Investors have had good reason to celebrate this year, but is it truly time to let our guards down? Thanks to practical policy guidance, more than half of the US population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. Add to this the boost from a $1.9 trillion fiscal stimulus package introduced in March, and the US economy today is on pace for its most robust recovery in nearly 40 years.

So, how have the financial markets taken these improvements? Well, risk assets have responded to the positive health and economic developments by posting solid gains in the first and second quarters. Looking ahead, however, the market and economic outlook appear less promising. A resurgent COVID variant, accelerating inflation, and a notable lack of bipartisan support for additional fiscal stimulus pose challenges to economic and market momentum in the second half of the year.

In this podcast, we discuss why we may not be out of the woods yet when it comes to the market and economic outlook. We’ll also discuss some steps you can take to ensure that your financial independence plans stay on the right track.