Wisdom for Your
Financial Journey

Investors know that markets are uncertain, cyclical, and sometimes volatile. However, that knowledge doesn't always make economic challenges and market downturns easier to endure. While consumers are feeling the effects of inflation on their wallets, recent market declines and economic data reports have caused concern and discomfort for investors. The following questions and answers are meant to help you understand what has happened, how it affects you, and what we anticipate could happen in the future.

Blue Trust's CEO and chief investment officer, Nick Stonestreet, along with head of investments, Brian McClard, recently shared some insights on the current economic landscape, why the market is struggling, how international events are affecting investors, and what may lie ahead. You can view their full discussion in the most recent episode of our “Wisdom for Wealth. For life.” podcast.

In our “Wisdom for Wealth. For Life.” podcast series, we share financial advice and wisdom from our network of wealth advisors and thought leaders in the industry, and from around our community of over 10,000 financially blessed families who apply biblical wisdom to their financial planning and giving.

The current U.S. housing market is the hottest in years. Fortune recently reported that U.S. home prices are up 18.8% over the past 12 months, and the year-over-year rate of home price growth is expected to hit 22% this spring.[1] In comparison, the average annual rate of home price growth from 1986-2020 was 4.6%.

In our “Wisdom for Wealth. For Life.” podcast series, we share financial advice and wisdom from our network of wealth advisors and thought leaders in the industry, and from around our community of over 10,000 financially blessed families who apply biblical wisdom to their financial planning and giving. Episode 11: Ukraine, Microfinance, and Mission Drift In our eleventh episode, we have senior private wealth advisor from the Baltimore office, David Campaigne, with special guest Peter Greer.

The Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate increases aim to combat elevated inflation, creating market volatility as policymakers transition the economy away from pandemic-era policies. This third-quarter review examines the geopolitical and economic pressures driving inflation, the Fed's bold rate hikes, declining asset values, and what recovery may look like ahead.

Written by Ryan Anderson, Private Wealth Advisor, and Blake Mankin, Financial Planner, in Blue Trust's Houston, Texas office In times of economic volatility, we encourage investors to remember these truths: God is in control. Contentment is not determined by the markets. An impulsive decision can have long-term implications. We've been here before, and we've made it through.

There are options you can utilize to help protect some of your cash reserves against inflation. We understand inflation is a concern for many right now as the Consumer Price Index continues to rise and questions about when inflation will subside seem to persist.

As turbulence in the markets continues, many investors are feeling unsettled. The inflation report released on Friday, June 10 was worse than expected. In May, prices increased 1.0%, causing the annual inflation rate to rise to 8.6%, the highest since December 1981. Excluding the most volatile categories (food and energy), prices increased 0.6% in May and 6.0% over the last 12 months, indicating that inflation is broad-based and potentially more entrenched than anticipated.

In our “Wisdom for Wealth. For Life.” podcast series, we share financial advice and wisdom from our network of wealth advisors and thought leaders in the industry, and from around our community of over 10,000 financially blessed families who apply biblical wisdom to their financial planning and giving.

What role did God's Word play in shaping the history of America?  In our ninth episode, Aaron Groen, financial advisor in the Blue Trust Baltimore office talks with Alan Crippen, former executive director of the Faith and Liberty Initiative at American Bible Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about how the Bible shaped the decisions and lives of some of America's earliest entrepreneurs and visionaries.

We know many investors have found recent world events and the global investment markets of 2022 unsettling, and we thought you might appreciate hearing our perspective. Below are some questions we have received from our clients and additional questions we thought you might have. We hope these insights provide some perspective regarding our current thinking while allowing you to pick and choose the issues of interest to you.