2017 Stock Market Year in Review (and Charts!)

Another year in the books! Here are some of the highlights:

S&P 500 Index Performance in 2017

U.S. stocks outperformed much of the developed world in 2017. I believe it is the 15th best year in the index’s history when including dividends.

S&P 500 performance (not including dividends) – 17.74%

S&P 500 performance (Including Dividends Re-Invested)- 21.83%

Range of the S&P 500 during the year: Low: 2,245.13, High: 2,694.97

Chart:

Top 5 performers in the S&P 500 for 2017:

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2017 IRA, ROTH IRA and 401(k) Contribution Limits

Welcome 2017! A new year, which means among many other things, a new year to invest in your IRA, ROTH IRA and/or 401(k). Here are the limits for contributions to IRAs, ROTH IRAs and 401(k)s, and how much you need to be saving each month or each bi-weekly paycheck to reach those limits:

(Click to enlarge)

Confused? (It’s the IRS tax laws – of course you are!) Here it is in text and some of the fine print: [continue reading…]