Insights

Although socially responsible investing is not new, it has seen a surge of interest since the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing is a strategy of sustainable investing that considers these three attributes to evaluate the impact of the company as well as their returns.

U.S. equities, as measured by the S&P 500 Index, returned -4% in the first quarter, including dividends. While clearly negative, it certainly marked an improvement from the March 8th low of -13%, having come down from the January 3rd all-time high. Non-U.S. equities, as measured by MSCI’s All Country Worldwide Ex-U.S. benchmark, fell -5.3% in the first quarter including dividends, also a marked improvement from the year-to-date low of -12% on March 7th.

Interest rates are rising – quickly – making bonds more attractive.

With our Tax Department working diligently towards the April deadline, we wanted to provide a brief update on recent legislation for retirement savings.

The U.S. has regained more than 90 percent of the jobs lost during the pandemic, and hiring continues at a strong pace, constrained only by the supply (or shortages) of labor. The recent data show 431,000 jobs added during the month of March, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.6%. There are only five months on record where the unemployment rate has been lower. The negative impact of the virus appears mostly behind us, as a majority of Americans likely have some immunity from vaccination, infection, or both. Consumer spending is particularly strong, especially in the sectors that were hardest hit during the pandemic, such as travel and leisure.

Our second podcast episode of Money Stories with Linda Davis Taylor is here!

Howland’s Money Stories Program this month features two of the firm’s partners, Nick Crocker and Maureen Quigley, who teamed up to reflect on how they help clients navigate through financial milestones often experienced by families. From the young investor just starting out on a savings plan to discussions about how to pass on family values, Howland’s approach brings the firm’s collective experience and thinking to the dialogue.

Over the past few days, U.S. equity markets entered into correction territory largely due to the threat of war between Russia and Ukraine. With global leaders now responding to the Russian invasion, we are expecting to see increased volatility in the international markets as well as at home.

The adage, “actions speak louder than words” is true for many of life’s important lessons. But when it comes to learning about money, actions without words—the absence of open and candid conversations—can create gaps in our confidence and competence regarding money matters.

Howland Capital’s “family” roots run deep. The firm was founded by Dusty Howland to help steward and grow the family’s wealth, and throughout our 55-year history, we have been privileged to work with and learn from hundreds of families to help them harness their financial resources to achieve their family goals. 

As we enter the new year, Congress is still deliberating on legislation that could impact the 2022 tax year. The Build Back Better plan was passed by the House in late 2021 but ultimately was not signed into law by the end of the year. The bill has gone through several revisions and could be passed in early 2022. While the act was not passed before the start of 2022, it could still have retroactive tax implications this year.