Hagen Financial Network, Inc.

Monday, May 14, 2018

Unemployment at a staggering low point!

PEEK OF THE WEEK

May 14, 2018

Leif Hagen & Donna Roberts

The Markets

Splash!

How do employers lure staff in a tightening labor market? The curly tail grubs and spinnies of the business world are higher wages and better benefits.

During the past decade, the employment picture in the United States has shifted dramatically. In mid-2009, 15.4 million unemployed Americans were chasing 2.2 million available jobs. At the end of 2017, just 6.6 million Americans were unemployed, and employers were casting eagerly to fill 6.6 million open jobs, reports Barron’s.

Bloomberg offered some colorful examples:

“Want ads for truck drivers to haul crude oil in Texas are touting salaries as high as $150,000 a year. Some nurses are getting $25,000 signing bonuses. The U.S. unemployment rate just fell to 3.9 percent, one tick away from its lowest since the 1960s. And, on May 8, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported there are 6.5 million unfilled jobs in the United States, the most on record. Some employers say they’re feeling the squeeze.”

Clearly, wages are moving higher for some types of jobs, but they’re not increasing everywhere. Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported real average hourly earnings for all employees were flat from March to April. ‘Real wages’ mean wages after inflation is subtracted.

The National Federation of Independent Business’ Small Business Optimism Index hit a record high in April, as small companies reported record profits. It was the 17^th consecutive month of record optimism.

Major U.S. stock market indices moved higher last week as did many global stock market indices.

Data as of 5/11/18	1-Week	Y-T-D	1-Year	3-Year	5-Year	10-Year
Standard & Poor's 500 (Domestic Stocks)	2.4%	2.0%	13.9%	9.0%	10.8%	6.9%
Dow Jones Global ex-U.S.	1.7	0.4	12.8	3.3	3.5	0.2
10-year Treasury Note (Yield Only)	3.0	NA	2.4	2.3	1.9	3.8
Gold (per ounce)	1.1	2.2	8.3	3.7	-1.5	4.1
Bloomberg Commodity Index	0.1	2.1	8.3	-4.5	-7.4	-8.3
DJ Equity All REIT Total Return Index	1.2	-3.7	3.1	6.0	5.8	6.4

S&P 500, Dow Jones Global ex-US, Gold, Bloomberg Commodity Index returns exclude reinvested dividends (gold does not pay a dividend) and the three-, five-, and 10-year returns are annualized; the DJ Equity All REIT Total Return Index does include reinvested dividends and the three-, five-, and 10-year returns are annualized; and the 10-year Treasury Note is simply the yield at the close of the day on each of the historical time periods.

Sources: Yahoo! Finance, Barron’s, djindexes.com, London Bullion Market Association.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly. N/A means not applicable.

What do you wish you had known before you became a parent? Mother’s Day is behind us and Father’s Day is ahead. It seems like a good time to consider the challenges and responsibilities of parenting.

National Public Radio’s Science Desk introduced a new series called, ‘How To Raise A Human.’ They kicked off the show by asking bloggers, “What's the one thing you wish someone had told you before you became a parent?” Here are a few of the answers:

“I wish someone told me that there are going to be moments where you're playing chess with speed metal music in your ears. You're trying to make intricate choices but there's so much chaos.”

--Alan Lawrence, That Dad Blog

“I wish someone had told me to block out the outside voices that come when you become a parent – and pay more attention to the children and what their needs are.”

--Saira Siddiqui, Confessions of a Muslim Mom

“I wish someone had told me that even though your life changes when you become a parent, you still get to create the path you want.”

--Drea Duclos, OhDearDrea

“Parents always told me to brace myself for the teen years, because that's when they'll hate you, be disrespectful to you, be sassy, talk back to you, be rude, be generally awful people. But I wish that someone had told me that's completely wrong.”

--Karen Walrond, Chookooloonks

One of the many challenges parents face is helping their children understand financial issues. If you would like some ideas about how to talk with your children about money, contact your financial professional.

Weekly Focus – Think About It

“I’m relieved I don’t work at SNL [right now]…The level of outrage is so high. It feels like talking to anyone, anywhere in 2018 is just landmine hopscotch.”

--Tina Fey, American actress, comedian, writer, and producer

Best Regards,

Leif M. Hagen

Leif M. Hagen, CLU, ChFC

LP Financial Advisor

Securities offered through LPL Financial Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC.

www.FINRA.com

www.SIPC.com

P.S. Please feel free to forward this commentary to family, friends, or colleagues.

