Marta O’Brien joined Legacy in November of 2012. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a JD from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Prior to joining Legacy, Marta had several years of extensive personal trust experience with two large national trust companies in Madison and Appleton.
Marta and her family have been long-time residents of the Appleton community. Marta is a graduate of Xavier High School and is an avid volunteer in the St. Francis Xavier school system. As a seasonal resident of the Waupaca area, Marta and her children can be found cruising the waterways by boat in the summer months. While Marta enjoys the outdoors and feeling the wind in her hair, she leaves it up to her kids to perform in the water-ski shows. She supports their efforts by volunteering for the ski club and truly enjoys interacting with kids of all ages at both the lake and school.
Laurene Brooks joined Legacy in 2004, shortly after the company’s inception. She earned undergraduate degrees in journalism and Spanish, and her Juris Doctor (JD) designation from Marquette University. Laurene has over 30 years of experience in law and relationship management. In addition to assisting clients with financial management and estate planning, Laurene is Legacy’s senior fiduciary officer. In addition, she was a member of the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Division of the Wisconsin State Bar for 10 years and served as chair.
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January 15, 2016: Markets In Motion
After a bumpy 2015, the major indices ended about where they started. The S& P 500 Index eked out a total return of 1.4%, and bonds, as measured by the Barclays US Aggregate Bond Index, posted a return of 0.6%. The stock market lows of the year were set in August, falling over 12% from the previous highs set in May. Anxiety over China and a supply glut of oil drove energy prices to levels not seen in over a decade. The falling price of crude oil resulted in the energy sector to post a loss of over 21%. The bright spot of the year was the continued strength of the domestic labor market. The unemployment rate ended the year at 5% and when combined with low inflation, gave the Fed a green light to hike interest rates for the first time since 2006.
Investment Commentary January 2016
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