Stocks Retreat on Jobs and Election Concerns

Want a Complete 2025 Medicare Review? Submit by November 22nd!

If you'd like our Medicare Specialist to review your latest information for 2025, you're welcome to submit your details using the intake form link below by November 22nd. Submissions after this date may not be processed on a timely basis.

December 7th is the last day of Annual enrollment.

Click below to share your current list of doctors and prescriptions.

Note:If you’ve already submitted your information for 2025, your all set; however, if you have not heard back from us by November 14th, Please Call Us.

Spread Holiday Cheer with McKnight Advisory Group and CASA Rutherford County

This holiday season, McKnight Advisory Group is honored to team up with CASA Rutherford County to support children in foster care. CASA’s dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to advocate for these children, guiding them toward safe, permanent homes where they can thrive.

How You Can Contribute:

Join our Toy Drive by donating a new, unwrapped toy valued at $20 or more, or a $25 gift card from Walmart or Target. Your contribution will bring warmth and joy to a child in need, showing them the strength of their community’s support.

Important Details:

Deadline: December 2, 2024
Drop-Off Location: McKnight Advisory Group
1800 S. Rutherford Blvd., Suite 202, Murfreesboro

Let’s come together to brighten a child’s holiday and make this season special for those who need it most.

Stocks slid last week as mixed economic data and strong-but-not-spectacular Q3 corporate reports failed to inspire investors.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 1.36 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index declined 1.50 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 0.15 percent. The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, slid 0.96 percent.^1,2

Q3 Reports Uninspired

Stocks rallied early Wednesday after the gross domestic product report showed a strong economy that appeared on the path to a soft landing. However, stocks moved lower throughout the day as investors digested mixed Q3 reports from a few mega-cap tech names.^3,4

Stocks were under more pressure Thursday as disappointing outlooks for some key tech companies pulled the market down. A softer-than-expected jobs report on Friday unsettled investors, but stocks picked up as the day progressed, and attention shifted to how the Fed may interpret the jobs data.⁵

By Friday, the Nasdaq’s eight-week winning streak had ended, and the S&P fell for the second week.

Article for gsam.com: Before the Ballot

“It is not the position, but the disposition.”

– Susan Sontag

Modern Pumpkin Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pumpkin purée (canned or homemade)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or substitute with coconut milk for a dairy-free option)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon for topping (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat Oven:Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a medium baking dish (like an 8x8-inch or similar-sized dish) with butter or non-stick spray.

2. Combine Ingredients:In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, heavy cream, brown sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla extract until smooth.

3. Pour and Bake:Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the pudding is set and a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. The top should look golden and slightly firm.

4. Cool and Serve:Allow to cool slightly before serving. Scoop into bowls and top with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon, if desired.

Tips:

• For extra flavor: Add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to the mix for a hint of sweetness and depth.
• Serving suggestion: This pudding is delicious served warm, but it also sets up nicely when chilled and can be served cold as a creamy treat.

Enjoy this modernized pumpkin pudding—a nod to history with a smooth, creamy finish that’s perfect for November gatherings!

Thomas "Big Foot" Spencer was a towering pioneer known for his massive footprints and strength, becoming a local legend in Middle Tennessee. Arriving in the late 1770s, Spencer braved the Cumberland wilderness, famously living in a hollowed sycamore tree near Castalian Springs. This unusual shelter added to his mystique, as did tales of his encounters with Native American tribes, whom he respected despite inevitable frontier conflicts. Stories celebrate his incredible feats of strength, like wrestling bears and carrying heavy loads. Spencer's legacy endures as a symbol of the resilience and grit of Tennessee's early settlers.

Military Members and Their Families Can Receive Free Tax Advice

The IRS started the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to provide free tax advice, preparation, return filing help, and other assistance to military members and their families. This also includes specific tax advice for military members on combat zone tax benefits, special extensions, and other special rules. VITA has convenient locations on and off base and even has offices overseas.

These offerings are just one way the IRS strives to make tax information available to all. It also offers other free assistance programs to taxpayers who qualify, including the elderly, through its Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program.

This information is not a substitute for individualized tax advice. Please discuss your specific tax issues with a qualified tax professional.

Tip adapted fromIRS⁷

Indoor Exercises to Stay Active

It might be hard to get outside often for walks and exercise in the winter, but you can do plenty of indoor exercises, even when the weather outside is not cooperating. Here are some simple moves to get you exercising indoors:

• Start with your core. Do 30 crunches followed by a minute-long plank. Repeat for three sets.
• Do two sets of mountain climbers: 60 seconds on, 30 seconds rest.
• Do push-ups (either on your knees or your toes), and hold a plank for a minute on your last rep. Rest for 20 seconds, then repeat three more times.
• Do a standing, reverse lunge, 20 reps on each side. Complete three sets.
• Do regular squats, but hold at the lowest point for three seconds. Complete 20 reps three times.

Tip adapted from Active⁸

I am only one syllable long and too heavy for one person to lift, but if you reverse me, I am not. What am I?

Last week’s riddle:How many times can you subtract the number 75 from 7,500? Answer:Once, because after the first subtraction, you will subtract 75 from 7,425.

Yosemite National Park

Sierra Nevada, California

Footnotes and Sources

^{1. The Wall Street Journal, November 1, 2024}

^{2. Investing.com, November 1, 2024}

^{3. CNBC.com, October 30, 2024}

^{4. The Wall Street Journal, October 30, 2024}

^{5. The Wall Street Journal, November 1, 2024}

^{6. The Wall Street Journal, November 1, 2024}

^{7. IRS.gov, March 29, 2024}

^{8. Active, July 24, 2024}