The Watchman Group 
Many of you may not be aware that we made a few upgrades around the office this past year. Specifically, we added more meeting rooms, offices and a full-sized lobby which more than doubled our existing space. Our team has grown over the past few years and we are working with more clients so the … Read more
Early December marked the 20th anniversary of the largest bankruptcy in US history, Enron. If you turned on the evening news during that event, you saw images of employees leaving the company’s Houston headquarters for the last time, carrying boxes of personal items out the front door. Many of these employees not only lost a … Read more
The Federal Reserve started its reduction of new bond purchases in November. The process, known as “tapering”, is expected to conclude in March. After March, the Federal Reserve will not be adding bonds to its balance sheet. While it is logical to conclude that the the loss of a large buyer would cause rates to … Read more
Three years ago this month we wrote our first Par 3 email. The very first article reported that the US had been beaten badly in the Ryder Cup by the European team that year…a trend that by that time had extended a decade since as the US had lost four of the five previous cups. … Read more
New rules are being proposed by the US House that could impact IRA and Roth IRA owners. In what appears to a response to billionaire Peter Thiel’s accumulation of $5 billion in a Roth IRA, the US House is targeting individuals’ large IRA balances with legislation that could result in new required taxable distributions and … Read more
On Monday, October 4th US stocks finished the day down by more than one percent. The market was officially off its highs by more than any other point in 2021. Headlines in the financial press used terms like “battered” and investor hand wringing began. How far down from the all-time high do you think the … Read more
Business activity gained momentum throughout the year led by industrial production, housing, and healthy consumer spending. This strong growth, as you are keenly aware, has put strains on the economy leading to a range of issues from labor shortages and supply chain bottlenecks to rising oil/fuel prices. As a result, it seems like the price … Read more
Interesting facts about the S&P 500 Index that we thought you should know: The S&P 500 has closed at new all-time highs 54 times this year (as of 9/9). The long-term rate of return for the index is slightly higher than +10% per year. The index is +21% this year (as of 9/9) and if … Read more
Now that we are past the half way point of 2021, we can investigate the potential impact of lingering supply shortages on profits and growth expectations. The number of businesses reporting negative impacts due to shortages peaked in May. While supply chain issues definitely remain, bottlenecks are easing and supplier delivery times are improving, as … Read more
Over the course of the next several months the term “tapering” will be commonly used throughout the media. Some people will say it’s a good thing and others will be fearful of it. Most people will likely not fully understand what it is and what it means. Tapering is a term used to describe the … Read more
