ABOUT NORWOOD ECONOMICS

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Norwood Economics

The Norwood Economics difference

Norwood Economics is a low-cost, fee-only wealth management firm. We provide our clients with concierge level service at an affordable price - no hidden fees, no commissions, and no conflicts of interest. We believe in low-cost investing and favor using low-cost index funds, ETFs, and individual stocks to build diversified portfolios. We are value investors who buy good companies when they go on sale. We invest in companies with strong balance sheets that typically pay a dividend. Norwood Economics partners with the world's top custodians to hold and protect our clients' money.


Our firm has a culture based on openness and transparency, with a strong system of checks and balances. On a regular basis, our leaders examine both their own behavior and the behavior of their employees. This begins with the hiring process. We look for employees with a strategic mix of hard and soft skills who will support the firm’s core values of community, client service, teamwork, and innovation.


Our Wealth management Investment Philosophy

We begin by building low-cost, diversified portfolios. We focus first on strategic allocation. Putting a client into the right mix of assets is critical to helping them achieve their spending goals. Tactical allocation is used to overweight cheap assets and underweight expensive assets, which can add value. We use low-cost index ETFs as well as individual stocks. We are value investors who buy good companies when they go on sale. We look for companies with strong balance sheets that typically pay a dividend.


Our 401(k) Investment Philosophy

We recommend a core fund lineup built using low-cost, index funds. Norwood Economics creates properly diversified, pre-built portfolios. These are low-cost, and consist primarily of index funds and ETFs. Our portfolios range from conservative to aggressive. We do adjust the pre-built portfolios from time to time, overweighting cheap assets and underweighting expensive assets; tactical allocation can add value.


Norwood Economics also recommends using target-date retirement funds in the investment fund lineup. A target-date fund  is a diversified portfolio with an age appropriate asset mix. Fund managers reduce equity exposure as the target retirement date approaches. More conservative portfolios are appropriate as you near retirement. Lower portfolio volatility makes it more likely that you will achieve your spending goals in retirement.

Meet The Team

recent blog posts

Risks are Rising as the Economy Slows

By Christopher Norwood • September 8, 2025
Executive Summary The S&P 500 fell 0.3% last week to finish at 6,481.50 The CAPE ratio is currently at its second highest reading ever Valuation is a lousy timing mechanism, but an excellent predictor of future returns Interest rates declined last week The 2-Year Treasury yield fell to 3.51% by the close on Friday The 10-Year Treasury yield also fell, ending the week at 4.10%. The CME FedWatch tool has the odds at 73% of a Fed funds rate of 3.50% to 3.75% or lower by year's end The weak jobs report on Friday showed that only 22,000 new jobs were added in August Unemployment rose to 4.3% from 4.2%. The aggregate weekly payrolls index fell to 4.4% in August “We’re back in that world of uncertainty," states Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth  The Stock Market

The Jobs Report Friday Could Spark a Rally or Sell-off

By Christopher Norwood • September 2, 2025
Executive Summary The S&P 500 finished down 0.1% at 6,460.26 last week The S&P is up 9.8% on the year. Industrials and Communication Services are leading the way Personal income rose in line with expectations for July, climbing 0.4% up from 0.3% the prior month A weak payroll number on 5 September means a Fed rate cut on 17 September Unemployment is expected to rise, but it is still low relative to history Wage growth close to 4% will make it hard for inflation to fall to 2% The predictions market has the odds of a recession at 8% The ICE BofA US High Yield Index spread is near all-time lows A bear steepener is increasingly likely. A bear steepener is when the yield curve falls at the short end but rises at the long end

One of Financial Planning's Most Important Inputs is the Expected Average Inflation Rate

By Christopher Norwood • August 25, 2025
Executive Summary The S&P 500 rose 0.3% last week to close at 6466.91 The CME FedWatch tool initially raised the chances of a September rate cut to 84.7% The stock and bond markets opted to buy Fed Chairman Powell’s Friday morning speech Investors now seem certain that the Fed will start cutting again The current five-year breakeven is 2.48% The 10-year breakeven is 2.41% The core Consumer Price Index (CPI) is 3.1% Disinflation appears to be over as the inflation rate is no longer falling The St Louis Fed’s Financial Stress Index is negative 0.8153. A negative number means below-average financial market stress The real 10-year interest rate is falling. Money is getting cheaper. The Fed’s balance sheet is shrinking, but is still 22% of GDP An indebted economy can’t withstand high interest rates  The Stock Market