Yesterday, we discussed business confidence and concluded that it is better than the headlines suggest. Today, we are going to look at the even more important level of consumer confidence—and whether it may be considerably weaker than it appears.

Yesterday, I talked about what I am keeping an eye on, business and consumer confidence, and why I think they are important. Today and tomorrow, I want to talk about how I plan to do that.

Business confidence is leading the headlines right now. With the trade war and the general economic slowdown around the world, U.S. business is reported to be suffering. That seems to be true, but is that suffering bad enough to affect the economy as a whole?

Brad here. Today's post features a dive into second-quarter earnings season. It was written by Jim McAllister, director, equity research, on our Investment Management and Research team. Take it away, Jim.

Earnings season tends to generate a lot of headlines at both the individual stock level and the broad index level. During this most recent earnings season, those headlines have been telling conflicting stories. On the positive side, we have heard that the vast majority of companies in the S&P 500 are beating earnings expectations. But other sources are more bearish, claiming the S&P 500 has officially entered an earnings recession. What’s really going on?

Brad here. Today's post was written by Michael Geraci, a supervisor on our Retirement Consulting Investment Services team. Take it away, Michael. 

Evaluating your 401(k) plan can be a brutal and daunting process. It may leave you with many questions about the investments available to you and how to best manage your account. It may even deter some from participating in the plan altogether. Fortunately, there are ways to help simplify the process. The first step? Understanding one of the most commonly used investment options within 401(k) plans: the target-date fund, or TDF.

Brad here. Today's post features an interesting discussion on how to measure portfolio performance. It was written by Brian Glazer, a senior investment consultant on our Investment Consulting Services team. Take it away, Brian.

Yesterday, we saw the largest stock market drop of the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down more than 800 points (over 3 percent), an even bigger decline than we saw earlier this month. Plus, we are on track for the worst week of the year. It is a tough time for markets, and investors are worried. But should they be?

Brad here. Today's post on playing the long game of investing (and golf) comes to you from Mick Comiskey, an investment risk analyst on our Investment Management and Research team. Take it away, Mick. 

In many aspects of life, if your expectations exceed the range of possibilities, you will be disappointed. This axiom is devastatingly true when it comes to investing—and infuriatingly true in the game of golf. The extended bull market in the U.S. has led to a widening gap between investor and advisor market expectations. A similar gap exists between the weekend golfer playing friends for lunch and the PGA Tour pro playing for a casual million dollars.

Brad here. Today's look at inflation and your portfolio is brought to you by Rob Swanke, a fixed income analyst on our Investment Management and Research team. Take it away, Rob.

Brad here. Today’s post is brought to you by Andrew Kitchings, a portfolio manager on our Investment Management and Research team. Over to you, Andrew.

Much of the media coverage surrounding markets relates to emotions. When the market rises, we read about the excitement. When the market declines, we hear how investors are worried. This commentary can be very evocative, but it is not very useful. What does it even mean when the market is “scared”?

Brad here. Today’s post comes from Chris Stuart, a senior investment research analyst on our Investment Management and Research team. Over to you, Chris.