Blog

The latest weekly data from the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) showed a sharp increase in the percentage of individual investors who are bearish (52.9%) about short-term market expectations...

Happy Holidays

Samantha Fankhauser

Thursday, December 23, 2021

At Step by Step Planners, our families are important to us and we are blessed to count you as part of our family.

World Kindness Day

Samantha Fankhauser

Friday, November 12, 2021

Saturday, November 13th is World Kindness Day. World Kindness Day was designed as a day for people to go out of their way to be kind to others. It's a day to celebrate and pledge to do at least one intentional act of kindness towards...

Five Things That Might Spook the Markets

Troy Van Dyke

Friday, November 5, 2021

Five Things That Might Spook Markets Ryan Detrick, CMT, Chief Market Strategist, LPL Financial; Jeffery Buchbinder, CFA, Equity Strategist, LPL Financial; Lawrence Gillum, CFA, Fixed Income Strategist, LPL Financial; Barry Gilbert, PhD...

Financial Planning Month

Phyllis Webb, CFP®, CRPS®, ChFC®, RICP®

Monday, October 4, 2021

Kicking off the holiday season, October is Financial Planning Month and it's a great time to remember to keep spending in check and prepare our budgets. While it’s always great to give gifts, it’s also important to remember...

Life Insurance Awareness Month

Rebekah Petersen

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Each year, the non-profit organization, Life Happens, coordinates Life Insurance Awareness Month in conjunction with more than 100 of the nation's leading insurance companies and industry groups. The initiative is intended to educate...

Important Updates for You

Phyllis Webb, CFP®, CRPS®, ChFC®, RICP®

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Happy June! We hope you’re well and enjoying warmer weather and opportunities to get out. We wanted to give you an update about Waddell & Reed, Inc. (WRI). On April 30, 2021, LPL Holding Inc. completed the acquisition of WRI as...

Stocks got off to a rocky start this week. Inflationary concerns remain front-and-center in the minds of investors right now, although a surge in global COVID-19 cases is certainly not helping. On the inflation front, thus far,...

Stocks were a bit choppy this week. The markets struggled as investors digested the impacts that some near-term inflation was having on the economy. In the meantime, corporate earnings continued to be a bright spot. While inflation...

The market began the week on a strong note with the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaching new highs on Monday. Stocks then grinded sideways as the markets digested some mixed economic data. Most notably, February retail sales and new...

The markets have been a bit choppy this week—and much of that is due to back-and-forth intra-market rotations. Looking back to Monday, the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite moved into correction territory, falling 10% from its...

Equities languished a bit this week due to continuing inflationary fears and weakness in some of the technology stocks that led the way in 2020. While the market in aggregate may be struggling, stocks in sectors tied to a reopening of...

After treading water as January came to a close, stocks returned to their winning ways this week. Equities rallied on the heels of strong earnings, continued vaccination rollouts, and ever-present stimulus hope. However, the market...

There was a political changing of the guard this week as President Trump exited the presidency and President Biden was inaugurated as America’s 46th president. Meanwhile, stocks got off to a solid start on a holiday-shortened...

Much like last week, the markets this week behaved in a bit of a bifurcated manner. Once again cyclical or economically sensitive areas of the market such as energy and financials, and the stocks of small companies or small caps, led...

Happy Holidays

Phyllis Webb, CFP®, CRPS®, ChFC®, RICP®

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

We would like to express our sincerest appreciation for the loyalty and trust that you have placed with us. We look forward to moving forward into the New Year together. Wishing you a season of joy and peace, Phyllis, Rebekah, Troy,...

Information Regarding Waddell & Reed Announcement

Phyllis Webb, CFP®, CRPS®, ChFC®, RICP®

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

As a follow-up to our previously sent email regarding the recent Waddell & Reed announcement, we would like to provide some further clarification. Your best interests remain our top priority. We have sincerely valued your steadfast...

Important Office Updates

Samantha Fankhauser

Thursday, December 10, 2020

We are making some great changes here and want to make sure that you don't miss out. Our office space is moving to the other side of the building and we want to make sure that you know how to find us! Additionally, we have added an...

Giving Tuesday is quickly approaching. Giving Tuesday is a global donation event day that encourages people to do good in their community. We encourage our clients to support local and global charities during this time of year.

Happy National Coffee Day

Rebekah Petersen

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

It's the most wonderful time of the year... For those of you who know our team well, you know that coffee is never far from our reach, so National Coffee Day is very near and dear to our hearts! Many coffee shops across the nation are...

Happy Labor Day and Thank you HealthCare Heroes and Superhero Educators

Rebekah Petersen

Friday, September 4, 2020

We wanted to take a moment to wish all of you a safe and Happy Labor Day! Also a special thank you to the HealthCare Heroes and Superhero Educators out there who, throughout the craziness that 2020 has brought us, have remained...

Now that your yard looks better than it has in years, the garage is finally cleaned out, and you have stocked up on toilet paper, why not consider finally organizing your financial life? We can help by setting up your personal...

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

Haley Gloe

Friday, March 27, 2020

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body - Guide to staying sane during the social distancing of the COVID-19 pandemic.