P.S.S. Also, please remind your friends and family members becoming Medicare eligible that we offer Medicare insurance and Part D options with NO COST to work with Leif as their agent

For more information and resources visit our website at www.HagenFN.com

For Medicare supplement and part D information and resources, please visit MEDICAREforSENIORS.info

https://www.bluecrossmn.com/distribution/shopping/anonymous.html?producerToken=-z67o5fzk3mu4nb2solwzb34c0i15u6shro4wuum8cpns3rj50cqjqj8pznw2g&profile=ifp#welcome

Please FOLLOW and “LIKE US” on FACEBOOK.com/HagenFN

Please Read our Blog @ http://HagenFinancialNetwork.blogspot.com

Please Follow our Tweets on Twitter.com/SafeLeif

Check out this: http://www.MedicareForSeniors.info

* This newsletter was prepared by Peak Advisor Alliance. Peak Advisor Alliance is not affiliated with the named broker/dealer.

* The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be

representative of the stock market in general. You cannot invest directly in this index.

* The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged index. Unmanaged index returns do not reflect fees,

expenses, or sales charges. Index performance is not indicative of the performance of any investment.

* The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt owed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S.

Government is seen as a risk-free borrower, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-term bond market.

* Gold represents the afternoon gold price as reported by the London Bullion Market Association.

The gold price is set twice daily by the London Gold Fixing Company at 10:30 and 15:00 and is expressed in U.S. dollars per fine troy ounce.

* The Bloomberg Commodity Index is designed to be a highly liquid and diversified benchmark for the commodity futures market. The Index is composed of futures contracts on 19 physical commodities and was launched on July 14, 1998.

* The DJ Equity All REIT Total Return Index measures the total return performance of the equity subcategory of the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) industry as calculated by Dow Jones.

* Yahoo! Finance is the source for any reference to the performance of an index between two specific periods.

* Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance.

* Economic forecasts set forth may not develop as predicted and there can be no guarantee that strategies promoted will be successful.

* Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal.

* You cannot invest directly in an index.

* Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision.

* Stock investing involves risk including loss of principal.

* To unsubscribe from the “Peek of the Week”, please reply to this email with “Unsubscribe” in the subject line, or write us at: Hagen Financial Network, Inc. 4640 Nicols Road, Suite 203; Eagan, MN 55122.

Sources:

http://www.barrons.com/mdc/public/page/9_3063-economicCalendar.html?mod=BOL_Nav_MAR_other (Click on U.S. & Intl Recaps, then click on "The unemployment lines are shrinking”; for market performance, click on “Iran and Korea overshadow economics”)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-11/no-the-u-s-economy-isn-t-overheating

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/realer.nr0.htm?mod=article_inline

https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/2637/economics/real-wages-in-uk/

http://www.nfib.com/surveys/small-business-economic-trends/

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/05/11/609470215/your-turn-what-do-you-wish-youd-known-before-becoming-a-parent

https://www.thewrap.com/tina-fey-screwed-up-charlottesville-rally-snl-weekend-update/

Friday, May 11, 2018

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day to Mothers, Grandmothers Wives and Aunts! We all have moms and, whether they gave birth to us or not, they have helped us become the people we are today. Here are just 10 reasons moms are so important, adapted from Psychology Today:¹

1. She gave birth to you.
2. She provided essential emotional support.
3. She helped you heal physically and emotionally.
4. She strived to give you a better life.
5. She can be forgiving, and so can you.
6. She supports your dreams and aspirations.
7. She set boundaries, even when you resisted, and taught you to set them.
8. She has known you all your life, through the up and down times.
9. She made you do your homework.
10. Her smile can make your day a whole lot better.

Mother’s Day only comes once a year. Make it special. Show the mothers in your life you care by acknowledging their value. Do it in a way they’ll appreciate – in person or with a handwritten note or gift.²

We appreciate the trust you have in us and will continue to work hard to help you live life to its fullest.

Warmest wishes from us to you and yours on Sunday’s celebration of Mother’s Day!

_Sources:
_{1
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-fitness/201305/top-10-reasons-why-moms-are-important}
_{2
https://medium.com/mindvalley/how-to-show-gratitude-to-the-people-you-love-486bfd9f25a}
_{This material was prepared by Carson Group Coaching. Carson Group Coaching
is not affiliated with the named broker/dealer.}

Monday, May 07, 2018

Big news from last week…

PEEK OF THE WEEK

May 7, 2018

Leif Hagen & Donna Roberts

The Markets

What in the world?

