SoFi Blog

At SoFi Invest, our mission is simple: We want to help you make the smartest investment decisions possible so that you can continue on the path to your goals.

That’s why we constantly monitor the market, the economy, and your personal Invest portfolio. Each month we discuss the economy, update our forecasts based on what the market is doing, and every now and then tweak the allocations within our member portfolios. This is one of those times.

Below, we’re sharing the updates we’ve made to all five risk strategies: Conservative, Moderately Conservative, Moderate, Moderately Aggressive, and Aggressive. When it comes to your investments, we always want to be transparent and keep you in the loop about adjustments that we’re making to help your money grow.

We here at SoFi couldn’t agree more—which is why we’re turning some HQ Trivia losers into winners this week. SoFi is on a mission to help people reach their financial goals, faster. To get you motivated in 2018, we’re giving up to 200 HQ losers a second chance of winning every day for five days starting on February 12th.

Here’s what you could win from SoFi: $25 in a SoFi Invest account, and our So Money card game.

The S&P 500 has fallen more than 10%. The Dow drops more than 1,000 points.

I’m sure you’ve seen the headlines about the market movements over the past few days and might be worried. That’s not surprising. If you own stocks, they may have lost some value, which doesn’t feel great.
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But, let’s put this dip into perspective. In Wall Street terms, we’ve been in what’s called a “bull market” since 2009. A decline of 10% or more in a bull market—which we’ve sseen in the past few days—is called a “correction.” Bull markets in the past have averaged about one correction a year. The last one we had was February of 2016, so we’ve been overdue.

But here’s something else you should know: While Wall Street traders might be panicking a bit, for the average investor, like you, there’s no cause for alarm. The economy still appears to be on solid footing if you look at things like unemployment and company earnings. And in many ways, this market dip was expected.

It seems like everyone’s talking about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act these days. Whether you’re refilling your glass at the water cooler or going out with friends for craft beer after work, you’re likely worriedly discussing its impacts—especially if you’re currently a student or recent grad with student loans. That’s because the bill might have a significant effect on the bottom line of those with student debt.

No one likes to pay more in taxes, but if you have vivid memories of how the refund you received because of the student loan interest tax deduction helped you fix your car when it broke down last May, you likely feel passionate about the potential elimination of this deduction.

But are the issues you’re worrying about guaranteed if the bill is passed? Not necessarily. Confused? Here’s some things to know about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

A Note on the Taper

Now that the markets are accustomed to heightened tensions with North Korea, attention is shifting back to monetary policy once again. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, several of the world’s central banks employed extraordinary measures to help stabilize economies. Now the question is how are they going to scale back, or “taper,” those policies and what affect that will have on asset prices.