IT IS OPEN TO INTERPRETATION

Today, gauging the state of the American economy is akin to interpreting abstract art. Many economic indicators suggest the economy remains strong despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool it off.
Read MoreBRAEBURN WEALTH MANAGEMENT IS RECOGNIZED BY FIDELITY CLEARING & CUSTODY SOLUTIONS FOR REACHING $100 MILLION OF ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT IN 2016
Norton Shores, Michigan – Michael A. Poland, CFA®, CEO & Founder, Chartered Financial Analyst, Wealth Advisor/Portfolio Manager for Braeburn Wealth Management, along with his associates, Melanie N. Meyer, RP™, Associate Wealth Advisor, Sherri L. Balaskovitz, Director of Marketing, and Caitlyn Mouw, Director of First Impressions/Client Services, were presented with a Simon Pearce crystal pyramid award at a breakfast on Wednesday, October 26, 2016 by Kathleen Marshall, Vice President, Relationship Management for Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions based out of Boston, Massachusetts, for their outstanding achievement in reaching $100 Million in Assets Under Management (AUM).
Braeburn Wealth Management was established in August 2011 in Norton Shores, Michigan, as a Registered Investment Advisor. Mr. Poland is known for his in-depth market analysis, customized portfolio offerings, investing with knowledge and discipline, and development of innovative trend indicators. He has been a financial advisor for more than 25 years and practiced with Rehmann Financial, Merrill Lynch, Paine Webber and Smith Barney prior to establishing his firm.
Today, gauging the state of the American economy is akin to interpreting abstract art. Many economic indicators suggest the economy remains strong despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool it off.
Read MoreLast week, despite signs that inflation is slowing, U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) officials emphasized their commitment to tightening monetary policy to lower inflation. Several indicated they anticipate a third consecutive rate hike...
Read MoreAcross the country, school supplies have been purchased and many children have returned to the classroom to start a new school year. The give and take between teachers and students can produce some memorable – and humorous – moments.
Read More“Don’t fight the Fed” is a bit of wisdom that encourages investors to align their portfolios with current monetary policy. “The rationale is deceptively intuitive.
Read MoreHe’s a sheep farmer and a fell runner whose nickname is the Bionic Shepherd. “Fell” is British for hill or mountain. At the age of 50, he climbed 214 peaks, covering 520 miles of mountainous terrain, in seven days, one hour and 25 minutes.
Read MorePowell spoke at Federal Reserve (Fed)’s policy forum in Jackson HoIe, WY. It wasn’t the speech stock market bulls had hoped to hear... anticipating the Fed would take a dovish policy turn, and would begin to raise rates less aggressively.
Read MoreIn an effort to determine whether it is possible to distinguish bull markets from bear market rallies, one Minnesota research group examined data going back 65 years.
Read MoreAs it turns out North America is the second most livable region of the world, trailing just behind Western Europe. Every North American city in the survey received a score of at least 80 out of 100.
Read MoreThe big news was that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation, didn’t change from June to July. That doesn’t mean all prices remained the same during the month. They didn’t. For instance, the cost of energy dropped by 4.6%
Read MoreIn the United Kingdom, they’re cooling off by eating ice cream. Temperatures reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time ever in England. Asphalt buckled at airports and on roads, and the British Government recommend staying home.
Read MoreEconomic growth declined during the last two quarters, the U.S. housing market appears to be cooling, and consumer sentiment is low.
Read MoreBefore inflation, the U.S. economy grew by 6.6 % in the first quarter of 2022 and by 7.9 % in the second quarter, according to FRED Economic Data. After inflation, GDP shrank by 1.6 % in the first quarter and by 0.9 % in the second quarter.
Read MoreInstead of meeting for drinks (alcohol drinks up 4%... ) or sharing a meal in a restaurant ( dining up 8.9%...), many people are opting for less expensive options, such as meeting for coffee, taking a walk, or cooking a meal at home.
Read MoreUnemployment is low (3.6 %), and inflation is high (9.1 %). Both tend to occur when an economy is experiencing strong growth. That makes it difficult to believe the United States is in a recession, but some data is pointing that way.
Read MoreWhile volatility isn't the same as risk, the chances of incurring a loss may increase during periods of market volatility, ...that’s because investors become anxious about falling share prices and sell when they might be better off holding.
Read MorePrices were up more than 9% year-over-year in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Consumer Price Index (CPI). When you dig into the numbers, energy prices were up 41.6 percent year-over-year, food prices were up 10.4 percent
Read MoreThe tightening in financial conditions that we have seen in recent months should continue to temper growth and help bring demand into better balance with supply…
Read MorePeople choose where to live for a variety of reasons. They may live where they grew up or where their company is located. They may like the culture and environment, need accessible healthcare or prefer a certain school district.
Read MoreThe Fed’s balance sheet expanded greatly during the past few years as it engaged in quantitative easing (QE). QE entailed buying Treasury and agency securities to ease financial conditions, strengthen the economy, and support markets...
Read MoreThe inflation news unsettled already volatile stock and bond markets. Major U.S. stock indices declined last week as investors reassessed the potential impact of higher interest rates and inflation on company earnings and share prices.
Read MoreIn theory, when consumers are optimistic, spending should increase and when they are pessimistic, spending should decline. That’s not what happened this year, though.
Read MoreFrom an inflation perspective: good employment report as earnings increased at slower pace than previous months. More jobs added + higher wages = signs of a strong economy…the concern is that inflation will remain close to its recent peak.
Read MoreHe plays an integral part of the Braeburn Team in helping with portfolio structures for each client’s risk levels as well as portfolio rebalances according to economic climates.
Read MoreOur brains are hardwired to avoid loss. Studies have found the pain of loss is far more powerful than the pleasure of gain. This is called loss aversion. ...knowing more about bear markets may help reduce the fear of these market declines.
Read MoreWhether markets are experiencing a correction or a bear market, it’s hard to watch your savings and investments decline; and many investors succumb to fear and take actions that damage their ability to reach their financial goals.
Read MoreOver the last 50 years, there have been other events that caused investors to think the worst.
Read MoreInvesting during 2022 has been like running a forest trail and having unexpected obstacles appear every so often – a fallen tree, a swarm of biting flies, a bear with cubs – you get the idea.
Read MoreThe preliminary results for the April University of Michigan Survey of Consumer Sentiment showed that sentiment jumped 10 percent from March to April, primarily because consumers are feeling more optimistic about the future.
Read MoreThe first quarter of 2022 was jam-packed with volatility-inducing events: rising inflation, war in Ukraine, rising interest rates, sanctions on Russia, and a new COVID-19 outbreak in China.
Read MoreCongress asks the Federal Reserve to use its tools to promote price stability and maximum employment. Last week, economic data provided information about both. Inflation continued to increase. Unemployment remained low.
Read MoreLast week, the U.S. Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would make daylight savings time the new permanent “standard time”. If the House of Representatives agrees the U.S. will have later sunsets all year round, in 2023.
Read MoreThe Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) met on March 16 and raised the federal funds target rate by a quarter point. They expects to continue to raise rates and reduce its balance sheet during 2022 to lower inflation.
Read MoreIn 2021, the answer was Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Norway. The United States dropped two spots last year, ranking 20th of the 28 countries in the Index.
Read MoreNow, the war in Europe is layering on a new set of changes that have implications for defense, cybersecurity, energy and, possibly, other sectors of the market.
Read MoreUkraine and Russia are leading providers of key agriculture and energy products. As a result, the war is likely to create shortages of some resources. When demand for a resource is high and the supply is low, prices tend to increase.
Read MoreDespite the sharp escalation in geopolitical tensions, market expectations for the future path of Fed policy have not wavered significantly, with six quarter-point rate rises still penciled in for this year.
Read More• Is college a good investment? • Which college majors are worth the cost? • Should employers remove college degree requirements from job listings?
Read MoreVolatility was high last week as investors guessed and second-guessed how markets would react if Russia invaded Ukraine and sanctions were imposed on Russia. They also wondered what would happen if Russia pulled back.
Read More...people who spend more than two hours a week in nature “had consistently higher levels of both health and well-being” than those who spent less time in nature. The benefits of nature appear to max out at four hours.
Read MoreThe reality is that there often is no single answer to explain why stock markets move up or down. There is currently tremendous uncertainty about the potential impact of Fed policy changes, war in Europe, and other issues.
Read MoreIn many countries, athletes who take home a medal in the winter Olympics receive financial bonuses and other rewards.
Read MoreThe economists did not have great expectations for the January employment report was understating their position. It was widely believed that the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant would translate into a dismal jobs report. It didn't.
Read MoreThe S&P 500 rose 2.4 percent, its biggest one-day jump since June 2020, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 3.1 percent. Friday’s gain snapped a three-day streak of losses and left the S&P 500 up 0.8 percent for the week.
Read MoreThe silver lining of the pandemic may be found in innovation, which has flourished as companies, economies and countries have adapted to difficult circumstances.
Read More“As goes January, so goes the year.” describes January Barometer for S&P500 Index to have predictive value. If stocks gain in January, the Index may gain over the full year. If stocks decline, the Index may suffer losses over the full year.
Read MoreUp 16.9 percent year-to-year (comparing the month December 2020 to the month of December 2021) Up 19.3 percent for the year (comparing 2020 retail sales to 2021 retail sales)
Read MoreBeauty companies are teaming up with technology firms that specialize in artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) to develop apps that let people try on makeup virtually.
Read MoreEconomic developments and changes in the outlook warrant this evolution of monetary policy, which will continue to provide appropriate support for the economy.
Read MoreThe challenges of economic measurement in a pandemic environment are enormous.
Read MoreThirty-six billion pieces of clothing are thrown out by Americans each year, and estimates suggest that 95 percent could be recycled or reused.
Read MoreEverything seemed to shoot higher – from COVID-19 cases and vaccinations to economic growth and global stock markets. Everything except for optimism.
Read MoreWith inflation at high levels and employment at full pandemic capacity, the Fed will take steps “to prevent higher inflation from becoming entrenched."
Read MoreIn 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission offered a definition for sustainability: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Today, innovators are...
Read MoreCoronavirus cases have been on the rise in Europe, climbing from about 700,000 new cases a week in September to 2.6 million a week in November, reported Richard Pérez-Peña and Jason Horowitz of the New York Times. As...
Read MoreThinking about the possibilities. The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index finished last week slightly higher and has gained about 6 percent during the past 25 days; however, investors have curbed their enthusiasm. The S&P 500...
Read MoreCurses often offer explanations for disappointments. The Billy Goat curse on the Chicago Cubs reportedly kept the team from winning a World Series for more than a century. Every actor is wary of the curse of Macbeth, which holds that...
Read MoreInvestor bullishness ticked higher last week on all four investor sentiment gauges tracked by Barron’s. Investor optimism may have been fanned by positive financial and economic news. For example, last week: The jobs report was...
Read MoreNovember is chock full of holidays. Thanksgiving, Veteran’s Day, Dia De Los Muertos, Diwali, Hanukkah, and Giving Tuesday are widely celebrated, and there are a significant number of less widely celebrated holidays on the...
Read MoreLast week, we learned that economic growth slowed in the third quarter as a new wave of COVID-19 surged across the United States, reported The Bureau of Economic Analysis. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the value of all goods...
Read MoreThe bull market in bonds has persisted for 40 years. In September 1981, the interest rate on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds was 15.8 percent. In 2020, the interest rate bottomed at 0.52 percent and has moved higher. Whether the bull...
Read MoreIt’s MESSI! No, this commentary is not about Lionel Messi, the Argentine soccer phenom who is widely regarded one of the greatest footballers of all time. However, it is about something that economists say may be as rare as...
Read MoreAmericans expect to spend more than $10 billion on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation. That’s about $103 per consumer, although families with children spend well-above average on the spookiest night...
Read MoreDon’t get spooked! Barron’s Big Money Poll is an exclusive survey of market sentiment among professional investors. Last week, Nicholas Jasinski reported on 2021’s findings: “America’s money managers are...
Read MoreThe pandemic accelerated the adoption of autonomous checkouts at retailers. Some stores have self-checkouts, while others have installed a “combination of sensors, cameras, computer vision and deep learning” that makes it...
Read MoreSeptember strikes again… If you look back over the last 20 years, September has been the worst performing month for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, according to Nasdaq. This year, the S&P 500 dropped 4.8 percent in...
Read MoreChina has been trying to limit cryptocurrencies for a long time without much success. In 2019, cryptocurrency trading was banned; however, the practice persisted. Earlier this year, the Chinese government restricted banks and payment...
Read MoreCentral banks have a lot of influence on investors, markets and economies. For the last year or so, the Federal Reserve has been purchasing $120 billion of bonds every month to ensure United States markets remained liquid and interest...
Read MoreIf you were virtually dropped into another country, do you think you would recognize where you were? In 2013, Swedish information technology consultant Anton Wallén created a game around an internet company’s street-view...
Read MoreIn recent weeks, bullish sentiment has drifted lower like sediment settling after a storm. Every month, Bank of America (BofA) surveys global asset managers. The most recent survey, which was conducted in early September, showed that...
Read MoreIt’s September and paper airplanes were flying across screens at the 31st First Annual Ig® Nobel Prize virtual ceremony. The Ig Nobels recognize the unusual and celebrate the imaginative to rouse interest in science, medicine...
Read MoreThe Delta variant could take a toll on economic growth. There was some good news last week. The 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases in the United States declined. The bad news was that the rate of infection remained about 99 percent...
