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Objective Financial Advice

Greetings!

We hope this newsletter finds you well as we embrace this new season of renewal and growth!

We are excited to share that Keener Financial Planning has expanded its ownership! Kelli Hinton and Rachel Songer are now co-owners with Jean Keener. You can read more about this on our website.

In addition to Zoom meetings, we are now offering in-person meetings at our main office in Keller as well as our satellite location in Dallas. We can't wait to see you again! Click here to find out more about how we're working to keep you and our team safe.

We're receiving many questions on inherited IRA required minimum distributions (RMDs) for 2021, and it's no surprise after the changes put in place first by the SECURE Act which was quickly followed by the CARES Act. Lead Planner Rachel Songer has answers to your questions here.

As we continue to focus on our team's growth to better serve our clients, we are proud to announce that we will have our first intern Steven Myers joining us this May! We also have an open position on our financial planning team. We'd appreciate if you'd share our job posting for a Financial Planning Associate if you know of someone who might be a good fit for our fee-only, accessible financial planning approach.

Please read on for actionable planning ideas and for last quarter's investment market review. Our office will be closed for Memorial Day (Monday, May 31st). We plan to send the next newsletter out in mid-July. We'd love to hear from you on questions or suggestions for topics you’d like to see covered in the future.

Estate Planning for the 21st Century Couple

How do you plan together when having separate financial accounts works really well for you? What if you're in a committed relationship but tying the knot isn't in your future? Lead Planner Hannah Szarszewski provides some tips for helping protect you and your loved one if you find yourself in a tough spot here.

Wait a second. You're telling me I don't need a budget?

If you are a self-acclaimed Mint Maniac or a Sultan of Spreadsheets, great! You've found something that works for you! If the thought of keeping and maintaining a budget feels onerous and restrictive, you would be served well to find out what Lead Planner Hannah Szarszewski has to say about budgets and find out what she favors instead.

Investment Highlights from the 1st Quarter

Recall for a moment March of 2020. It was an emotional time for many as we grappled with the idea of a pandemic. Life as we knew it was turned upside-down and we all had to make some pretty big changes to our daily lives. Now fast forward to April of 2021. If you weathered the storm and avoided the emotional urge to jump ship last March, you are seeing the benefits of staying the course.

Small cap stocks have had a strong 1st quarter with the Russell 2000 Index pulling 12.7% outperforming the S&P 500 Index's return of 6.17%.

Value stocks are right behind small cap stocks this first quarter with a 11.26% return after lagging behind the broader stock market last year.

International developed stocks are posting 3.48% returns for the quarter. Emerging markets stock had a lower return at 2.29%.

Bonds struggled last quarter due to rising interest rates. The U.S. aggregate bond index lost 3.37% first quarter. Longer-term bond funds are most affected in a rising interest rate environment. This is one of the reasons why we recommend keeping your bond allocation in short- and intermediate-term holdings. While nobody likes to see their bond funds lose money, they are still the best bet for investors to serve as a buffer against stock market volatility.

*Source for investment returns is Morningstar as of March 31, 2021. S&P 500 TR USD for S&P 500. Russell 2000 TR USD for small cap stock. Russell 1000 Value TR USD for value stocks. MSCI EAFE NR USD for developed international markets. MSCI EM NR USD for emerging markets stock. Barclays US Agg Bond TR USD for the US aggregate bond index.

Address:

1692 Keller Parkway

Keller, TX 76248

Ph: 817-993-0401

Fax: 817-993-0002

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