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Focus on Philanthropy: Girls Inc.
We founded New Market Wealth Management because our work and life experiences told us there was a better way to help people manage their money. But we also founded the firm to create a gratifying corporate culture where our partners and staff enjoy coming to work each day, where they feel empowered to share ideas and where they're encouraged to get involved with the issues and causes they care about.
In today's observation we're bringing focus to one of our partners, Sherry Delaney, and a cause close to her heart, Girls Inc. of Orange County.
Girls Inc. of Orange County has been a respected member of the non-profit community for over 60 years and Sherry dedicates her time and resources as a member of their Board of Directors.
The Girls Inc. movement started nationally during the Industrial Revolution as a response to the needs of a new working class: young women who had migrated from rural communities in search of newly available job opportunities in textile mills and factories. Though the needs of girls in modern society have changed, the work continues.
Consider these statistics:
- 1 in 6 girls will not finish high school.
- 78% of high school girls report being unhappy with their bodies.
- Over 1 in 20 teen girls become pregnant each year. The highest teen pregnancy rate in the developed world.
- 1 in 4 girls will be a victim of childhood sexual abuse.
With a mission of "inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold," the Orange County affiliate of Girls Inc. works with girls from kindergarten to 18 years old with proven "girl-focused" programs at schools and community centers throughout Orange County. In 2016, they served over 4,000 girls by equipping them to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers and grow into healthy, educated and independent adults.
Sherry has seen first-hand the enormous impact this organization has had on young girls, especially those from lower income areas. "I love watching these young ladies support each other through life's challenges and embrace who they are. I can see these girls growing into leaders in their own families and communities, and I'm honored to play a part in nurturing their sense of empowerment," explained Sherry.
If you're interested in getting involved with the worthy work of
Girls Inc.,
we invite you to learn more at their
website
, to consider
volunteering
as an individual or as part of a corporate giving program, or to hear the inspiring stories from girls who have benefited from the program at the annual celebration event,
My Bold Future
, to be held on June 3rd.
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Last week stocks rose and closed out the first quarter of 2017 with healthy gains. Investors appeared to take political developments in stride, both at home, as attention turned to tax reform, and abroad, as the UK formally began divorce proceedings from the European Union. Investors are awaiting the upcoming earnings reports with polls showing analysts expect overall earnings for the S&P 500 to grow by over 9% versus a year earlier.
Index
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Friday's Close (3/31/17)
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% Change Year-to-Date
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DJIA
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20,663
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4.56%
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S&P 500
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2363
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5.53%
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NASDAQ Composite
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5912
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9.82%
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S&P Midcap 400
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1722
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3.81%
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Russell 2000
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1389
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2.45%
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> GDP:
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the most all-inclusive measure of US economic activity.The final estimate of GDP growth for the 4th quarter was released at the end of March and it was revised upward again to 2.1% annualized growth. The rise reflects an upgrade in data on consumer spending. The advance estimate of first quarter 2017 growth will be released by the end of April.
> Munis: Municipal bonds (munis) offer a tax-advantaged way to help diversify portfolios while remaining high in credit quality. After losing 3.6% in the fourth quarter of 2016, the Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index has staged a comeback, returning 1.6% year to date through March 27, 2017. These bonds have very little correlation to stocks, and taxable equivalent yield and ratio analysis show that muni valuations are attractive relative to taxable bonds.
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Source: LPL Research, Bloomberg 03/27/17 Tax equivalent yield is the pre-tax yield that a comparable high-quality taxable bond needs to possess for its after-tax yield to be equal to that of a tax-free municipal bond. Indexes: Municipal Bonds: Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index; MBS: Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Securitized MBS; Corporate Bonds: Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Credit Index; Treasuries: Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Government Treasury Index.
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> Fixed Income Performance:
Fixed income is off to a good start in 2017, with almost all sectors in positive territory for the year at the end of the first quarter. It was in many ways a reversal of the fourth quarter of 2016, with some election-driven trades unwinding, as longer-duration fixed income benefitted from markets that may have overshot their landing in the fourth quarter of 2016.
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New Market Wealth Management offers modern investment solutions backed by extensive research and experience serving the needs of wealthy families. Through our strategic partnership with
Cliffwater LLC
, we provide institutional-quality research, investment due diligence and asset allocation tools. We believe this level of experience and unique access to in-depth, sophisticated research are essential for success in today's complex world markets.
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