By Christine R. Quillian, CFA, CFP®, Senior Wealth Manager The second quarter of 2026 produced the strongest S&P 500 gain since 2020, up 14.9% after a 4.3% first-quarter decline. What began with geopolitical stress, oil volatility, and tariff uncertainty ended … Read More

By Christine R. Quillian, CFA, CFP®, Helen M. Donahue, CFA Investors, who had been banking on a broad-based economic boom, have found themselves consternated by a wall of tariff-ic uncertainty. President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs announcement on April 2, 2025, … Read More

by Christine R. Quillian, CFA, CFP®, Portfolio Manager  In an era dominated by algorithms, artificial intelligence, and automated trading, it might seem counter intuitive to emphasize the value of personal relationships in investment management. However, by fostering trust, empathy, communication … Read More

by CHRISTINE R. QUILLIAN, CFA, CFP®   Finance 101 teaches us that higher interest rates (borrowing costs) should result in lower stock prices.  Loftier yields are viewed as a double headwind for stocks: first, higher financing costs hurt earnings by … Read More

by CHRISTINE R. QUILLIAN, CFA, CFP®, MONTAG Portfolio Manager   Whether you manage investments on your own or on behalf of others, deciding what to buy or sell, much less when or how much, can be a daunting task.  Just … Read More

By CHRISTINE R. QUILLIAN, CFA, CFP® At MONTAG, our clients count on us to research and monitor a wide range of investments to steer their portfolio toward the goals they seek. The list of available securities is endless, as is … Read More

By CHRISTINE R. QUILLIAN, CFA, CFP® “Experience is a comb life gives you after you lose your hair.” – Judith Stern After stocks’ worst-ever start to a calendar year, now is a good time to remind ourselves why investors volunteer … Read More

By CHRISTINE QUILLIAN, CFA, CFP® Like the monster under the bed, capital gains taxes loom large in investors’ minds.  Many investors have a tendency to hold on to stocks with large embedded capital gains because to sell or trim shares … Read More

BY CHRISTINE QUILLIAN, CFA, CFP®   The market price at which something is bought or sold is everything in investing.  A stock’s price is a single number that expresses a collective view of investors’ knowledge and expectations about a company.   We … Read More