A lot happened last week. Some of the notable events included:

· Trade talks between the United States and China. The talks were described as “frank, efficient, and constructive,” although significant issues have yet to be resolved.

· A Federal Open Market Committee meeting. The Federal Reserve indicated it expects to raise rates during 2018, but did not do so last week.

· Low unemployment in the United States. U.S. unemployment fell to 3.9 percent, which is the lowest it has been since 2000. Typically, low employment is a sign of a strong economy.

· Sky-high rates in Argentina. In an effort to shore up the nation’s currency, Argentina’s central bank “…hiked rates to 40 percent from 33.25 percent, a day after they were raised from 30.25 percent.”

· Katy Perry roasted Warren Buffett. Katy Perry revealed the ‘Left Shark’ – a backup dancer famous for being out of sync during Perry’s 2015 Super Bowl performance – was Warren Buffet.^*

What do asset managers and researchers make of the current state of world economies and markets? A portfolio manager cited by Barron’s said, “…until proved otherwise, we remain in a long bull market, and there is an absence of indicators outside of the equity market itself (most notably in credit markets or financial conditions) to suggest this has ended.”

Michael Wilson, Chief U.S. Equity Strategist at Morgan Stanley has a different opinion. “Even strong earnings results haven’t been able to boost most stocks into positive territory. Why? Because rising interest rates have reached a point at which they have become a constraint on valuations.”

Some researchers are concerned about growth outside the United States. Alvise Marino, an FX strategist for Credit Suisse told The Wall Street Journal, “This is really a Goldilocks [U.S. employment] report…But investors are worried that global growth is not as strong as some had thought.”

We’re tracking events and their potential impact on markets, and we’ll keep you informed.

* Warren Buffet wasn’t really the Left Shark. Her comments were part of a humorous video.

Data as of 5/4/18	1-Week	Y-T-D	1-Year	3-Year	5-Year	10-Year
Standard & Poor's 500 (Domestic Stocks)	-0.2%	-0.4%	11.5%	8.0%	10.5%	6.6%
Dow Jones Global ex-U.S.	-0.9	-1.2	11.6	2.7	3.2	0.0
10-year Treasury Note (Yield Only)	2.9	NA	2.4	2.1	1.8	3.9
Gold (per ounce)	-0.9	1.0	6.6	3.0	-1.9	4.1
Bloomberg Commodity Index	0.7	2.1	9.5	-4.6	-7.6	-8.2
DJ Equity All REIT Total Return Index	1.2	-4.8	1.7	5.2	5.7	6.2

Sources: Yahoo! Finance, Barron’s, djindexes.com, London Bullion Market Association.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly. N/A means not applicable.

Myth Busted! Founders of new companies aren’t who many people think they are. Sure, you’ve read stories about entrepreneurs who leave college to found companies that become behemoths. In fact, The Thiel Fellowship encourages young people to skip college and, “Pursue ideas that matter instead of mandatory tests. Take on big risks instead of big debt.”

While helping young people pursue new ideas is admirable, research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) suggest a different age group is more likely to found successful fast-growth companies:

“Our primary finding is that successful entrepreneurs are middle-aged, not young. Taking numerous measures to identify potentially high-growth firms as well as studying ex-post growth of each firm, we find no evidence to suggest that founders in their 20s are especially likely to succeed. Rather, all evidence points to founders being especially successful when starting businesses in middle age or beyond…Across the 2.7 million founders in the U.S. between 2007-2014 who started companies that go on to hire at least one employee, the mean age for the entrepreneurs at founding is 41.9. The mean founder age for the 1 in 1,000 highest growth new ventures is 45.0. The most successful entrepreneurs in high technology sectors are of similar ages. So, too, are the most successful founders in the entrepreneurial regions of the U.S.”

Almost one-fourth of new entrepreneurs are ages 55 to 64, reports Entrepreneur.com. They often have financial stability, professional support networks, and experience – all things The Thiel Fellowship tries to provide to younger founders.

What’s the point of this story? Age is just a number. People of all ages have great ideas and great potential.

Weekly Focus – Think About It

“The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer.”

--Nolan Bushnell, Entrepreneur

Best Regards,