Insights from the Street: Are People Really Retiring Later?

True or false? You may have heard this claim before (or something like it): “Many Americans are being forced to retire later because their savings and investments took a hit in the Great Recession.”

Recently, a big-name economist disputed that belief. In a commentary for Bloomberg, former White House budget director Peter Orszag wrote that some of the statistics don’t seem to back up this conventional wisdom, but perhaps it all depends on which statistics you cite.

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Monthly Economic Update for February 2012

* Provided by Walla Street Wealth Management, Inc.

THE MONTH IN BRIEF

In recent stock market history, there have been many peaks and valleys. January 2012 represented a peak; it was the best January for U.S. stocks since 1997, with the S&P 500 rising 4.36%. It was also the S&P’s best month overall since October. Wall Street seemed to worry a little less about Europe during the month and a little more about subpar stateside indicators like consumer spending and home sales. Still, the mood was definitely bullish.^1,2

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Insights from the Street: A New Hope

French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke at a press conference just days after Standard & Poor's stripped
his nation of its AAA-rating, which also resulted in a ratings cut for the European Financial Stability Facility

"We enter 2012 with a great deal of hope, but our hopes are not for more bailouts, or money printing, or any of the myriad policies that investors seem to hope will save bad investments and sustain elevated valuations. Instead, our hope is that in 2012, the market will finally "clear," in the sense that bad debt around the world will be recognized as bad and restructured; that overleveraged financials will be taken into receivership instead of forcing austerity on every corner of the global economy in order to make them flush again; that rates of return will rise enough to compensate and encourage saving – and high enough to encourage borrowers and other users of capital to allocate the funds productively. Of course, in order to restructure bad debt, someone has to accept a loss. In order for rates of return to rise, valuations must decline. In short, our hope is for events that will unchain the global economy from an irresponsible past and open the gates toward a prosperous future. Maybe that is too hopeful, but we are not entirely convinced that bailouts and 'big bazooka' will be as easily procured in the year ahead as a confused public has allowed in recent years."

– John P. Hussman, Ph.D. (hussmanfunds.com)

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Monthly Economic Update for January 2012

* Provided by Walla Street Wealth Management, Inc.

THE MONTH IN BRIEF

The Dow advanced 1.43% and the S&P 500 rose 0.85% in December, but there was no major “Santa Claus” rally at the end of 2011. As a result, the Dow wound up +5.53% for the year while the S&P 500 posted a 2011 loss of 0.003%. While the year was hardly spectacular for U.S. stocks, our benchmarks outshone many others. Last month, we learned that the jobless rate had fallen and we glimpsed more hints that the real estate market could be inching toward some kind of recovery. Shoppers spent freely for the holidays while legislators managed to extend the payroll tax holiday. It was a bad month for many commodities but a good month for the dollar.¹

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New Year's Resolutions & Client Satisfaction

It's that time of year again. Everyone is making resolutions for the new year, so we thought we'd establish a few of our own resolutions and goals for 2012.

As an end-of-year exercise, we recently sent a Client Satisfaction Survey to all our clients. On a scale of 1 to 5, we asked our clients to rate our performance in areas such as customer service, communication, expertise, and professionalism.

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2012 Best Personal Wealth Managers in Kansas City

For the sixth year in a row, Walla Street Wealth Management, Inc. has been selected as one of the Best Personal Wealth Managers in Kansas City by KC Business Magazine. The resulting list of 2012 FIVE STAR Wealth Managers is an elite group, representing less than 7 percent of the wealth managers in the Kansas City area. Selection Process Nominees are evaluated against 10 objective criteria to determine the 2012 Five Star Wealth Managers in more than 40 major markets. The updated Five Star Wealth Manager award process includes: Nominations by peers and firms: Wealth managers, including financial planners and advisors, CPAs and estate planning attorneys, are nominated by their firm or a peer to be considered for the Five Star Wealth Manager award. Self-nominations are not accepted. Objective selection process for nominated wealth managers: Nominees are evaluated against 10 objective criteria such as client retention rates, client assets administered and a favorable regulatory and complaint history. No more than 7 percent of the wealth managers in a market receive the Five Star award. Regulatory and consumer complaint process: Feedback from consumer surveys will augment a regulatory history review. Firm review: Firms will have the option to provide input on nominees from their firm, regardless of nomination source.

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Walla Street Wealth Management interviewed on the Go To Market Show

The Go To Market Show recently visited with Tim Walla and Phil Freund of Walla Street Wealth Management* to discuss the importance of focusing on a small niche of clients and building personal relationships. Tim outlines the firm's focus on helping individuals and families achieve their goals through financial planning, investment management and risk management. In a highly competitive marketplace, they also discussed the process that Walla Street has undergone to differentiate the firm and attract new clients. Listen to the radio interview About the Go-To-Market Show: The Go-To-Market Show is focused on driving growth, sharing valuable insights into what it takes to turn your organization into a marketing machine – building reputation, triggering conversation and advancing engagements. We also talk about factors that influence market growth – ideas, money, talent, change management, the economy, regulations and more. Each week is a fresh take, responding to what’s happening in the world around us, and what our followers share with us to drive the conversation. Listen to the Go-To-Market Show on 1510 AM (Kansas City radio) every Wed 3-4PM CST. *Securities are solely offered through Ameritas Investment Corp. (AIC) Member FINRA/SIPC. AIC and Walla Street Wealth Manegement, Inc. are not affiliated. Additional products and services may be available through Walla Street Wealth Management, Inc. that are not offered through AIC.

Insights from the Street: Happy Holidays!

Kansas City's Country Club Plaza. In 1925, a tradition began with a single strand of 16 colored lights
placed above a doorway in the Country Club Plaza to celebrate Christmas.

It seems hard to believe that we only have two weeks left in 2011, does it not? For some, turning the page from 2011 will be very welcome; this past year has certainly produced its fair share of challenges. For those that truly prospered: count your blessings - you are very fortunate, and are likely in the minority.

While I foresee 2012 being challenging as well, it is our hope that good leaders will emerge that will help to forge solid solutions to the problems that ail us. These problems are complex and there are no easy solutions. It will take courage, discernment, and a deep collaborative spirit to dig out of the hole that we are collectively in. We can do it though. We have done it before.

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2011 Best Financial Advisors for Doctors in America

Medical Economics selects Timothy Walla, CFP® to the 2011 Best Financial Advisors for Doctors in America list Walla Street Wealth Management, Inc. is pleased to announce that Timothy Walla, CFP®, has been selected by Medical Economics magazine as one of the "2011 Best Financial Advisers for Doctors in America" list again in their November 2011 edition. Mr. Walla first joined this prestigious list in November 2008 and then again in 2010. Candidates were selected to the list based upon client and peer references, strong recommendations from physicians, and an extensive background check. Applicants were also required to complete an extensive questionnaire listing credentials, educational background, noteworthy professional achievements, specific areas of expertise, and percentage of physician clients.

Monthly Economic Update for December 2011

* Provided by Walla Street Wealth Management, Inc.

THE MONTH IN BRIEF

An astonishing rally during the last three days of November did much to improve what had been an anxious month for investors. The Dow ended up gaining 0.76% in November after jumping 4.24% on November 30 alone, responding largely to coordinated action by the world’s central banks to improve liquidity in the European Union. We got hints that the real estate market might be finding a legitimate bottom, some fine numbers from Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and pleasant surprises from some other key economic indicators. Our stock market struggled to pull off gains in the face of debt worries, both in Europe and at home.(1)

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