In January we observed three factors driving performance: strong “growth stock” performance, better corporate earnings trends, and a weak U.S. dollar.

The FOMC left the target range for federal funds at 1.25% - 1.50%. Futures markets predicted no change at the last meeting for departing Chair Janet Yellen.

Our proprietary Equity Income Strategy, with a focus on total return, invests in high-quality securities that exhibit dividend growth at a rate greater than the market.

As we begin the new year, we are encouraged that secular stagnation - the extended period of slow growth we have been experiencing - has finally given way to accelerated growth and a synchronized global economic expansion.

The MSCI All Cap World Index ex USA, which tracks both developed and emerging markets, was up 2.2% in December and finished up 27.2% for the year. This year also marked the first time since 2012 that the MSCI All Cap World Index ex USA outperformed the domestic S&P 500 Index.

Choosing a venue, making the guest list, ordering the flowers—these are all essential tasks for the happy couple. But there’s another important undertaking that no couple can afford to neglect, and that’s getting the financial house in order.

Our Multi-Manager Investment Program (MMIP) provides access to institutional-quality investment managers with strong, risk-adjusted returns across the full range of asset classes.

There are both company-specific factors as well as unique characteristics of our investment process involved in developing our Disciplined Equity Strategy.

Discipline is one of the most important factors in successful investing, as discipline is what keeps an investment manager focused on the characteristics of a high quality investment.

We’ve been honored this year to have Jack Uldrich, a prominent futurist and author, as a keynote speaker for our CIBC Atlantic Trust Speaker Series, which took place in seven cities across the U.S. and attracted more than 700 attendees.

If ever there was a time to describe employment numbers as “benign,” then this is it. Total nonfarm payrolls reported last Friday were solid and exceeded the Bloomberg consensus payroll estimate of leading economists.

The FOMC raised the target range for the federal funds rate by 0.25% to 1.25% - 1.50%. Fed officials have been signaling a willingness to raise rates at this meeting for some time and markets were prepared for the move.

In “The Big Short,” a film based on Michael Lewis’ best-selling book about Wall Street’s role in the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, there was a constant refrain: "But housing is always stable—people don’t just not pay their mortgage—It will never collapse."

While the pace of technological development is increasing, the ability of the law to keep up is not. These developments are having a drastic impact on the way we live, and the world is radically different today than it was just twenty years ago.

The average cost of raising a child born in 2015 from birth to age 17 is projected to be $233,610, according to a recent study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That number varies based on the region of the country and each parent’s income level, but regardless, the point stands that having children comes with serious long-term financial obligations.