Read MoreIf your neighbor mentioned wind energy, you might picture a towering turbine planted in a field or rising offshore. If a friend talked about a solar farm they saw while on vacation in Colorado, you might picture acres of solar panels...
Read MoreStagflation isn’t trending, but it was mentioned in quite a few headlines last week. Stagflation is a portmanteau of ‘stagnation’ and ‘inflation.’ It occurs when a country experiences slow economic growth...
Read MoreWhen people are financially literate, they have the knowledge and information necessary to make sound financial decisions. The 2020 TIAA Institute-Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center Personal Finance Index reported that more...
Read More“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder,” advised the Persian poet Rumi. Last week, Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s words helped grow the week’s equity market...
Read MoreMarkets were shaken last week by a potent cocktail of central bank tapering and economic growth concerns mixed with coronavirus and a splash of the new Chinese privacy law. On Wednesday, the minutes of the United States Federal...
Read MoreWhat is the most important driver of economic growth in the United States? The most common way to measure economic output is Gross Domestic Product or GDP. It’s the value of all goods and services produced in our country over a...
Read MoreWhile the United States has not yet recovered all of the jobs lost during the pandemic – 22 million were lost and 16.6 million have returned – productivity is higher than it was when more people were employed.8 The...
Read MoreFor months, investors have wondered when the Federal Reserve (Fed) might begin to “normalize” its policies, a process that will eventually lead to higher interest rates. Last week, a better-than-expected unemployment report...
Read MoreWatching the Olympics sparks the competitive spirit in many people. If you’re looking for a way to compete, try taking this financial literacy quiz. If you like, you can create your own event by having family and friends test...
Read MoreThe Chinese dragon cast a shadow over free trade and foreign investment last week. For decades, investors have recognized the investment potential of China. Since the country opened to foreign trade and investment in 1979, its economy...
Read MoreThe Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games took a new approach to producing medals. “Approximately 5,000 medals have been produced from small electronic devices that were contributed by people all over...
Read MoreLast week, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) finally announced the official dates for the recession that occurred in 2020. Economic activity peaked in February 2020 and bottomed in April 2020. That makes the pandemic...
Read MoreLast week, 39 million American households that have children age 18 or younger received their first Advance Child Tax Credit payment. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) explained, “Advance Child Tax Credit payments are early...
Read MoreThe term “peak growth” has become almost as popular as the comedy show Ted Lasso. Peak growth is a catchphrase with the potential to mislead. When the term is applied to the U.S. economy, it does not mean the United States...
Read MoreIf you’re a soccer fan, you know the answer is last month. The tournament took place in 2021, although the name was not changed because the tournament was intended to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the European Football...
Read MoreThere was a gapers’ block in financial markets last week as equity investors slowed to see what the United States Treasury bond market was up to. U.S. Treasury bonds rallied last week. Yields on 10-year Treasuries dropped from 1...
Read MoreLow mortgage rates, high demand for homes and a limited supply of existing homes have pushed the cost of housing through the roof. In May, U.S. home prices were 23.6 percent higher than they were a year ago. The median sale price for...
Read MoreThe Economist developed the Global Normalcy Index (GNI) to measure the post-pandemic return to normal. In March 2020, the GNI was 35 overall, with 100 being the normal pre-pandemic level. At the end of the second quarter, the worldwide...
Read MoreSince 1998, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has been grading infrastructure in the United States. ‘A’ is exceptional, fit for the future. ‘B’ is good, adequate for now. ‘C’ is mediocre...
Read MoreWhat begins with the letter “I”? Infrastructure is essential and sometimes taken for granted. Pipes carry drinking water to our homes, offices, and healthcare facilities, and carry away sewage and wastewater. Highways,...
Read MoreOver the next few months, we’ll probably begin to hear more about the deficit, the debt, and the debt limit. Here’s a primer to help you keep them straight The U.S. deficit: When the United States has a deficit, it means...
Read MoreIs that a hawk? The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) met last week. They get together eight times a year to review current economic and financial conditions, assess risks to price stability and economic growth, and adjust...
Read MoreBusinesses have been finding innovative solutions to labor issues forever. For example, dogs were once bred to cook, according to Popular Science’s podcast, The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week. When people relied on fire to...
Read MoreIt’s transitory. It’s not transitory. It’s transitory. It’s not transitory. Media analysts were plucking the inflation daisy petals last week. On Thursday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Consumer...
Read MorePrior to the pandemic, The Economist reported Euromonitor anticipated, “…the number of pet cats worldwide to grow by 22 percent between 2018 and 2024, compared with 18 percent for dogs. Cats are better suited to apartment...
Read MoreIf you’ve ever stored tools or machinery in a shed or garage for an extended period of time, you know they often need some care and repair to function properly. The same appears to be true of the pandemic economy. Economic growth...
Read MoreWith Mother’s Day behind us and Father’s Day ahead, it seemed an appropriate time to share some tweets about the parenting experience. Here are a few entertaining examples shared online by parents and rounded up by...
Read MoreThe big news last week was the announcement from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that fully vaccinated Americans can resume normal activities without wearing masks or social distancing, except where required by law. Suffice it to...
Read MoreUncle Inflation is here. Will he overstay his welcome? Ever since the financial crisis, central banks have pursued expansionary monetary policies to encourage reflation and avoid deflation. Well, it’s taken some time, but...
Read MoreThere is a long-standing scientific theory about the size of a mammal’s body relative to its brain offers an indication of intelligence. The findings of a recent study seem to debunk that idea, reported Science Daily. An...
Read MoreLike a gender reveal gone wrong, last week’s employment report delivered an unexpected surprise. Economists estimated 975,000 new jobs would be created in April. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported there...
Read MoreAnother factor that influenced last week’s stock market decline was the proposed capital gains tax hike. Investors’ response was a bit surprising since the tax increase wasn’t really news. Ben Levisohn of...
Read MoreIt wasn’t just the price of pork chops. Last week, as investors weighed the news, strong corporate earnings were offset by higher grocery prices and rising numbers of global coronavirus cases. Solid corporate earnings weighed...
Read MoreIt’s also National Canine Fitness, National Fresh Celery, and International Guitar Month (among so many other designations), but let’s not get distracted. So, what is financial literacy? In 2008, the President's Advisory...
Read MoreInvestors didn’t stumble over inflation last week. Why not? Inflation – rising prices of goods and services – can be measured in a variety of ways. For example, the Consumer Price Index considers changes in the amount...
Read MoreSlang is used by groups of people to distinguish themselves from other groups. Sometimes, slang terms become so well known, they are adopted for general use. See what you know about money slang by taking this brief quiz. In Australia,...
Read MoreBig economies tend to recover from recessions about as quickly as semi-trucks accelerate from stop lights. In other words, recovery tends to be slow. That may not be the case this time. “Everything in this economic cycle is...
Read MoreLast week, unemployment claims were looking good and consumers were feeling good.The number of Americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits declined. Just 684,000 people filed claims during the week of March 20, down 97,000...
Read MoreWhat are professional asset managers thinking? Bank of America recently published the results of its March global asset managers’ survey, which polls 220 professional investors responsible for about $630 billion in assets,...
Read MoreInvestors had a lot to be enthusiastic about last week. Major stock indices in the United States soared, finishing the week higher and setting new records along the way, reported Al Root of Barron’s. There was plenty of good news...
Read MoreEvery year, The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) reports on the worldwide cost of living by surveying the cost of 138 goods and services in major cities around the world. As of September 2020, prices were up just 0.3 percent,...
Read MoreStudents of financial markets may have noted a historically unusual event last week. On Thursday, the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes briefly matched the dividend yield for the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index. This type of...
Read MoreThroughout the month of February, people in the United States celebrate the achievements of Black Americans. President Gerald Ford started the tradition in 1976 to “…seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected...
Read MoreContrarian investors like to buck the trend. They buy when other investors are selling and sell when others are buying. Last week, Bank of America (BofA) delivered a contrarian’s dream. BofA’s monthly survey of 225 global...
Read MoreThroughout history, inventions and new ways of doing things have changed the world: The magnetic compass, which was invented in the 12th century, helped people navigate the world. The printing press, which was invented in the 1400s,...
Read MoreWay back, when radio disk jockeys played 45-rpm vinyl singles, the A-side of a disk was the song the record company was promoting and the other side – the flip side – held a song that sometimes had an equal or greater...
Read MoreInvestors are always looking for news that might lead them to new trends in the market. Here are a few fascinating tidbits from last week: Currency competition. China would really like the yuan to replace the U.S. dollar as the...
Read MoreIt’s not a black diamond ski run yet, but the yield curve for U.S. Treasuries is steeper than it has been in a while. A yield curve is the line on a graph showing yields for different maturities of bonds. Yield curves provide...
Read MoreWhat’s New? In January, the Merriam Webster Dictionary added 520 words to its pages. The additions include new words that have found their way into common use, as well as expanded definitions for words that were already...
Read MoreAt the end of 2020, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation published a report that found, “…financial literacy has significant predictive power for future financial outcomes, even after controlling for baseline financial...
Read MoreInvestors were rocked by economic data showing the economy hit the brakes hard in December. Last week, major U.S. stock indices decelerated as investors gaped at the economic damage caused by the rising number of coronavirus cases...
Read MoreIf you’re a student of language or just interested in words, the term ‘melt-up’ is a bit mystifying. The base word – melt – conjures visions of ice cream and glaciers. Meltdown also is clear. It brings to...
Read MoreThe event at the United States Capitol building had a resounding impact around the world, but it didn’t deter global stock markets. Last week, investors weighed the violent disruption of America’s 2020 presidential election...
Read MoreDogs may be some of the world’s most effective disease detectives. In January, before COVID-19 was known to have arrived on our shores, NPR wrote about the dogs’ ability to smell disease. The host of Medical Monday...
Read MoreLast week was the cherry on top of a turbulent year for investors. After the $900 billion fiscal stimulus bill was signed on Sunday, major U.S. stock indices moved higher. The Washington Post reported, “The S&P 500-stock index,...
Read More(Apologies to Rudyard Kipling for paraphrasing his poem, If.) Tis the season when everyone assesses where we’ve been and where we might be going. Last week, a lot of research companies and publications explored investor...
Read MoreCongress is at $900 billion, will they hear $1.4 trillion, $1.4 trillion, governments at $900 billion, who’ll go $1.4 trillion, $1.4 trillion… The stimulus auction continued last week. Early on Sunday, The New York Times...
Read MoreThe coronavirus, which The Economist estimates has infected one-in-five Americans, is reshaping holiday traditions this year. “COVID-19 is playing on shoppers’ psyches as they weigh its impact on their health and finances....
Read MoreWhen it comes to beverages, frothy can be delicious. In what may be the least inspiring description of fizzy drinks ever written, a group of food engineers explained, “Aeration in beverages, which is manifested as foam or bubbles...
Read MoreTake a look at last week. Major stock indices in the United States hit all-time highs on Friday, despite a lackluster employment report and a surge in COVID-19 cases, reported Lewis Krauskopf of Reuters. During the week, we saw: The...
Read MoreHoliday shoppers may not have been racing into brick-and-mortar retail stores, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t shopping. Consumers have earmarked about $998 for spending on winter holidays, which include Christmas,...
Read MoreLast week, vaccine optimism immunized investors against signs of economic weakness. In previous commentaries we’ve written about narrative economics, which holds that popular stories may affect individual and collective economic...
Read MoreThanksgiving is going to be a lot different this year – and Americans are rising to the challenge. Some are cooking up their favorite recipes and peppering the table with screens so they can share the event from afar with friends...
Read MoreThe U.S. economy is like a semi-trailer truck. No one likes being stuck behind a semi at a stoplight because big trucks don’t go from zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds. Neither does the U.S. economy. When the pandemic brought our economy...
Read MoreIn 1949, Benjamin Graham, who is known as the father of value investing, penned The Intelligent Investor. His book offered insights about how to reduce the risk of loss when investing in stocks. Graham encouraged investors to...
Read MoreVaccine can be a powerful word. It’s worth 14 points in Scrabble (42 on a triple word square) and, last week, it was worth a whole lot more than that to financial markets. On Monday, a pharmaceutical company and a biotech company...
Read MoreIt’s election week, and Americans of all political persuasions are bracing themselves. We’re worried about short-term events and the long-term future of the country. In part, that’s because sharp partisan divides have...
Read MoreLast week, financial markets and economic data told very different stories. Reviewing economic data is a bit like looking in a rearview mirror. Typically, it offers information about what is behind us. For example, last week we...
Read MoreApprehension about the election has many people worrying about how financial markets may be affected by the outcome. Here are some thoughts to ponder: “Election years are not often the best times for stock market investors. Over...
Read MoreStimulus talks led investors in a merry dance last week. So far in 2020, stock markets have been sensitive to fiscal stimulus. Last week, there was optimism a new stimulus package could be negotiated before the election. There also was...
Read MoreIn theory, we think of all money in the same way. In practice, we don’t. Money is fungible. That means one dollar has the same value as another dollar or four quarters or ten dimes or 100 pennies. If you are buying something...
Read MoreIt was a turbulent week for investors. Waves of positive and negative news buffeted financial markets last week: The financial sector delivered upbeat earnings news Currently, many financial companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500...
Read MoreAlmost everyone has come across a test question they couldn’t answer. Some ingenious souls provide their teachers with some humor instead. British author Richard Benson asked teachers to share their favorite wrong test answers,...
