Each week, the Stokes Family Office staff puts together a list of our favorite news and updates on all things wealth management. From financial planning, portfolio construction, tax and estate planning, retirement plan services to anything we found interesting. Enjoy this week’s curated list for your weekend reading!
ECONOMY NEWS
- Why Is Homeowners Insurance Getting So Expensive?
- The recent LA fires have highlighted the rising costs of homeowners insurance in the US (premiums up 33% on average between ’20 and ’23).
- In some places, insurers are simply cancelling policies entirely which has driven many customers into state-backed insurers of last resort.
- Construction Physics looks at factors such as weather events, insurers’ profits, construction inflation, and home size to determine why.
- Apartment List National Rent Report
- Apartment List’s national rent index started the year with its sixth straight month-over-month decline, falling by 0.2% in January.
- Year-over-year growth also remains negative at -0.5%, but is slowly inching back toward positive territory.
- In dollar terms, the national median monthly rent now stands at $1,370, down $3 per month compared to last, and down $7 compared to January 2024.
- 3 Things Cullen Roche Thinks He Thinks
- There’s still a strong disinflationary bias at work.
- Why it’s important to look at real returns vs. nominal returns.
- The rate of change of the AI cycle will cause bumps in the road.
MARKETS NEWS
- Sentiment Remains Remarkably Bearish, Which Is Bullish
- Yardeni QuickTakes: Stock price indexes are back at record highs. Yet the stock market’s sentiment indicators have turned stubbornly bearish over the past couple of weeks.
- This might be a bullish signal from a contrarian perspective.
- Why Acting Like George Costanza Could Help Save Your Investments
- William Bennett: When bullishness reaches fever pitch, as it has now, investors should question the direction of the herd, and embrace their inner George Costanza and do the opposite of what their instincts suggest.
Stokes Family Office is 100% Family Owned, and has been continually operating in the New Orleans Area for over 35 years. As a family office, we are focused on family wealth, financial planning, and tax planning. We are your local experts for Gulf South wealth management. Want to hear more from our team? Check out the Lagniappe Podcast.
