Despite the economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic, American workers and retirees remain largely optimistic about their financial prospects for retirement. In its annual Retirement Confidence Survey conducted in January 2021, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) found that 80% of retirees and 72% of workers were either very or somewhat confident in their ability […]
To quote the great Frank the Tank from Old School, “We’re going streaking!” Although Frank had another idea, stocks have been streaking in some historic ways, both near-term and longer-term. Let’s start with the more recent action. The S&P 500 Index was recently higher seven consecutive days for the first time since last August, but […]
The Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) has been doing all they can the past few days to calm the fears over last week’s hawkish Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. Fed Chair Jerome Powell testified to Congress that inflation is indeed transitory, and he isn’t considering hiking rates yet, until there is an actual inflation or imbalances. New York Fed […]
As nearly everyone knows by now, inflation has soared the past few months, with the May Consumer Price Index (CPI) coming in at 5.0% year-over-year, the highest since 2008, while the core CPI (excluding energy and food) was 3.8%, the highest since 1992. The Bloomberg consensus is calling for 3.4% headline CPI this year, which […]
Young adults starting out in life, especially newlyweds, need insurance. But what kind? As a start, a good term life policy likely is a smart move. Other types of insurance may not be. And as they age, what other varieties of coverage make sense? A good deal of misunderstanding surrounds insurance protection planning. Consider a […]
An annuity is a contract between you, the purchaser or owner, and an insurance company, the annuity issuer. In its simplest form, you pay money to an annuity issuer, and the issuer pays out the principal and earnings back to you or to a named beneficiary. Life insurance companies first developed annuities to provide income […]
At the end of 2015, Congress permanently extended the rule allowing taxpayers to exclude from taxable income certain individual retirement account (IRA) distributions made directly to a qualified charity. Otherwise known as qualified charitable distributions, or QCDs, such transfers can provide individuals who were already planning to make a charitable gift with several tax benefits. […]
As you travel the savings road toward retirement and beyond, certain key dates will pop up. Some of these dates are critically important to your retirement planning efforts. Taking the right retirement planning steps as you reach each of the following age milestones could help you maximize your income, minimize your taxes and avoid penalties. […]
You’re house hunting, and you’ve brought along a wish list of features that you consider important, such as a certain number of bedrooms, adequate storage, and an up-to-date kitchen. But does your list include features that will affect your homeowners insurance premium? Buying a well constructed home equipped with certain safety devices may allow you […]
Although there was some notable weakness in the middle of May, the S&P 500 Index was able to rally late in the month to finish with a modest gain. Incredibly, this was the eighth year out of the past nine that stocks gained during in May. Who said Sell in May? View enlarged chart. As […]