Read MoreLast week, the third quarter of 2020 came to an end – and the fourth quarter delivered a doozy of an October surprise. President Trump has the coronavirus On Friday Americans awoke to the news President Trump had contracted...
Read MoreFor four weeks, the U.S. stock market has sparked and sputtered like a campfire in light rain. Today, pandemic-driven demand is providing fuel for the investors. The need for certain types of products and services has accelerated and...
Read MoreOn September 17, the 30th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony was broadcast online. Here’s a fun fact: The 1995 Ig Nobel Ceremony was one of the first events videocast on the Internet. The Ig Nobel Prizes “celebrate the...
Read MoreInvestors weren’t happy with central banks last week. After the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell confirmed the economy is recovering more quickly than anticipated: “With the...
Read MoreWind is one of the fastest growing energy sources in the United States. In 2019, wind generated 7.2 percent of the nation’s electricity, powering 27.5 million homes, reported the American Wind Energy Association. Wind power has...
Read MoreCOVID-19 has reshaped our world. Some of the ways we have adapted will be temporary, others may become permanent. Here are just a few ways our lives and the world around ushave changed: • Remote work. Just 12 percent of people...
Read MoreStock markets in the United States retreated a bit last week. U.S. stocks have been trending higher for months. Last week, they gave back some gains. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 3.3 percent, while the S&P 500 Index fell 2.3 percent,...
Read MoreAugust has been a good month for stock investors. At the end of last week, the S&P 500 Index was up 6.8 percent for the month. The Index is poised to deliver its best returns for the month since 1986, when it gained 7.1 percent,...
Read MoreThe Nasdaq Composite and Standard & Poor’s 500 Indices finished at new highs last week. The stock market is considered to be a leading economic indicator, so strong stock market performance suggests economic improvement ahead....
Read MoreThe Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index finished the week within a whisker of its February high, reported Randall Forsyth of Barron’s. It’s a remarkable feat. The stock market has recovered in just 175 days....
Read MoreWhere are we on vaccines and treatments? During 2020, the United States government has spent more than $13 billion on Operation Warp Speed (OWS), which is focused on accelerating the development of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19,...
Read MoreIs the United States economy recovering or faltering? It depends on who you ask and which data you consider. For example, last week, the Department of Labor reported fewer people applied for first-time unemployment benefits during the...
Read MoreIf your stress and anxiety levels are reaching a breaking point, you’re not alone. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll found 45 percent of adults in the United States are feeling worry and stress related to the coronavirus....
Read More2020 is destined to become an indelible chapter in American history. In just six months, we have suffered a pandemic, encountered economic and financial disruption, and tackled civil justice issues. After all that, we deserve a...
Read MoreAs coronavirus restrictions ease and businesses reopen, the American economy should gain steam. Data released in May and June, including employment, payroll, and manufacturing numbers, suggested the economy may have hit bottom in April...
Read MoreWhen it comes to investing, people tend to have short memories. During bull markets, as stock values push higher, many investors want to increase their exposure to stocks. Why wouldn’t they? When volatility is relatively low, it...
Read MoreBreak out the socks and neckties! It’s time to celebrate your dad. See what you know about Father’s Day by taking this quick trivia quiz: 1. When is Father’s Day in the United States? a. Second Sunday in Mayb. Third Sunday in Junec....
Read MoreThe Nasdaq Composite dipped its toes into record territory last week before retreating. Stock indices in the United States rallied early last week on optimism about the reopening of businesses across the country. The Nasdaq Composite...
Read MoreIn April, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) surveyed U.S. small businesses. It reported, late in 2019, before the coronavirus crisis, 35 percent were healthy, 35 percent were stable, 23 percent were at risk, and 6 percent...
Read MoreLife as we know it has changed dramatically during 2020. As the coronavirus spread across the United States, cities and states issued shelter-in-place orders to slow the spread of the coronavirus and prevent healthcare facilities from...
Read MoreThe German language boasts many unique words with oddly specific meanings. You may be familiar with some German words that have become part of the English language such as schadenfreude (finding joy in other people’s trouble),...
Read MoreAt 3:00 p.m. local time on Monday, May 25, 2020, the National Moment of Remembrance takes place by silently thanking the men and women of the United States military who gave their lives for our country.1 Originally, Memorial Day was...
Read MoreAmerica is reopening, state by state. That’s welcome news for many businesses, but we’re far from business as usual. Last week’s economic news included unemployment hitting an 80-year high, a record drop in retail...
Read MoreIn his first inaugural address, President Abraham Lincoln urged unity, saying: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords...
Read MoreThe stock market is not the economy. It’s an important point to remember when headlines marvel that U.S. stock markets are moving higher while the U.S. economy is contracting. Stock markets are not mindful of the present moment....
Read MoreWhether they stay at home or work for a company, moms rarely have just one job. They’re event planners, coaches, interior designers, chefs, art directors, judges (and juries), housekeepers, maintenance supervisors, network...
Read MoreLast week’s economic data was about what you might expect in the midst of a virus crisis that has shut down businesses and forced people to stay home: • Retail sales were down 8.7 percent in March. Retail sales track demand...
Read MoreWhy is the stock market doing so well when the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to peak? At the end of last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the United States remains in the acceleration phase of the coronavirus...
Read MoreIf you have ever been flattened by a rogue wave while fishing or sunbathing on the shore, you probably recognize the emotional responses that have accompanied the pandemic wave crashing across the United States – shock, anxiety, and...
Read MoreIn the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy says to her little dog, “Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.” Today, many of us understand Dorothy’s trepidation and uncertainty better than ever before. COVID-19 has changed...
Read MoreThe Washington Post published an article written by Joseph G. Allen, an assistant professor of exposure and assessment science at Harvard’s School of Public Health. Allen explained precautions to take to prevent disease transfer...
Read MoreThe United States set some records last week. First, we became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Popular Science explained: “An increase of 15,000 known cases in just one day pushed the United States past Italy and China,...
Read MoreThe temporary closing of nonessential businesses, shelterin-place orders, and other changes that have come with efforts to keep COVID-19 from overwhelming hospital and healthcare facilities are creating economic challenges for many...
Read MoreThe coronavirus (COVID-19) continued to spread across the United States last week. On Friday, March 13, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported there were 1,629 confirmed and presumptive cases and 41 deaths. Last Friday, March...
Read MoreLast week was one for the history books. Mid-week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus a global pandemic. At the time, there were more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and the death toll exceeded 4,000 people....
Read MoreSt. Patrick’s Day is a day of unity. In the past, St. Patrick was celebrated by Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics. As it has been said, everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. See what you know about this celebration of Irish...
Read MoreIn late February, concern that efforts to contain Coronavirus Disease 2019 (a.k.a. COVID-19) might result in slower global economic growth disrupted global markets. Share prices fell as economists and financial analysts revised growth...
Read MoreThe coronavirus is now officially known as Coronavirus Disease 2019 or COVID-19. Last week, it spread to countries outside of China. If there is any good news about the contagiousdisease, it is COVID-19 may be relatively mild. In its...
Read MoreThe coronavirus, which is now officially called Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), has received a lot of attention. Since the outbreak began in China, late in 2019, the disease and efforts to understand and manage it have made...
Read MoreTake a deep breath. We have experienced downturns before. Think back to 2018. During the last quarter of the year, major stock indices in the United States suffered double-digit losses, much of it during December. What happened next?...
Read MoreThe Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was signed into law late in 2019. One of its provisions changed the rules for required minimum distributions (RMDs). RMDs are the amounts owners of IRAs, 401(k)s,...
Read MoreThere was a little something for everyone in the ‘Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement’ (SECURE) Act, a piece of bipartisan legislation that was attached to the United States federal spending bill and signed into law...
Read MoreThe coronavirus appears to have inspired two distinct schools of thought among investors. Some investors currently favor opportunities that are considered lower risk, like Treasury bonds and gold, because they’re concerned about...
Read MoreMany stock markets around the world moved higher last week. Investors’ optimism in the face of economic headwinds has confounded some in the financial services industry. Laurence Fletcher and Jennifer Ablan of Financial Times...
Read MoreValentine’s Day and love songs go hand-in-hand. If you’re looking for a way to show love and appreciation, consider sharing some of the most popular love songs of all time. Here are a few of the most popular, according to Billboard...
Read MoreWhile there is some debate about how many American households include pets – The Washington Post reports estimates from the American Pet Products Association are about 11 percent higher than those of the American Veterinary...
Read MorePrepare yourself. There is a good chance markets will be volatile in the coming weeks. Precautions designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus may also slow Chinese economic growth and, by extension, global economic growth. On...
Read MoreTime Magazine puts a ‘Person of the Year’ on its cover. ESPN awards ESPYs to athletes annually. Nobel and Ig Nobel committees recognize the worthy and the unsuspecting. Merriam Webster selects a ‘Word of the Year...
Read MoreThe best place to retire in the United States is in dispute. There’s no formal debate, but a review of reliable publications showed surveys have named different states and cities as the “best” place to retire. For instance: • Iowa was...
Read MoreMarkets hunkered down last week. News of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China unsettled investors around the world. The respiratory infection is related to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory...
Read MoreThe way we eat changed during the past 10 years. The Auguste Escoffier School of the Culinary Arts pointed out sales of American cheese have fallen because younger generations prefer artisanal cheeses. Unprocessed cheese isn’t...
Read MoreThe United States and China signed a preliminary trade deal last week. The next day, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was approved by the Senate. The phase-one deal between the United States and China has been analyzed,...
Read MoreAs we mentioned last week, the period from 2010 through 2020 was filled with memorable events. We covered a few in last week’s commentary. Here are some more: • Gangnam Style. In 2012, Korean pop music went viral with...
Read MoreIn 2019, a Pew Research Center survey reported many Americans were pessimistic about the future. Their worries included the national debt, the gap between the rich and the poor, and automation.1 Martin Luther King was sometimes...
Read MoreIran fired 22 ballistic missiles at the Ain Al Asad air base near western Iraq and a second base in northern Iraq following last week’s U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian military commander. Newsweek reported the bases...
Read More2019 was a remarkable year for investors with many asset classes delivering positive performance. Both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, a gauge of U.S. stock market performance, and the Dow Jones Global (ex U.S.) Index delivered...
Read MoreSince 2011, the number of Americans owning smartphones has increased from 35 percent to 81 percent, although there remains a significant digital divide, demographically. A Pew Research survey found the vast majority of younger...
Read MoreInvestors may find themselves reluctant to ring out the old and ring in the new this week. During 2019, stock and bond markets delivered exceptional returns. Ben Levisohn of Barron’s reported the Dow Jones Industrial Average was...
Read MoreNot everyone is financially prepared for retirement. Earlier this year, the Employee Benefit Research Institute estimated almost 41 percent of American households will run short of money in retirement. That’s an improvement over 2014...
Read MoreIf you’re not fond of New Year’s resolutions, then start or adopt new traditions that help get the year off to a positive start. Your new tradition should be something you can repeat each year with family and friends. Here are a few...
Read MoreNo matter what holiday you celebrate, we hope it’s filled with joy, laughter, and heartfelt happiness. That said, we know holiday cheer can be overwhelmed by the pursuit of perfection and opinions of relatives. Just in case your...
Read MoreIn 1932, psychologist Walter Pitkin published a self-help book called ‘Life Begins at Forty.’ The Economist summarized his findings like this, “The theory goes that years of hard work are rewarded with less stress and...
Read MoreSo, what comes next? Last week was a good week for investors. Ben Levisohn of Barron’s explained:“The Federal Reserve and European Central Bank both pledged to do what they could to underpin their respective economies. The...
Read MoreAhh, the power of distraction. On Friday, the unemployment report flashed its numbers like a hair model in a shampoo commercial. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 266,000 new jobs were created in November. That was better than...
Read MoreDuring the five years through the end of 2018, the population of billionaires around the globe increased by 350 people to 2,101. The wealth of billionaires grew, too. After a 4.3 percent loss overall in 2018, billionaires’ wealth...
Read MoreSometime, probably not so long ago, comedian Dave Barry wrote, “Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.” Not so much...
Read MoreYou’ve probably never asked your adult children and younger relatives whether they have security software on their computers and devices. Why would you? They’re digital natives, born with keyboards under their fingertips.It may be time...
Read MoreThanksgiving is in the air! On Thursday, U.S. investors may find themselves giving thanks for the bull market. Year-to-date, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite have all gained more...
Read MoreThanksgiving is all about gratitude. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists shared an autumn feast with the Wampanoag Indians. They were celebrating survival and friendship. It’s also a poignant story.1About one-half of the passengers who...
Read MoreThe longest bull market in history showed no signs of slowing last week. U.S. stock markets climbed higher for the sixth week straight – the longest rally in U.S. markets in two years – and the Dow Jones Industrial Average...
Read MoreIf you learned ‘old’ math, you may find ‘new’ math bewildering, and that can make helping with homework really challenging. It’s possible we’ll soon have an even newer math curriculum. Many Americans...
Read MoreLast week, major United States stock indices finished at historic highs. According to a source cited by Barron’s, U.S. stock markets are responsible for creating $6 trillion in paper wealth this year. ‘Paper’ wealth...
Read MoreAfter World War I, many nations celebrated the end of “The Great War” by establishing Armistice Day. Eventually, the holiday was broadened to celebrate those who served in all wars. In the United States after World War II and the...
