One of the most challenging aspects of evaluating opportunities at this point in the market cycle is the tendency of the market to be rather binary in its assessments.

As market strategists and pundits attempt to predict the end of this economic cycle, a commonly mentioned indicator is the term spread of U.S. Treasuries – or the difference between short-term yields and long-term yields.

Statistics from the U.S. Administration on Aging suggest that 70% of us will need some kind of extended care in later years. If that care is provided in a nursing home for an acute condition, a good portion of the expense will likely be covered by Medicare. If not, the burden falls on you—and it could be substantial.

If you haven’t taken an in-depth look recently at how your company’s retirement plan is doing, now might be a good time to check its “vital signs,” especially if your plan is more than 10 years old.

While most of us know how quickly a few deep breaths can defuse a toxic situation, did you also know that this age-old advice is backed by scientific research?

Most likely you have a good handle on how stocks and other equity investments work: Your stock shares represent a portion of ownership in a company and if the company prospers and the stock becomes more desirable, the value of those shares increases. If the company encounters financial trouble, your stock can lose value. Bonds and other “fixed income” securities are an entirely different type of investment.

A strong U.S. economy, continued global growth improvement, a concerted effort by global central banks to remain accommodative as long as possible, and a general sense of complacency about valuations in the equity markets provided the backdrop for 2017’s wins.

If there is one thing that all investors can agree on from the first quarter of 2018, it is that volatility in the markets is most certainly back. But what does that mean, and why is it such a critical data point for market participants?