News & Insights

Resources on Trusts, Investments, Estate Planning, Financial Issues, and Living Well

Notre Dame, IN – February 16, 2022 – Member-owned Notre Dame Federal Credit Union (Notre Dame FCU) announced today that it has completed the purchase of Mission Management & Trust Co. (Mission), located in Tucson, Arizona. Established in 1994, Mission is an Arizona-chartered, independent trust company, specializing in trust and estate services, asset management and [...]
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS for Clients and Beneficiaries Mission Management & Trust Co. (Mission) and Notre Dame Federal Credit Union (Notre Dame FCU) are pleased to announce Mission is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Notre Dame FCU through a credit union service organization (CUSO). This ownership change greatly broadens the services available to Mission's clients [...]
Because I’m writing for a newly expanded readership, many of whom have never before seen our commentaries, I’m going to take a somewhat different approach in this issue. It is always advantageous to know the biases of a writer and, ideally, to know what he/she has identified previously as the factors likely to influence markets [...]
This year’s third quarter was unproductive for investment assets. Domestic stock markets were mixed, with the S&P 500 fractionally positive but the Dow Jones Industrials, Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange Index all negative. Risk-free Treasury Bills continue to pay virtually nothing. Bloomberg’s U.S. Aggregate Bond Index was also essentially flat and remains negative [...]
Bill Nordbrock, business contributor to the Arizona Daily Star, recently spoke at a luncheon for a group of students that meet regularly with Mission's CEO, Carmen Bermudez. Carmen is a mentor and cheerleader to these smart, ambitious pre-professionals. Bill was impressed by the variety of career interests they had and the simple life rules they [...]
If we’re unconcerned about the price we pay, there are several reasons to buy stocks today. Thanks to copious stimulus from the Federal Reserve, common stock indexes have continued their march upward, and most securities analysts are forecasting further gains. Notwithstanding the Fed’s generosity, however, U.S. Treasury notes and bonds and investment-grade corporates  lost money [...]
The securities markets experienced drama in positive and negative directions in the year’s first quarter, as the Federal Reserve and most other world central banks continued to flood their respective economies with newly printed money. Only risk-free securities avoided the excitement. In fact, Three-Month Treasury Bills barely registered a pulse with a 0.01% return. By [...]
Since the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic, many of my conversations have included people inquiring about how my mother is doing through all this.  We all worry about those who are most vulnerable.  And yet, stories from around the world have told about the amazing recovery from the virus even of centenarians. I have noticed, [...]
For investors who want to have a positive impact in the community, stock market rallies and year-end bring an opportunity to donate appreciated assets to your favorite charity. In addition to making a difference for the receiving charity, donating such assets provides you with tax benefits. People most frequently donate common stock. If the stock [...]
-The Good, The Bad and The Ugly- This graph highlights the stark dichotomy between what investors view as “good” and “bad” on the current investment landscape. The tan line traces the cumulative growth of the S&P 500 over the past half century. Most noteworthy is the explosive growth in the nearly dozen years since the [...]