Read MoreAs the popularity of ride-sharing services and personal transportation options (like scooters and bicycles) grows, the need for cars in urban areas may diminish. The arrival of autonomous vehicles could reduce demand even further. Pew...
Read MoreThey did it. The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates last week, as expected. There were no enthusiastic fans singing the Baby Shark song, but the Federal Open Market Committee’s decision was well received. Reuters reported,...
Read MoreOne of the most discussed topics in the United States is retirement security. Few Americans have set aside enough savings to live comfortably throughout retirement. In fact, the most recent National Retirement Risk Index (NRRI)*...
Read MoreIn 1986, Fortune magazine asked Warren Buffett his thoughts on inheritance. He responded children should receive, “…enough money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing...
Read MoreMore money managers are feeling less bullish, but you sure couldn’t tell by the performance of U.S. stock markets last week. So far, 2019 has been a tremendous year for U.S. stocks. Through the end of last week, the Standard &...
Read MoreAmericans expect to spend $8.8 billion on costumes, decorations, candy, and other Halloween purchases, according to the National Retail Federation.1That’s enough money to purchase the New England Patriots ($3.8 billion), the Los...
Read MoreDuring the past few weeks, Nobel Prize winners have been announced as well as Ig Nobel Prize winners. The Igs are awarded for improbable research that makes people laugh and then think. A lucky few have won both Ig Nobel and Nobel...
Read MoreLast week was like an overstuffed suitcase that busts open on the baggage carousel. A lot was unpacked in a surprising and disorderly fashion. There was some positive news for investors who prioritize fundamentals. Third...
Read MoreA Planet Money staffer asked a couple of Harvard professors what small things they would do to improve the world. These two ideas are counterintuitive, but backed by science. • Sign forms at the top rather than the bottom. Signing...
Read MoreFrom trade wars to impeachment inquiries, investors had a lot to ponder during the third quarter. Toward the end of September, they appeared to become more cautious, although it’s difficult to say which issues weighed most...
Read MoreWhat data about you is most important?The data that identity thieves are after – social security, credit card, and bank account numbers – is important, as well as more basic data which is being collected by companies whose devices you...
Read MoreThe simple answer is probably.Historically, the American economy has grown in fits and starts, otherwise known as recessions and expansions. As a result, it is likely there will be another recession in the United States.What are...
Read MoreIf you enjoy searching for Waldo, the visual nemesis in a red-striped sweater and cap, you may appreciate the quandary of central bankers in many wealthy nations. For almost a decade, they’ve been they’ve been trying to...
Read MoreIf you’re of the generation that believes money is a taboo topic, stop reading. If you’ve encountered some perplexing money issues and want to learn more about money-related social etiquette, read on. Issue: The bride and...
Read MoreRemember the movie Groundhog Day? Bill Murray’s character is a crotchety newsman who lives the same day over and over again. After exhausting other options, he chooses self-improvement and eventually escapes the cycle. The movie...
Read MoreAt the turn of the 19th century, some economists thought negative interest rates made sense, according to The Economist. In 1916, Silvio Gesell published The Natural Economic Order, a pamphlet promoting the idea of negative interest...
Read MoreWhat, me worry? About this time last year, Time Magazine reported on anxiety in America. Almost 40 percent of Americans reported being more anxious than they were the previous year. The performance of stock and bond markets this summer...
Read MoreWould you give up a share of $62 billion?Would you give up a share of $62 billion?If your answer is no, then you may be a member of the relatively small group of Americans (36 percent) that takes all of the vacation days available to...
Read MoreJust over 100 years ago, Americans typically worked physically demanding jobs. Adults toiled 12 hours a day, seven days a week for low wages. Americans did not take lunch breaks. They did not get sick days or vacations. They were not...
Read MoreHave you ever watched a lake in a thunderstorm? Heavy rain pummels the surface. Dark clouds drop the sky closer to the water. Gusty winds crash waves ashore. Up top, on land, damage may occur. Underneath, in the deeper water, things...
Read MoreWhen people take items that have been discarded and turn them into something of greater value, it’s known as upcycling. Repurposing objects is appealing to people who want to live sustainably, people who embrace creativity,...
Read MoreLast week was the 40th anniversary of BusinessWeek’s infamous cover headline: ‘The Death of Equities: How inflation is destroying the stock market.’ The publication’s current iteration, Bloomberg Businessweek,...
Read MoreCAN YOU BELIEVE IT? The global bond market deserves a spot in a believe-it-or-not museum, right next to the bathythermograph, radioactive vodka (brewed with Chernobyl grain), and 526 extra teeth recently removed from a...
Read MoreGlobal selloff. Quick comeback. Investors boomeranged from stocks to safe havens and back as trade tensions between the United States and China intensified last week. The Economist reported: “On August 1st President Donald Trump...
Read MoreFlight attendants and frequent fliers have some crazy stories to tell. Lets Fly Cheaper, Business Insider, and Point Me To The Plane reported on some of the strange things flight attendants have experienced, including: • Medicated...
Read MoreThe Federal Open Market Committee completed what it called ‘a mid-cycle adjustment’ with a quarter-point rate cut last week. Some investors were unhappy when Fed officials implied there would not be another reduction this...
Read MoreAnyone who has ever suffered an earworm (known in scientific circles as Involuntary Musical Imagery) understands the power of music. Some tunes that repeatedly pop into people’s heads may include: • It’s a Small World...
Read MoreIt has been said there are two sides to every story. Just look at world financial markets. Stock markets and bond markets are telling very different stories. In the United States, stock markets were blue ribbon winners last week. The...
Read MoreThe world is becoming smarter and more connected all the time – and that has serious implications for people who want to protect their personal data and their privacy. If you’ve been enjoying the convenience of smart utilities and...
Read MoreThe U.S. Federal Reserve has a reputation for providing little transparency about the timing and direction of potential rate changes. That reputation was challenged last week. In back-to-back speeches, two of the three most influential...
Read MoreSneakers play an important role in the film Holes. Stanley Yelnats IV is arrested for stealing a pair and his father, Stanley Yelnats III, spends his time trying to invent a cure for sneaker odor. The Yelnats would probably be...
Read MoreLast week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index set a new record, closing above 3,000 for the first time. Other major U.S. stock indices also finished at record highs, reported Barron’s. Company fundamentals, investor sentiment,...
Read MoreA lot has been written about Americans and smartphones – the crowd favorite among mobile devices. Eighty-five percent of U.S. participants in the 2018 Deloitte Global Mobile Survey owned smartphones and checked their phones about...
Read MoreThere was unexpected economic news last week. On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced 224,000 new jobs were added in June, which was more than analysts had anticipated. The gains were offset a bit by reductions in April and...
Read MoreA Prescription for Dementia Prevention If you’ve ever played a party game that asks you to make difficult decisions, you may have run into a question like this one: Would you rather enjoy good physical health all of your life or good...
Read MoreThe United States and China have resumed trade talks, but it could be a while before things settle – and all tariffs may not be removed even if talks are successful. Since, there is a lot of misinformation floating around about...
Read MoreIn the infamous words of Mortimer Snerd, “Who’d a thunk it?” After U.S. stocks dropped sharply during the last weeks of December 2018, investors were not optimistic about the future. Early in January 2019, the State...
Read MoreLife, Liberty, and Tax-Advantaged InvestingAmericans are passionate about taxes. We have reason to be. In recent years, Americans have spent more on taxes than on food, clothing, and housing combined.1 The Tax Foundation estimates...
Read MoreYou may have heard: Sommaroey Island in Norway may do away with time. Residents of the island don’t experience time as people elsewhere do. From May to July, the sun doesn’t set on Sommaroey. From November to January, it...
Read MoreRandall Forsyth of Barron’s explained, “Like our major political parties, the stock and bond markets seem to live in two different worlds these days. The former sits at record levels, suggesting we live in the best of all...
Read MoreIn 2012, filmmaker James Cameron brought attention to the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth (6.8 miles down), when he took a solo dive into its depths. The seafloor of the abyss also has been visited by at least one plastic...
Read MoreAre we on the cusp of change? The United States is doing quite well. Randall Forsyth of Barron’s reported: “…the U.S. economy and stock market both seem to be doing better than OK, thank you, as the expansion and...
Read MoreMost dads have at least one recipe they like to cook for family and friends. Some have dozens. This year, celebrate Father’s Day by collecting the recipes from the men in your family. Bring a notebook to your next family celebration...
Read MoreYou may not have noticed, but the average cost of weddings has risen sharply – and not just for the bride and groom and their parents. Costs have also increased for members of the wedding party and guests. One reason for rising...
Read MoreSurprise! It was a great week for markets. Since the U.S.-China trade conflict resumed in early May, investors have been off balance. The possibility of escalating tariffs on Mexico heightened economic uncertainty. Then, last...
Read MoreJust two weeks ago, the U.S. government lifted tariffs on Mexico and Canada. So, it was a surprise last week when President Trump tweeted the United States would impose an escalating tariff on all goods imported from Mexico until the...
Read MoreLike competitive gaming and Ultimate Frisbee, some may categorize pillow fighting as an activity rather than a sport. Jack Tarrant and Yoko Kono of Reuters described the last week’s All Japan Pillow Fighting Championship...
Read MoreThroughout history people have made inheritance choices that are inexplicable to others. In 1926, Harry Houdini left his magical equipment to his brother, his pulled-from-the-hat rabbits to the children of friends, and a series of...
Read MoreDuring the past decade, the profitability of U.S. companies increased rapidly. Strong corporate earnings helped the U.S. stock market outperform markets in other nations by a significant margin. According to Capital Economics,...
Read MoreIn March, Mercer published its 21st Quality of Living Survey. The goal is to help multinational corporations with data that can help them optimize their global operations. The survey considers factors like safety, housing, recreation,...
Read MoreTrade war trade-off. There was some good news on trade, last week. The United States took steps to reduce trade friction with the European Union, Canada, Mexico, and Japan. “The United States on Friday reached an agreement with...
Read MoreMemorial Day is a day of remembrance. It’s the time when we pay our respects to the men and women who died fighting for our country. See what you know about this important holiday by taking our Memorial Day quiz.1. What did the...
Read MoreIn The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki shared a story about Francis Galton, a Victorian-era statistician and scientist whose “…experiments left him with little faith in the intelligence of the average person.”...
Read MoreTrade talk trouble took a toll last week. Major U.S. stock indices moved lower when trade talks between the United States and China broke down. The Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index, Nasdaq Composite, and Dow Jones Industrial...
Read MoreMoms are like snowflakes. No two are exactly alike. So, when you’re thinking about what to give your mom for Mother’s Day, consider a gift that is as unique as she is -- share your memories with her. Here are some prompts to get you...
Read MoreThe Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is off to its best start in 20 years. Despite the exceptional performance of U.S. stock markets year-to-date, and data that suggest economic growth remains steady, some analysts and investors have...
Read MoreSome countries stockpile goods they have deemed essential for human survival. For instance, Switzerland has been stockpiling coffee, sugar, rice, edible oils, and animal feed since World War II. Earlier this month, the country changed...
Read MoreIt wasn’t an ‘Avengers End Game’ spoiler, but there was big news last week. Economic growth in the United States was strong during the first quarter. The Bureau Of Economic Analysis (BEA) announced gross domestic...
Read MoreWhere do you set aside the money you’re saving for retirement? If you’re like many Americans, you save for retirement primarily through an employer’s retirement plan, according to Pew Research.1Unfortunately, less than one-half of...
Read MoreA special item went up for sale on a popular online market, last week. It’s a 15-foot, 68 million-year-old skeleton of a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, according to The Washington Post.The ‘buy it now’ price is $2,950...
Read MoreAnd the answer is… A Jeopardy! contestant captured the nation’s attention last week by setting multiple records for the most money earned in a single episode. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index has been setting some...
Read MorePeople make everyday decisions based on the information they possess at any given moment, explained The Economist. As understanding of an issue changes, so do the decisions people make. For example, a lot of people dislike plastic...
Read MoreInvestors took an intermission. The curtain appeared to close on the first act of 2019 last week – and what an impressive act it was. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index delivered some dramatic returns and is less than 1...
Read MoreResearchers tested the relationship between mental health and exercise by collecting self-reported data from 1.2 million Americans. They discovered exercise – including everything from childcare and housework to weight lifting...
Read MoreLast year, Barron’s published a group of market strategists’ expectations for 2019 performance. The article came out in mid-December, before the steep year-end stock market decline. At that time, all ofthe strategists...
Read MoreYou may not have given it much thought, but it costs money to make money. In fact, the costs of the metals required to make some U.S. coins is higher than the value of the coins! George Washington and Abraham Lincoln might not approve,...
Read MoreIf someone tells you older people need less sleep than younger people do, don’t believe it. Older Americans need about eight hours of sleep, just like everybody else. What’s different is quality sleep is harder to come by as you age....
Read More“Fascinatingly counterintuitive…” That’s how Michael Arone, an investment strategist, described the U.S. market environment to Avi Salzman of Barron’s: “‘Stocks are rallying, but bond yields...
Read MoreThe 2019 United Nation’s World Happiness Report was published last week. The Finns remain the happiest people in the world. In fact, happiness in Finland has been trending higher since 2014. People in Denmark and Norway also are...
Read MoreIt’s no secret healthcare costs are going up. Medical expenses have been steadily increasing for years. In 2007, costs were up almost 12 percent. However, the rate of increase slowed to 6 percent during the past five years and that...
Read MoreWonder what the Federal Reserve’s 40-yard dash time is? On Wednesday, the Fed juked like an NFL running back and left investors wondering whether they should buy or sell. Heather Long of The Washington Post reported the U.S....
Read MoreThe 2018 Insights on Wealth and Worth survey provided some startling information about the priorities of high net worth (HNW) investors. More than one-half (54 percent) indicated long-term capital appreciation was a higher priority...
Read MoreLast week, major U.S. stock indices finished higher for the 10th time in 12 weeks. Bond markets moved higher, too, with the yield on 10-year Treasuries dropping just below 2.6 percent, reported Randall Forsyth of Barron’s. Yields...
Read MoreOn St. Patrick’s Day, it’s okay to celebrate even if you’re not Irish. St. Patrick himself wasn’t Irish. As we celebrate, we would like to share some of our favorite facts and tidbits about St. Patrick’s Day:1 • St. Patrick’s Day is an...
Read MoreIf you have never heard of the Beige Book, it’s a scintillating tale of business and economics published by the Federal Reserve. Okay, maybe it’s not scintillating, but it has some pretty interesting stories. The March 2019...
Read MoreThe market hates surprises, especially when the surprise comes from a central bank. Last week, the European Central Bank (ECB) unexpectedly reversed course and took a more accommodative stance on monetary policy in an effort to...
Read MoreEconomists use aviation metaphors to describe the results of central banks’ efforts to manage rapidly growing economies. If the Federal Reserve lifts rates enough to prevent the economy from overheating without jolting it into...
Read More...due to sea levels rising at a more rapid rate during the past three decades, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Climate Science Special Report. Since 1900, sea levels have risen between 7 and 8 inches....
Read MoreHow many password-protected accounts do you have?If you keep mental inventory, use a password manager, or have a written record of your passwords (which is not recommended by anyone), take a quick count. You’re likely to find you may...
Read MoreInvestors were pleased with the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) new approach to its balance sheet. The Fed delivered its semi-annual Monetary Policy Report to Congress last week. The report recapped the events of late 2018 and reiterated...
Read MoreYou’re at the checkout. How do you pay for your purchase? Do you reach for a credit card, debit card, cash, check, or some form of electronic payment, such as a mobile wallet or wearable? The Federal Reserve Bank of San...
Read MoreWhy did the stock market do that? The great mystery of stock markets reared its head last week. With no clear driver, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 3 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite and Standard & Poor’s...
Read MoreAuthor and illustrator Liz Fosslien has thought a lot about economics and Valentine’s Day. In ‘14 Ways an Economist Says I Love You,’ she offers this advice: Give your loved one a nerdy Valentine and they'll be yours...
Read MoreValentine’s Day means different things to different people. Some welcome Valentine’s Day as a time for romance, while others see it as an opportunity to cherish friends and family. No matter how it’s celebrated, Valentine’s Day...
Read MoreAt its first policy meeting of 2019, the U.S. Federal Reserve changed direction. After four rate increases in 2018, Chair Jerome Powell announced interest rates were on hold. Last week, banks in the United Kingdom, Australia, and India...
Read MoreTime Magazine asked its editors and correspondents to nominate inventions that are making the world smarter and more fun. The magazine whittled down the suggestions to 50 inventions it considers to be the very best.They include:...
Read MoreAnd, U.S. stock markets celebrated. Last week, the Federal Reserve put itself on hold. The Federal Open Market Committee met on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, to discuss the state of the economy and determine policy. After the meeting,...
Read MoreLast November, BBC commentator Chris Mason reflected the frustration of a nation with his report on the rapidly approaching deadline for the British exit from the European Union (EU). He said: “So, where are we in all of this...
Read MoreLike competitors who’ve completed a difficult section in an endurance race, U.S. stock investors took a breather last week. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, which has gotten off to its best start since 1987, ended the week...
Read MoreWhether you own a house or rent an apartment, building a smart home is easier than it has ever been. Homeowners and renters can purchase kits that integrate specific smart items or they can select smart home products, such as light...
Read MoreWe’re off to a good start. Investors who remained steady during December’s wild ride are probably pleased with their decision as stocks have gotten off to a strong start in 2019. Unfortunately, those who reduced their...
Read MoreIn 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation establishing the third Monday of January as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.1 Dr. King, who is remembered for his powerful oratory and transformative ideas, once said, “Life’s most...
Read MoreBella. Coco. Charlie. Lucy. Max. No matter the name, many pets are considered to be members of the family, providing companionship, protection, and unconditional love. The pet-owner relationship has some powerful benefits, which may...
Read MoreInvestors will think of the last quarter of 2018 for years to come, but they won’t remember it fondly. The Economist described it like this, “After a rotten October and limp November, the S&P 500 tumbled in value by 15...
Read MoreIt’s only January, but you may want to jumpstart your 2018 taxes since there are a slew of new regulations that may affect you. The Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 goes into effect this year so make sure you understand how tax...
Read MoreIf you have some New Year’s resolutions you would really like to keep then you may want to try habit stacking. It’s an idea that harnesses brainpower to help you achieve your goals. Brains are powerful tools. They help us...
Read MoreInvesting during the month of December was like traversing an icy mountain stream. It delivered a staggering shock to the senses that triggered the instinct to, “Get Out!” When it comes to investing, that instinct is called...
Read MoreEat healthier. Get more exercise. Save more money. Those were the top New Year's resolutions for 2018, according to Statista.1 Few people achieved them. One of the reasons so few resolutions become reality is because people tend to...
Read MoreAround the holidays, it’s easy to become stressed and overwhelmed. Psychology Today offered some suggestions that may help you stay merry and bright, no matter what the season brings. 1. Don’t lose sight of what makes you...
Read MoreHolidays can be joyful and a little stressful. Here are a few ways to bring a moment of happiness into your life and the lives of those around you:1 • Take time to call an old friend.• Buy coffee for a stranger.• Briefly chat with your...
Read MoreOuch! It never feels good when the stock market heads south, and that’s what happened last week. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500), Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq Composite all moved into correction...
Read MoreWe’re off to a slow start. December is usually the best month of the year for the stock market. It has been since 1950, according to Randall Forsyth of Barron’s, but not so far this year. Two issues made investors...
Read MoreHold on to your hats! Recently, stocks have delivered a wild ride. During Thanksgiving week, U.S. stock markets took investor uncertainty on the chin, suffering a 3.8 percent drop, which was the worst performance in eight months. Then,...
Read MoreWhen the ups and downs of stock markets leave you stressed and wondering whether stocks really will help you pursue your long-term financial goals, there are two things to remember:1. Historically, over long periods, stocks have tended...
Read MoreWhen the ups and downs of stock markets leave you stressed and wondering whether stocks really will help you pursue your long-term financial goals, there are two things to remember:1. Historically, over long periods, stocks have tended...
Read MoreTake a guess: How many hours do Americans work each year relative to Europeans? Here are a few hints provided by The Economist and Expatica: • The average American has 23 vacation days each year.• The Spanish and the Swedes...
Read MoreIt was a turkey of a week. The United States and China continued to spar over trade and other issues. An expert from Moody’s told Frank Tang of the South China Morning Post (SCMP) the United States-China dispute will not be...
Read MoreJohn List, an economist at the University of Chicago and Chief Economist for a ridesharing app, needed to go from his house to the hotel where he was a keynote speaker. So, of course, he called his ride-sharing company. The experience...
Read MoreThanksgiving is a true American holiday. It celebrates generosity and gratitude, and it recognizes the relationships that helped colonists who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620 survive beyond their first winter. History.com explained:1...
Read MoreMotion sickness happens when your body receives conflicting signals from your eyes, ears, and other body parts. One way to manage the anxiety and queasiness that accompany the condition is by keeping your eyes on the horizon. The...
Read MoreHow are you feeling about financial markets? Some votes are still being counted but investors appear to be happy with the outcome of mid-term elections. Major U.S. stock indices in the United States moved higher last week, and the...
Read MoreThere are more than 20 million veterans living across the United States. These men and women fought in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, the War in Afghanistan, which continues today, and many...
Read MoreIf you’re concerned your adult children are not saving enough for retirement, send them a photo of themselves that’s altered so they appear to be older, perhaps age 60 or 70. (You can do this for yourself, too.) One reason...
Read MoreStocks recovered some ground last week and then stumbled over unemployment. Major U.S. stock indices faltered Friday after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on a popular ‘lagging’ economic indicator –...
Read MoreA recent Pew Research Center survey found younger people (ages 18 to 49) were better able to distinguish facts from opinions than older people. Jeffrey Gottfried at Pew reported, “About a third of 18- to 49-year-olds (32 percent)...
Read MoreWhy did the stock market fall when the economy is doing well? The answer is that one reflects the past and the other anticipates the future. Last Friday’s advance estimate from the Bureau of Economic Analysis showed the U.S....
Read MoreIt’s a pricey question.It’s a pricey question.College Board estimated the average cost for full-time, in-state students who live on campus at four-year public colleges or universities during the 2017-18 school year is $25,290...
Read MoreIf trick-or-treating in your neighborhood requires a trick to get a treat, your little ghosts and goblins will need some short and easy-to-remember options. Here are a few that were recommended by Reader’s Digest:1• What has hundreds...
Read MoreIt’s important to recognize when daily challenges affect our ability to cope and take steps to lower stress when they do. The Mayo Clinic recommendslaughter, “Whether you're guffawing at a sitcom on TV or quietly giggling...
Read MoreLike an unexpected gust of wind that blows the hat off your head or flips your umbrella inside out, last week’s stock market performance startled investors. Looking back, it’s easy to identify some of the factors that may...
Read MoreAthletes who grew up playing pick-up games of baseball, kickball, basketball, street hockey, and other sports with neighborhood kids may have had some advantages they didn’t recognize. A Brazilian research study, cited by...
Read MoreRemember the television classic, Green Acres? Eddie Albert, who portrayed a New York City lawyer, and Eva Gabor, who portrayed his sophisticated spouse, move from the big city to the country – and it’s not quite what they expected...
Read MoreThe stock market tends to be a leading economic indicator. Last week offered some insight to economics and stock market behavior. The U.S. unemployment rate reached its lowest level since 1969 and wages moved higher, yet major U.S....
Read MoreDon’t worry. This isn’t about soulsearching and trying to find answers to existential questions like, ‘Who am I?’ or ‘What is my purpose?’ or ‘How should I live my life?’ Nope. This is...
Read MoreIt wasn’t headline news… But, if newsprint was still popular, last week’s key economic news would have appeared below the fold. The Federal Reserve raised rates for the third time in 2018, as expected. In addition,...
Read MoreHere’s a number that will knock your socks off: $400 trillion.1By 2050, the retirement savings shortfall in eight of the world’s largest economies is expected to reach $400 trillion, according to estimates from the World Economic Forum...
Read MoreThe Gen Xers and the Silent Generation get a lot less press than Millennials, but all three generations have one thing in common. According to comedian Adam Conover, “Generations in general don't exist. They're not real things...
Read MoreDid you hear the news? A tech company introduced a microwave you can turn on using Wi-Fi – as long as you have one of the company’s voice assistants at home, reported Kaitlyn Tiffany of Vox. Soon, the voice assistants will...
Read MoreThe Merriam Webster Dictionary added some new words during 2018. A favorite among fans of dictionaries is ‘wordie,’ which means ‘word lover’ and should not be confused with ‘wordy,’ which describes...
Read MoreAll investors are consumers, but not all consumers are investors. The September installment of University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Survey reported Americans are feeling pretty optimistic. Consumer sentiment rose to the...
Read MoreIt’s a question Freakonomics Radio explored in August. They asked Jeff Sachs, a professor at Columbia University, who is also a special adviser to the United Nations Secretary General on the Sustainable Development Goals. The...
Read MoreMajor U.S. stock market indices climbed into record territory during August. They gave back some gains last week. Peter Wells of Financial Times explained: “Speculation about a fresh round of tariffs on Chinese imports from the...
Read MoreFrom Reuters to Marketplace, economic and financial news shows like to ‘do the numbers.’ They often review economic indicators, Federal Reserve rate changes, or benchmark index performance. In general, these statistics are...
Read MoreMarkets were fired up last week after the United States and Mexico agreed on new trade rules. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index reached an all-time high and finished the month of August up about 3 percent, reported...
Read MoreWhen CNBC asked business author Suzy Welch how someone should ask for a raise she explained, “The key…is an approach that includes research and emphasizes your achievements.” She recommended three basic steps:1. Time...
Read MoreLabor Day is set aside to celebrate the social and economic achievements of American workers. It was proposed as a holiday by Matthew Maguire in 1882 while he served as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York, NY. The labor...
Read MoreHow long will you live? How long will you live? It’s not a question anyone can answer with any certainty, and that creates a significant risk when planning for retirement. Your retirement may last for a long time, and you will need to...
Read MoreTick, Tock.Not everybody loves meetings and even fewer enjoy reading the minutes, but investors make an exception with the Federal Reserve. This week the Fed published the minutes from its August 1 meeting. While no changes were made...
Read MoreSome pretty good numbers have been posted for 2018. They’re the type of numbers that inspire confidence. For example:4.1 percent. The United States experienced strong economic growth during the second quarter. The advance...
Read MoreAs Maxwell Smart used to say…Missed it by THAT much! After a rocky start, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index came within 1 percent of an all-time high last week, reported Ben Levisohn for Barron’s. It’s...
