16 years since the S&P 500 bottomed in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis (in March 2009), technology stocks have vastly outperformed the broader stock market, returning an annualized +20.9% vs. +16.3% for the S&P 500 (as of 1/31/25), and as result, these stocks now represent sizeable allocations within many portfolios.
Key Questions: Q4 Earnings Recap “What Did We Learn From Fourth Quarter Earnings?”
Earnings reporting season for the recently ended quarter is nearly complete, and between the flood of activity from the new administration and the emergence of a potential breakthrough moment in Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), it has been an extremely eventful one. We analyzed dozens of such reports and identified three “key themes” that best summarize the quarter.
Key Questions: Do the California Wildfires Put Any Investments at Risk?
The devastating wildfires in Greater Los Angeles are likely to be the costliest natural disaster in US history, and our most heartfelt thoughts go out to all those affected by these tragic events. The human impact is immeasurable and the loss of lives, homes, businesses, and schools have placed communities in peril as they begin to recover and rebuild. The financial impact is staggering: over 10,000 structures have been destroyed in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country.
Key Questions: Does the Social Security Fairness Act Affect Me?
On Jan. 5, 2025, President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023, H.R. 82. This legislation eliminates two provisions that previously reduced Social Security benefits for public servants and other retirees. The act repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). The repeal is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2024.
The Key Wealth Institute is comprised of financial professionals representing KeyBank National Association (KeyBank) and certain affiliates, such as Key Investment Services LLC (KIS) and KeyCorp Insurance Agency USA Inc. (KIA).
Any opinions, projections, or recommendations contained herein are subject to change without notice, are those of the individual author(s), and may not necessarily represent the views of KeyBank or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates.
This material presented is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be an offer, recommendation, or solicitation to purchase or sell any security or product or to employ a specific investment or tax planning strategy.
KeyBank, nor its subsidiaries or affiliates, represent, warrant or guarantee that this material is accurate, complete or suitable for any purpose or any investor and it should not be used as a basis for investment or tax planning decisions. It is not to be relied upon or used in substitution for the exercise of independent judgment. It should not be construed as individual tax, legal or financial advice.
The summaries, prices, quotes and/or statistics contained herein have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable but are not necessarily complete and cannot be guaranteed. They are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended to replace any confirmations or statements. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Investment products, brokerage and investment advisory services are offered through KIS, member FINRA/SIPC and SEC-registered investment advisor. Insurance products are offered through KIA. Insurance products offered through KIA are underwritten by and the obligation of insurance companies that are not affiliated with KeyBank.
Non-Deposit products are:
NOT FDIC INSURED • NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE • NOT A DEPOSIT • NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCY
