Womack Investment Advisers

by Kim Grundy via USA Today Halloween is all about creative costumes, hay rides, fun parties, haunted houses…and the candy. So much candy.  Don’t toss leftover Halloween candy in the trash, however – not when there are so many smart uses for all of those Snickers, Twix bars, M&Ms and Skittles. In fact, you might even pick up a little extra this year (or hit that extra row of houses while trick-or-treating) and have fun testing out these tasty ideas from Thanksgiving.com , Grateful.co and the USA TODAY Network.   1. Donate your leftover Halloween candy   What’s always a great option when you have more of something than you need? Give it away! Operation Gratitude sends sweets to deployed troops and first responders.  Soldiers’ Angels Treats for Troops ships donates candy to veterans and deployed service members. Some dental offices and other businesses hold Halloween candy buybacks, in which they trade toothbrushes, floss or other items for candy tha

Halloween is here! Whether you’re wearing a costume, decorating your yard/house, or handing out treats, you won’t be alone. More than 179 million Americans are expected to participate in 2019’s Halloween festivities – and spend more than $9 billion doing it. See what you know about Halloween by taking this fun quiz. What is the most popular Halloween activity? Dressing in costume Carving pumpkins Handing out candy Dressing pets in costumes Which costume is expected to be most popular during 2019? Pennywise (the clown from It ) Stranger Things characters Belle from Beauty and the Beast Wonder Woman How much are Americans expected to spend on candy? $7 billion $3.5 billion $2.7 billion $0.5 billion Last year, what was the most popular Halloween candy? M&M’s Reese’s Snickers Skittles Before the trick-or-treating commences, talk with your kids about the big night and discuss what they need to do to stay safe, inclu

How much is too much? In 1986, Fortune magazine asked Warren Buffett his thoughts on inheritance. He responded children should receive, “… enough money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing.” It’s an important question, even though relatively few Americans may need to grapple with it. According to the Federal Reserve : ·          55 percent of inheritances are less than $50,000 ·          85 percent of inheritances are less than $250,000 ·          93 percent of inheritances are less than $500,000 ·          98 percent of inheritances are less than $1 million ·          2 percent of inheritances are more than $1 million A 2015 survey conducted by Merrill Lynch’s Private Banking and Investment Group found, “a majority (91 percent) of people plan to leave the lion’s share of their wealth to family members, motivated by a desire to positively influence the lives of loved ones. Yet the results indicate that

More money managers are feeling less bullish, but you sure couldn’t tell by the performance of U.S. stock markets last week. So far, 2019 has been a tremendous year for U.S. stocks. Through the end of last week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index had gained more than 20 percent year-to-date, the Dow Jones Industrial Index was up more than 15 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite had risen more than 24 percent. All three indices finished last week in positive territory. Lawrence Strauss of Barron’s reported signs that global markets are stabilizing supported investors’ optimism. In addition, yields on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes increased, which suggested “investors are more optimistic about growth and overall economic prospects.” Despite strength in U.S. markets year-to-date, Barron’s most recent Big Money Poll found fewer money managers are bullish than just one year ago when 56 percent anticipated gains in the months ahead. When 134 money managers across the United