Read MoreMost Americans understand they can choose when to begin receiving Social Security benefits. The choices are fairly straightforward:• Early (age 62 to full retirement age). People who decide to collect benefits early typically...
Read MoreSo, how did a country that represents just about 1.4 percent of the world’s economy spark a global selloff?Turkey was once a rising star. The country’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan took office in 2003 and his...
Read MoreFrom social media to housing options to banking, every generation has had its own preferences. Today, millennials (individuals between the ages of 18 and 34) are having a profound influence on lifestyle and culture. Here are three...
Read MoreCapital gains tax reform comes with a big price tag: $100 billion over 10 years.A capital gain is any increase in the value of an asset, such as an investment, a home, land, etc., between its purchase and its sale. The amount of a gain...
Read MoreIn 1869, the first recreational camping guide, Adventures in Wilderness, was authored by minister William H.H. Murray and became a bestseller. The book’s success may have owed something to a new train route that made the...
Read MoreIs it a sugar rush or something more sustainable?Economic growth in the United States was strong during the second quarter. Gross domestic product (GDP), which is the value of all goods and services produced in the United States, grew...
Read MoreIn recent years, investors have largely ignored geopolitical risks. Russia’s invasion of the Crimean Peninsula, the Brits’ vote to leave the European Union (EU), unrest in the Middle East, and other global events have not affected...
Read MoreBy 2050, about 70 percent of the world’s population is expected to live in cities, reports UNICEF.The United States is ahead of the curve. Since the 1990s, 75 percent or more of Americans have lived in metropolitan areas. The...
Read MoreLast week, there was some good news and some notable news.Here’s the good news: Corporate earnings have been strong. As of July 20, 17 percent of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index had reported second quarter...
Read MoreIf market risk, inflation risk, and interest rate risk were on the tip of your tongue, you need to update your list.Recently, T. Rowe Price surveyed employers that make defined contribution plans, like 401(k) plans, available to their...
Read MoreInvestors are becoming more discriminating.Trade tensions escalated as the U.S. administration expanded tariffs on Chinese goods last week. You wouldn’t have known by watching the performance of benchmark indices, though. Just...
Read MoreREALLY, IT’S TRUE. Many people agree the world has too much CO2. It’s the reason representatives from countries around the world signed the Paris Climate Agreement. They committed to “adopt green energy sources, cut...
Read MoreWhat a rollercoaster of a quarter!When it comes to the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) Sentiment Survey, respondents tend to be more bullish than bearish about U.S. stock markets. The survey’s historical...
Read MoreIn the olden days, the word ‘subscription’ typically was applied to just magazines and newspapers. Today, that’s not the case. Americans are buying everything from meal kits to baby products to vitamins by subscription. A McKinsey &...
Read MoreSometimes the hottest trends in other regions of the world are similar to those in the United States and sometimes they’re very different. Here are three recent chapters in the book of Asian cultural trends.Improving your future...
Read MoreThe Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) Composite Index, which reflects the performance of all shares that trade on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, dropped into bear market territory last week, reported CNBC.The Index has fallen more than 20...
Read MoreOn July 4, 1776, the American colonies banded together and declared independence from Great Britain. The countries had been at war for more than a year due to a number of issues, particularly in regards to harsh taxation and a lack of...
Read MoreTo the relief of many South Africans, Day Zero has been pushed back to 2019. Day Zero is the date on which Cape Town will run out of water, and its four million residents will begin to collect daily water rations of about seven gallons...
Read MoreThe yield curve may be the pocket watch of economic indicators. It’s been around for a long time and it’s often right, but not always.The yield curve is the difference between the interest paid on two-year government bonds...
Read MoreLast week opened with heightened trade tensions between the United States and its allies. It closed with the United States imposing new tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods. The Chinese declared it was the start of a trade war,...
Read MoreTo the relief of many South Africans, Day Zero has been pushed back to 2019. Day Zero is the date on which Cape Town will run out of water, and its four million residents will begin to collect daily water rations of about seven gallons...
Read MoreThere are many perceived requirements of being a dad. “One of the jobs of a good dad is to help kids become a little tougher, a little more resilient, a little more separate…dads push kids to leave the nest; they brush off the dirt...
Read MoreMillennials are known – and often disparaged – for being innovators and disrupters. According to Business Insider, the generation has been credited with ‘killing’ everything from starter homes to napkins....
Read MoreG whiz!Never before could the Group of 7 (G7) Summit have been mistaken for reality TV. The generally dignified annual meeting of leaders from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom (along with...
Read MoreWater is so common we tend to take it for granted. We drink it, cook with it, wash with it, swim in it, and rarely give it much thought. We should, though, because fresh water is more rare than many people realize. According to...
Read MoreThe words ‘bear market’ have been bandied about a lot lately. When you read or hear them, remember to respond the same way you would if you saw an actual bear in the woods – by staying calm and keeping your wits about you. A changing...
Read MoreIf the countries were instruments, last week sounded like a fifth grade garage band.World markets were buffeted by a clamor of good, bad, and unexpected news last week. Events that captured media and investor attention included:•...
Read MoreThere was a lot of news about new inventions last week. Some devices appear to have potential while others have been delivering unexpected results. Take a look at recent innovation news: • Droning on. Remember the vehicles...
Read MoreGeopolitics is the intersection of geography, economics, and politics. Last week, there were some fine examples of the ways geopolitical events can create uncertainty. Barron’s reported:“President Donald Trump began the...
Read MoreIf you’ve ever composed a grocery list in your head while driving carpool and listening to your children discuss who got in trouble at school and why, then you know what it’s like to have your attention divided. If you’ve ever worked...
Read MoreMother’s Day is behind us and Father’s Day is ahead. It seems like a good time to consider the challenges and responsibilities of parenting. National Public Radio’s Science Desk introduced a new series called,...
Read MoreSplash!How do employers lure staff in a tightening labor market? The curly tail grubs and spinnies of the business world are higher wages and better benefits.During the past decade, the employment picture in the United States has...
Read MoreMother’s Day is almost here! We all have moms and, whether they gave birth to us or not, they have helped us become the people we are today. Here are 10 reasons moms are so important, adapted from Psychology Today:11. She gave birth to...
Read MoreFounders of new companies aren’t who many people think they are. Sure, you’ve read stories about entrepreneurs who leave college to found companies that become behemoths. In fact, The Thiel Fellowship encourages young...
Read MoreWhat in the world?A lot happened last week. Some of the notable events included:• Trade talks between the United States and China. The talks were described as “frank, efficient, and constructive,” although significant...
Read MoreIn February, a new research paper disclosed a finding no one wants to hear about: Viruses are falling from the sky. Literally. Science Daily summarizeda report from the University of British Columbia. The report said:“An...
Read MoreThe Federal Reserve and the U.S. bond market appear to be in agreement about the direction of interest rates. For more years than anyone cares to count, investment professionals have been predicting the end of the bull market in bonds....
Read MoreThroughout history, people have eaten bugs. According to National Geographic, hunter-gatherers probably learned which insects were edible by watching birds. People’s appetite for bugs didn’t disappear as they became more...
Read MoreThe April 2018 International Monetary Fund (IMF) Fiscal Monitor reported global debt has reached a historically high level. In 2016, debt peaked at 225 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP) (the value of all goods and services...
Read MoreWhat do you think?• Are you bullish, bearish, or neutral about the U.S. stock market?• Are U.S. stocks undervalued, overvalued, or fairly valued?• What is the biggest threat the U.S. stock market faces this year? During...
Read MoreYou could almost hear the spurs jingling.Trade tensions ratcheted higher last week as the United States and China staked new positions on the not-so-dusty main street of trade. It was the latest round of posturing in what has the...
Read MoreJanelle Shane at PopSci.com wrote, “When computers try to imitate humans, they often get confused. But simulated brain cells in so-called neural networks can mimic our problem-solving skills. An AI will look at a dataset, figure...
Read MoreTechnology is a life changer. GPS has improved interpersonal relations by eliminating arguments about asking for directions. Apps for car services, food delivery, video streaming, news media, and social media have changed the way we...
Read MoreIn like a lion…Investors roared into 2018.During the first week of the first quarter of the New Year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose above 25,000 for the first time ever. Less than two weeks later, it closed above 26,000....
Read MoreAfter last week, we could all use some good news. Here are 10 intriguing headlines from the Good News Network:1. Scientists Believe They Found a Way to Stop Future Hurricanes in Their Tracks2. Strangers Rally Around 13-Year-old Whose...
Read More“There’s no place like home.”1Conjuring an image of ‘home’ was a lot easier for Dorothy than it is for people who are on the cusp of retirement. After all, isn’t retirement supposed to be a new start? Aren’t retirees supposed to wave...
Read MoreWhy am I saving and investing?After a week like last week, it’s an important question. There are many reasons people save and invest, including to:• Live the life they want today and in the future• Accumulate resources...
Read MoreLast week, after sliding lower for four days, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index recouped some of its losses on Friday. The reasons behind the week’s poor showing were diverse. Barron’s reported:“The market is so...
Read MoreWhile the emergence of the Gig economy often is attributed to Millennials, MBO Partners’ 2017 survey found the full-time Gig workforce is a generational mash-up. It includes:• 38 percent Millennials (ages 21 to 37)• 27...
Read MoreIt’s almost time to don green and gold. That’s right, March 17 is upon us. There’s more to the holiday, however, than eating corned beef and cabbage and celebrating the Irish. For instance, St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland,...
Read MoreIt’s a bird…It’s a plane…It’s a labor shortage!There is little doubt the Millennial generation has been reshaping our world. One of the most remarkable aspects of this demographic group is a preference...
Read MoreEvery state has adopted official symbols that represent its culture and heritage. You can probably name your state’s official bird and flower. It’s likely you recognize your state’s flag and its seal. Can you name its...
Read MoreAs Yogi Berra once said: It’s déjà vu all over again.Last week, global stock markets took a bit of a dip after President Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum. Tariffs are...
Read MoreHere’s a number most people would like to see on an annual statement: 21.6 percent. That was the annual return for the Standard & Poor (S&P) 500 Index during 2017. In general, U.S. stock indices did quite well last year – and the year...
Read MoreRIDICULOUS? SILLY? STRANGE? SOME IDEAS MAY SEEM THAT WAY.Albert Einstein is famous for having said, “If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.” In recent weeks, Fast Company has reported on some...
Read MoreAs New York Fashion Week ended, inflation strutted its stuff.Ever since the Federal Reserve began raising the Fed funds rate in 2015, analysts have been anticipating higher inflation. The fact that price increases remained relatively...
Read MoreMarkets and economies are cyclical. For instance, from 1945 through 2009 (the start of the current expansion), the United States experienced 11 economic cycles. The average recession lasted for about 11 months and the average expansion...
Read MoreBack to reality...After months of eerie calm, stock market volatility has returned. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) – a measure of how turbulent investors expect stock markets to be during the next 30 days – appeared to...
Read MoreIf you’re looking for a gift that will express your love better than chocolates or a bouquet of flowers, don’t fret. Trendhunter.com has some innovative and unconventional suggestions:• Literary love tattoos. Perhaps, you’d like Rainer...
Read MoreFor some, having a big following on social media translates as success. NASA, which has more followers than any other government organization worldwide (28 million), may be considered successful. Of course, NASA doesn’t hold a...
Read MoreLast week, stock markets around the world lost value. In the United States, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500), Dow Jones Industrial Index (Dow), and NASDAQ all finished lower. Some pundits have been drawing comparisons...
Read MoreCertain parts of the circular economy probably adapt to cities and towns better than they do to rural areas. What is the circular economy?It is “a system that reduces waste through the efficient use of resources. Businesses that...
Read MorePublicly-traded companies report their earnings and sales numbers for the previous quarter in the current quarter. For example, fourth quarter’s sales and earnings are reported during the first quarter of the year, and first...
Read MoreHere’s a riddle for you: Some people are reluctant to start me, unless I’m automatic. I’m frequently exhausted when I don’t roll over. I’m sometimes left behind. Retirees devour me. What am I? Answer: A retirement savings plan.New jobs...
Read MoreLast week, the United States government might as well have hung a sign on the front door of the Capitol that read, “Gone negotiating. We’ll be back in…however long it takes.”In 2013, the U.S. government closed...
Read MoreIn 2013, the Pew Research Center asked Americans about the ideal lifespan. More than two-thirds (69 percent) gave anage between 79 and 100. Four percent wanted to live to be anywhere from 101 to 120, and another four percent wanted to...
Read MoreInflation, inflation, where’s the inflation?The U.S. Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates in anticipation of higher inflation.In its 2018 forecast, indicated it expected to see “a gradual increase in global core...
Read MoreMost Americans know Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and the leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States until he was assassinated in 1968. Test your knowledge with this quiz about Dr. King.1. Before...
Read MoreIf you’re like many investors, you have probably spent some time thinking about the latest innovation in money: cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrencies, or digital tokens, are ‘mined’ using computer networks to solve complex...
Read MoreWhoosh! Bang! Flash! Fizz! Whistle! U.S. stock markets delivered their own version of fireworks to celebrate the New Year. During the first week of 2018, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new all-time high, moving above 25,000 for...
Read MoreHow good was 2017?It was so good, the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index finished in positive territory every month for the first time ever (on a total return basis), reported Barron’s. All major U.S. indices finished the...
Read MoreFifteen years ago, a Health Services Research report described the challenges ahead for the United States as the Baby Boom generation aged into retirement. Four issues were paramount: 1) improving payment and insurance systems for...
Read MoreIt may have seemed longer but 2017 had 365 days, just like every other year. It was a year of firsts, worsts, and bests, although not everyone agrees about which were which. Here are a few memorable pop culture moments from 2017:•...
Read MoreThe last bear market in bonds began in the middle of the last century and lasted for about 31 years. Some investors who bought bonds in 1950 locked in relatively low rates of return for a very long time. On January 1, 1950, 10-year U.S...
Read MoreNew years bring new adventures, and 2018 is no different. To paraphrase Ed Sullivan: 2018 could be a really big year. Here are a few of the events we can look forward to:• Men’s World Cup in Russia. CBS’s power rankings put Brazil at...
Read MoreThe MSCI Emerging Markets Index was up more than 30 percent year-to-date late last week, outperforming national indices in most developed nations. (Remember, past performance is no indication of future results.) There may be more to...
Read MoreHere we come a tax-reforming… The reconciliation of Congressional tax reform bills proceeded apace last week, and Congress is expected to vote on the measure early this week. If tax reform passes, Dubravko Lakos-Bujas, head of U...
Read More“The holidays are often seen as a time of joy: ruddy cheeks, festive parties, and twinkling laughter, all wrapped in a warm, tinsel-framed glow. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It may be the ‘season to be jolly,’ but not...
Read More“It's the hap- happiest season of all.” While holidays don’t make everyone happy, investors should be feeling festive. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is up more than 18 percent year-to-date. The Dow Jones...
Read MoreFor a number of years, policymakers have been focused on finding ways to help Americans become better financially prepared for retirement. Studies have found having access to payroll-deduction retirement savings plans at work makes it...
Read MoreFrom the perspective of unsettling events, last week was jam-packed. North Korea claimed to have the capability to strike the United States with a nuclear missile, tax reform continued to travel a controversial path through the House...
Read MoreThere is a simple and unsettling reality in the United States. Most Americans are not financially prepared for retirement. There is a simple and unsettling reality in the United States. Most Americans are not financially prepared for...
Read MoreThere was a lot to be thankful for last week. Stock markets around the world may have ripened to full-slip sweetness this year. Emerging markets have delivered the most attractive returns year-to-date. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index...
Read MoreAND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. Online sales aren’t the only threat to traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. Direct-to-consumer (DTC – also abbreviated as D2C) companies have been implementing a brand new...
Read MoreIt appears investors – retail and institutional – have become rather like predators. They patiently stalk shares, waiting for a dip, and then they strike – buying stocks when prices fall. Consider last week....
Read MoreThanksgiving is the mother of all family dinners. It’s a celebration of our great nation and the many blessings that occur when people unite together in the spirit of communication. As you’re gathered around the table this year, here’s...
Read MoreIt’s that time of year when people search and search for just-the-right gifts at just-the-right-prices for friends and loved ones. The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales to rise by 3.6 percent to 4.0 percent this...
Read MoreMost of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index have reported third quarter earnings per share (EPS), which is the profit earned per share of stock outstanding during the period. Many have done quite well. With...
Read MoreEarly in the last century, authors like Anna Sewell (Black Beauty) and Jack London (White Fang) wrote stories that encouraged readers to understand and empathize with animals. Today, entrepreneurs are developing devices to help people...
Read MoreAll too often, we assume the men and women who fought for our country can take care of themselves. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. There are some important ways ordinary Americans can help those who are returning from battle...
Read More"Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society." U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’s statement is engraved on the front of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, D.C. Some people agree with the...
Read MoreRemembering passwords, especially if you follow best practices and have unique 12- to15-character passwords for each account, can be challenging. Even when you follow best practices, which many people do not, passwords are vulnerable...
Read MoreThe last full week of October was a box full of surprises. First, U.S. economic growth exceeded expectations. The devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria was widely expected to stifle U.S. quarterly growth, according...
Read MoreRetirement and Social Security are inextricably linked. Not only did Social Security help establish the official U.S. retirement age at 65, it also provides a significant portion of today’s retirees’ incomes. Retirement and Social...
Read MoreHalloween is almost upon us! Whether you’re wearing a costume, decorating your yard/house, or handing out treats, you won’t be alone. More than 179 million Americans are expected to participate in 2017’s Halloween festivities – and...
Read MoreLike horror flick fodder (extras and co-stars who ignore their gut instincts and venture into places they shouldn’t), people go into warehouse clubs thinking they’ll be able to buy just the items they need and escape...
Read MoreAnd the hits just keep on coming. Last week was the anniversary of Black Monday. On October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) lost 508 points, or more than 20 percent of its value, as it fell from the previous trading...
Read MoreMillennials and members of Gen Z may find the original Blade Runner movie a bit dated. After all, many of the tech innovations imagined have become a part of our daily lives and others, like mood organs, are in the works. Mood organs...
Read MoreLast week, Richard Thaler was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics. His work in behavioral economics and finance recognizes not all economic and financial decisions are made after rational reflection. In Nudge, he wrote: "The workings...
Read MoreZombies have a special place in the heart of pop culture. The undead are pivotal characters in books, movies, games, and television shows. The practical can read The Zombie Survival Guide. Thrill seekers can binge on The Walking Dead....
Read MoreSlow and steady... It has been 332 days since the Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index experienced a 5 percent drop, reported Barron’s. If there isn’t a selloff on Monday or Tuesday, this will become the longest...
Read MoreIn mid-September, local authorities in Geneva, Switzerland were investigating an unexpected deposit. Reuters reported: "…the first blockage occurred in the toilet serving the vault at [a] bank…in Geneva’s financial...
Read MoreSmartphones are incredibly handy. That may be why about three of every four Americans own them.1 On average, smartphone users spend almost three hours a day – 86 hours every month – using their phones. They send texts and email,...
Read MoreA lot happened during the third quarter of 2017, but not much changed. Weekly Commentary for September 2, 2017 The bull market in U.S. stocks continued to charge ahead. Traditional measures of valuation continued to suggest the market...
Read MoreHow times change! In 1940, half of Americans finished their education in eighth grade. College degrees were relatively rare. Just 6 percent of men and 4 percent of women had one.1During the past 80 years, college has become far more...
Read MoreOn September 14, the 27th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony kicked off with a flight of paper airplanes. The winners were chosen by the publishers of the Annals of Improbable Research, which reviews, "Real research, about anything...
Read MoreGeopolitics, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing! In January, Robert Kahn of the Council on Foreign Relations wrote in Global Economics Monthly: “Markets showed impressive resilience in the face of a range of geopolitical...
Read MoreFrom May through July, hackers exploited a website vulnerability at Equifax, one of the major consumer credit reporting agencies. If you have a credit report, there is a chance your sensitive and personal information including Social...
Read MoreHow times change! In 1940, half of Americans finished their education in eighth grade. College degrees were relatively rare. Just 6 percent of men and 4 percent of women had one.1 During the past 80 years, college has become far more...
Read More"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, in practice there is." Weekly Commentary for September 18, 2017 Yogi Berra was talking about baseball, but the concept also applies to diversification, according to the...
Read MoreYears ago, while studying for my Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, I read material on how many stocks you should own to be diversified. Remarkably, my study material showed that you only needed 18-24 stocks. Further, the...
Read MoreLast week, Equifax, one of three major consumer credit reporting agencies, was hacked. The New York Times reported the company had data on more than 820 million consumers and more than 91 million businesses worldwide. Estimates suggest...
Read MoreLast week, the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and potency of Hurricane Irma dominated hearts and minds, but there were some diversions and some welcome news, too. Weekly Commentary for September 11, 2017 The NFL kicked off its 2017...
Read MoreIf you don’t live near your parents and older family members, you may want to learn more about Social Security’s Representative Payment Program (RPP). The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (CRRBC) published a...
Read MoreWhen it comes to economic growth, the government doesn’t measure twice. It measures three times. Last week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis revised its initial estimate that the gross domestic product (GDP), which is the value of...
Read MoreLabor Day is about a lot more than the end of summer and the start of a new school year. The holiday, which celebrates American workers, became a federal holiday in 1894 and was created to recognize the contributions and achievements...
Read MoreIn a 2002 interview with Mike Wallace, former First Lady Nancy Reagan said she often reread the love letters written by her husband, former President Ronald Reagan. The letters, which had sustained and enriched their relationship,...
Read MoreA recent article in Buzzfeed listed headlines announcing the various things Millennials have “killed” or are “killing.” The list included Big Oil, the NFL, the workday, the cereal industry, and bar soap....
Read MoreOptimism about possible pro-growth economic policies, including tax reform and deregulation, helped U.S. stock indices finish higher last week, reported Barron’s. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Stocks bobbed up and...
Read MoreMarkets around the world appear to be benefitting from global economic recovery. Weekly Commentary for August 21, 2017 After pointing out the United States’ economy is the heart of the global financial system, Barron’s...
Read MoreStop by our office August 21 through August 25 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and get a COOKIE and INSPRATIONAL COFFEE CUP with coffee and celebrate with us!
Read MoreDO YOU ACTUALLY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU ARE PAYING IN FEES FOR YOUR COMPANY RETIREMENT PLAN? Are your total costs for your company retirement plan north or south of 1%? When we ask plan administrators this question the typical response is,...
Read MoreARE ELECTRIC ENGINES THE TORTOISE COMPETING WITH THE COMBUSTION ENGINE’S HARE? Weekly Commentary for August 14, 2017 In the late 1800s, the Paris-Rouen race for horseless carriages included 102 vehicles fueled by steam, petrol,...
Read MoreNorth Korea may be a little country, but it can churn up big trouble. Weekly Commentary for August 14, 2017 The possibility that verbal hostilities between the United States and North Korea could trigger geopolitical conflict had...
Read MoreIf you would like to save more money – for retirement, college tuition, healthcare costs, or some other financial priority – hop on your bike and ride. (to read the entire newsletter click here: Weekly Commentary for August...
Read MoreInvestopedia defines ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) as a marketable security that tracks an index, a commodity, bonds or a basket of assets like an index fund. Unlike mutual funds (which ETFs are replacing at an alarming rate), ETFs trade...
Read MoreWho’s been buying shares of company stock? Since the start of the bull market in 2009, U.S. companies have been buying their own stock. Stock buybacks peaked during the first three quarters of 2016 and have dropped off sharply...
Read MoreWhat does heavy cream become when you whip it? If you answered ‘whipped cream,’ try this one: What does whipped cream become when you whip it a little longer? If you said, ‘butter,’ congratulations! You may...
Read MoreThere was some good news and some bad news last week. Weekly Commentary for July 31, 2017 First, the good news: Thanks to consumer spending and an upturn in federal government spending, the U.S. economy grew faster from April through...
Read MoreWhile some may be concerned about the iconic American meat that arrives in a rectangular 12-ounce tin (and is inexplicably popular in certain island states and American territories), more should be wary of its namesake – the spam that...
Read MoreCollege is a hot topic. In recent years, pundits have debated whether students should attend college or skip it and start their own companies. The Thiel Fellowship, founded by tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel, offers students $100,000 to...
Read MoreDo we have central banks to thank? Weekly Commentary for July 24, 2017 Low interest rates, accommodative monetary policy, and improving economic growth have helped stock markets around the world reach record highs, reports Barron's:...
Read MoreMERRIAM WEBSTER DEFINES ‘DISRUPT’ AS ‘TO BREAK APART,’ AND ‘TO THROW INTO DISORDER.’ While disruption doesn’t sound like something anyone would enjoy much, it has the potential to create...
Read MoreHOW OFTEN DOES YOUR ADVISOR MEET WITH YOU FOR YOUR COMPANY RETIREMENT PLAN? Under the suitability standard, the financial planning process can begin and end in a single meeting. Once the client leaves the advisor’s office the...
Read MoreTHE MARKETS (For the complete Weekly Commentary, click here: Weekly Commentary for July 17, 2017 ) It was a good week for a lot of stocks but not bank stocks. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Index and the Dow Jones Industrial...
Read MoreThe idea of Artificial Intelligence (AI) may bring to mind movies like Terminator, Wall-E, and Transcendence, but the reality of AI is expected to help people find answers to some significant issues. For example, a PwC survey found:1 •...
Read MoreThere are two points that one cannot argue about regarding the U.S. Stock Market. First, we are in the 8th year of a bull market. The stock market has gone up virtually uninterrupted since March of 2009. The chart of the S&P 500, below...
Read MoreTHE MARKETS Things you may want to know… Last Friday, Financial Times (FT) published, ‘Five markets charts that matter for investors.’ Among the issues addressed in the charts were: • The bond market bear watch....
Read MoreTHE MARKETS This is the way the quarter ends – with a central bank scare. Weekly Commentary for July 3, 2017 Central bankers are stodgy. They speak carefully. For many, reading the words ‘Federal Reserve’ is enough to...
Read MoreOn July 4, 1776, the American colonies claimed independence from Britain. This declaration eventually led to the formation of the United States. As we celebrate the birth of our great nation, test your knowledge with this brief quiz.1...
Read MoreThe bull market in U.S. stocks has been charging ahead for more than eight years.1 While that’s young in people years, it’s ancient in bull market terms. Since World War II, the longest bull market in U.S. stocks lasted for almost...
Read MoreYou’re probably familiar with ‘20 Questions.’ It’s a classic long-distance-car-trip game that encourages creativity and deductive reasoning. On this Father’s Day, try playing a version that can help you learn a lot more about your...
Read MoreWouldn’t it be something if you could plump up your retirement savings as easily as you can put on a few pounds eating fast food? Here’s one way to do it: Open a health savings account (HSA). It offers a triple tax advantage and you...
Read MoreMemorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have given their lives in the service of our country. See what you know about Memorial Day by answering a few questions from an AARP quiz.1 1. Memorial Day was created to honor...
Read MoreChanging diapers, arranging play dates, driving car pools, calming squabbling siblings, attending musicals and sporting events, chaperoning proms, coaching teams, helping with college applications…moms have a lot of responsibilities....
Read MoreWe are all, inexorably, marching toward old age. By 2030, 72 million Americans will be age 65 or older.1 The good news is longevity has been improving, and people are remaining healthy and vibrant at older ages. The bad news is...
Read MoreSome people may name a medical device or implant, such as a hearing aid, an artificial joint, or a pacemaker. Others may say they couldn't live without their electric bikes, GPS devices, tablets, or food processors. A surprisingly...
Read MoreIt’s tax season! Every year, around this time, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) publishes its dirty dozen – a list of scams criminals use to try and ferret out personal information and/or steal money.1 For example, if you received an...
Read MoreIt has been said everyone in America is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you have Irish ancestry or merely enjoy a good celebration, test your knowledge of the old country by taking this quiz. 1. What is Gaeltacht?1a. A region of...
Read MoreMore than one-half of working Americans know little or nothing about Medicare costs.1 Not knowing can be expensive. On average, people who haven’t yet retired estimate they’ll spend approximately $50,000 on health care after retirement...
Read MoreThe celebration of Valentine’s Day is attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote a poem about love and St. Valentine in the 1300s. Although this poem did not mention chocolate, the tasty treats have since become a Valentine’s Day...
Read MoreHow many times did you login to a digital account today? It probably was more than once. Some people access digital sites via computer or tablet, but many others rely on their phones. Deloitte recently reported the essentials of life...
Read MoreIn 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize. He accepted the award and took the opportunity to articulate his hope the civil rights movement would be successful, as well as his hope for all mankind:1 “…I must...
Read MoreIn 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize. He accepted the award and took the opportunity to articulate his hope the civil rights movement would be successful, as well as his hope for all mankind:1 “…I must...
Read MoreIn 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize. He accepted the award and took the opportunity to articulate his hope the civil rights movement would be successful, as well as his hope for all mankind:1 “…I must...
Read More…And, it may have some thorns. There’s something you should know about retirement. It’s not as easy as everyone makes it seem. Remember what life was like when you tied the knot? How about once you had children? Or, when you accepted a...
Read MoreHoliday Greeting - The Way You Eat in 2017 What can we expect in the New Year? If international food consultancy Baum + Whiteman is correct, we may find ourselves embracing new food trends including:1 • Restaurants without seats. We...
Read MoreRetirement IncomeHere’s a million dollar question: How will you transform your savings into income that will last throughout your retirement?1There are probably as many answers to that question as there are retirees. However, all...
Read MoreWe hope your holidays will be filled with family, friends, merry-making, and good cheer. One way to ensure a happy holiday season is to stay safe online. Here are a few tips that may help. 1. When using public Wi-Fi at a hotel, coffee...
Read MoreFor about 35 years, investors have enjoyed a bull market in bonds. At the start of 1982, the interest rate on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds was 14.2 percent. By November 1, 2016, interest rates had fallen to 1.8 percent.1 Since bond...
Read MoreThanksgiving is America’s second favorite holiday,1 and it offers something for everyone. You can enjoy family togetherness, feasting, football, school plays, parades, gratitude, and, of course, shopping. If you’re a traditionalist,...
Read More“American soldiers in battle don’t fight for what some president says on TV. They don’t fight for Mom, apple pie, the American flag. They fight for one another. ”1 Stars and Stripes used the words of Lieutenant Colonel Harold “Hal”...
Read MoreIn the 1970s, a TV episode of The Odd Couple taught viewers never to assume.1 It’s a lesson we appear to have forgotten. Many Americans assume Medicare will provide financial assistance to help with long-term care costs in retirement....
Read MoreIn the 1970s, a TV episode of The Odd Couple taught viewers never to assume.1 It’s a lesson we appear to have forgotten. Many Americans assume Medicare will provide financial assistance to help with long-term care costs in retirement....
Read MorePeople of a certain age will remember ‘It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.’ The animated television special debuted in 1966,1 way back when there were only a few channels and you had to get out of your seat to change them from one...
Read MoreThat’s how much Americans had spent on pain relief medications and treatments when the Institute of Medicine (IOM) completed its report in 2011. If you factor in lost productivity, the economic cost of pain rose to more than $560...
Read MoreIf you ask people what creates stress in their lives, money is often at the top of the list. Stress in America: Paying With Our Health found money was a somewhat or a very significant source of stress in the lives of 64 percent of...
Read MoreLabor Day weekend — the three days dedicated to celebrating American workers — marks the end of summer and, for some, the start of a new school year. It’s a good time to relax and ponder thoughts about work and play: “No work is...
Read MoreYou may not have heard of the Longevity Market but, if you’re older than 50, you’re one of its 74.9 million members.1 It may be easiest to think of the Longevity Market as another way of describing the Baby Boom and preceding...
Read MoreMost investors are familiar with the maxim ‘buy low and sell high.’ The unfortunate reality is that it’s a difficult principle to follow. Buying low often means investing in a company when its shares are priced below full value.Of...
Read MoreWould you accompany a group of high school students studying photojournalism and social change in Argentina? How about a group learning about language and culinary traditions in France? Does working for a season or two in a great place...
Read MoreOur Founding Fathers structured American democracy and left a legacy that has greatly influenced the world. This Fourth of July, see what you know about the Founding Fathers by taking this brief quiz. 1. Who were America’s Founding...
Read MoreYou may be asking yourself whether that’s a trick question. After all, almost one-third of 18- to 34-year-olds are still living at home with their parents. It is, in fact, the most common living arrangement for this age group and a...
Read MoreFor several years, researchers at Boston College have been studying the experiences and expectations of fathers. As you might suspect, the way in which men understand the role of ‘Dad’ has been changing. While some still believe their...
Read MoreIn medieval times, alchemists sought methods for transforming ordinary metals into gold. Today, just about every adult searches for a means of transforming savings into a retirement’s worth of income. Recently, they received help from...
Read MoreBefore the big barbecue, take time this Memorial Day weekend to honor the men and women who gave their lives fighting for our country. If you’re looking for a way to remember those brave Americans, here are a few suggestions:1 • Raise...
Read MoreScientists have been mapping our mothers’ brains! They haven’t found eyes in the back of her head, or a way to help her worry less, but they are beginning to understand the mother-child bond better:1 “After centuries of observing...
Read MoreSuper Bowl winners, the length of hemlines, and Sports Illustrated covers – all of these have been used to develop theories about the direction in which stock markets may be headed. Presidential elections and terms have also inspired a...
Read MoreIf you receive a voice or email message from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), or you field a phone call from an IRS agent informing you “you owe back taxes” and “you better pay now or be arrested (or deported)...
Read MoreCollege students have steep learning curves. In high school, they were tasked with doing well academically, participating in extracurricular activities, complying with the rules of their parents’ homes and, possibly, having a job...
Read MoreIf wars were fought with words, Ireland would be ruling the world. --Irish proverb1 The wit and humor of the Irish is legendary, as is their ability to weave words into poems, prose, folk tales, and song. On this St. Patrick’s...
Read MoreIt’s almost tax time. During April, many people take advantage of the opportunity to reduce taxes by funding a Traditional IRA. While that makes sense for some Americans, others may benefit by contributing to a Roth IRA that...
Read MoreAre you looking for just the right Valentine’s Day message for someone you love? Here are a few suggestions that have a decidedly financial twist from 14 Ways an Economist Says I Love You by Liz Fosslien. The messages are...
Read MoreThe world’s first central bank offered unprecedented convenience. It gave 17th century Swedes the option to pay with paper notes rather than 40-pound copper plates, which were the currency units of the Swedish empire at the time....
Read MoreDr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a complex man who took an unconventional approach to a difficult problem. He used non-violent protests to focus attention on civil rights in the United States. While he fought the status quo, he...
Read MoreUnderstanding 2016’s Higher Medicare Part B PremiumsOne-in-seven Medicare enrollees will pay higher Medicare Part B monthly premiums during 2016. Their premiums will be $121.80 each month, an increase of 16 percent. While...
Read MoreFrom early Babylonians to present-day Americans, people have been celebrating the beginning of every new year for almost four thousand years!1 Here are a few ways people celebrate the holiday in the United States:2 61 percent of...
Read MoreDecember is full of high spirits and good cheer. If you browse online, you’ll find some surprising holidays amidst more well-known celebrations. Just in case you need more reasons to celebrate the season, here is a list of major...
Read MoreVeterans are skilled leaders and problem solvers who have a lot to offer in and out of the service. Got Your 6, a campaign to empower veterans in America, offered some interesting insights about the men and women who have chosen to...
Read MoreYou may have heard of tax loss harvesting. Some people harvest losses every year, while others do so only when they have taken significant capital gains or have received more income than expected during a given year (perhaps they sold...
Read MoreA number you’re probably not looking for is 1.5 billion. That’s the number of pounds of pumpkins grown every year. History.com said that’s more than twice the weight of the Empire State Building. Here are a few other interesting...
Read MoreIf you’re 57 or older, it’s a pretty good bet you take at least one prescription medication. If you take more than one, it’s really important to understand how the drugs may interact with one another in your system – particularly, if...
Read MoreTwenty-five years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, guaranteeing disabled Americans – people with mental, physical, or emotional disabilities – equal opportunity in employment, transportation, government...
Read MoreTwenty-five years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, guaranteeing disabled Americans – people with mental, physical, or emotional disabilities – equal opportunity in employment, transportation, government...
Read MoreWorkers are essential to innovation and success. According to the London School of Economics (LSE), they’re a source of ideas for new products, new services, new approaches to work, and new business models.1Worker-led innovation must...
Read MoreWorkers are essential to innovation and success. According to the London School of Economics (LSE), they’re a source of ideas for new products, new services, new approaches to work, and new business models.1Worker-led innovation must...
Read MoreHealthcare. Retirement. Those may be two of the most stressful words in the English language today. Especially when you include them both in the same sentence. For instance, a married couple that saves $326,000 has a 90 percent chance...
Read MoreHow Do You Make Money in Stocks?Have you ever watched Family Feud? Perhaps you were a child when Richard Dawson hosted the game show or maybe you enjoy the current version. No matter, take a moment and:• Name a three-letter word that...
Read MorePeople think about character in many different ways. You have probably heard or may have commented on someone else’s character by saying:• She is a woman of good character.• What a character!• That was really out of character.• He has...
Read MoreAchieving U.S. citizenship can be life changing, but it is not easy. Those who aspire to become American citizens must pass a 100-question naturalization test and answer six of 10 questions correctly during their naturalization...
Read MoreWhile your high school student is taking standardized tests, parsing college choices, and raring for graduation, you’ll probably find yourself spending some time with net income calculators on college websites. Whether your family’s...
Read MoreModern dads are a diverse bunch. They may go to work or stay at home with the kids. They may be single, married, or dating. They may be birth parents, adoptive parents, or step-parents.1 They may be expected to teach children morals...
Read MoreThere are many ways to show gratitude for the sacrifices made by the men and women who have died while fighting for our freedom. In 1868, General John Logan issued a Memorial Day Order that said:1“Let us, then, at the time appointed,...
Read MoreWhen you think “Mom,” it’s likely your brain conjures up a scent or a story or a song that feels like home. Here are a few inspiring and heartfelt words that have been written about the value and importance of mothers:“A mother enables...
Read MoreIt all depends on you. Thanks to the Baby Boom generation, pre-retirees and retirees have a lot more options than did previous generations of Americans. There is a lot to consider before you decide where to live during retirement: your...
Read MoreBefore you know it – thanks to smart phones, tablets, and wireless technology – your home will be connected to the Internet of Things. Sure, home automation costs a few shekels, but just imagine it! You could be the envy of Jane Jetson...
Read MoreSt. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland, is one of the most well known and popular Catholic saints. Of course, he wasn’t actually Irish and his birth name wasn’t Patrick! Maewyn Succat was born to Calpurnius and Conchessa, a Roman couple...
Read MoreMichael A. Poland, CFA - Wealth Advisor/Portfolio Manager Melanie Meyer - Associate Wealth Advisor/Financial Planning Caitlyn Gledhill - Director of First Impressions/Client Services Sherri Balaskovitz - Director of Marketing/Team Leader
Read MoreYou have probably heard the term ‘planned obsolescence.’ It’s also known as ‘shortening the replacement cycle.’ No matter what you call it, the strategy was developed by manufacturers to ensure consumers would buy products more than...
Read MoreSome people have a gift when it comes to gifts. Whether it’s a birthday, wedding, baby shower, Christmas, Hanukah, or some other occasion, they always seem to find just the right thing for each person. If you’re not an insightful gift...
Read MoreSitting is bad for your health. Whether you’re sitting at a desk doing work, in a classroom listening to a lecture, or on a ship sailing the ocean, research suggests extended periods of sedentary behavior may increase the likelihood of...
Read More