Preparing for retirement just got a little more financial wiggle room. This week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced new contribution limits for 2022. (more…)
Financial markets can be challenging to understand. But when markets enter a “bad news is good news” cycle, it becomes even more difficult to follow along. Enter the Fed’s decision for tapering bond purchases. (more…)
In retirement, some retirees succeed at realizing the life they want; others don’t. Fate aside, it isn’t merely a matter of investment decisions that makes the difference. There are certain dos and don’ts – some less apparent than others – that tend to encourage retirement happiness and comfort. (more…)
To help raise revenue to pay for President Biden’s Build Back Better Plan, Congress is considering a number of tax law changes, including adjusting estate taxes. (more…)
Risk and Return: A Closer Look
Many prospective investors eventually shy away from a commitment when they hear the dreaded “R” word: risk. By itself, risk is innocuous, carrying no special meaning or predictive result. But the idea that investing one’s money is not foolproof; that there are risks involved, and that a return is speculative — the very idea is enough to burrow one’s savings into a secure bank account that earns a predictable interest rate (never mind that the figure is minuscule by any metric).
The year is winding down, and you may be thinking of giving. In fact, you may want to explore the different ways in which you can donate to a charity or non-profit organization, apart from just making a cash gift. Consider some of the alternatives of charitable giving. (more…)
The bull market continues, with the S&P 500 Index now up seven months in a row. Stocks have impressively gained 20% year-to-date, with the S&P 500 making 53 new all-time highs before the end of August—another new record. All of this has happened with very little volatility, as the S&P 500 hasn’t had so much as a 5% pullback since last October. (more…)
Summer jobs are a perennial aspect of the American workforce. It’s a time when teenagers are filling out applications and, in many cases, earning wages of their own for the first time. But some of what we’ve become accustomed to may be changing. (more…)
Corporate earnings season has begun, and the results are turning heads on Wall Street.
Of the 120 companies in the S&P 500 index that reported numbers as of Friday, July 23, 89% of them beat the Street’s earnings-per-share estimates by an average of nearly 21%.1 (more…)
The real rate of return is an important personal finance concept to understand. And it goes hand-in-hand with the rate of inflation.
It’s the rate of return on your investments after inflation. The real rate of return indicates whether you are gaining or losing purchasing power with your money. (more…)
The new month brings two major market-moving stories to digest. First is the advances in artificial intelligence (AI) by Chinese startup DeepSeek. It has caused some investors to question America’s lead in the AI race and American Exceptionalism more broadly. To answer that question, it’s important to look at this idea holistically. U.S. advantages in … Continue reading “Market Update – AI Advances and Tariff Tactics”
Some accounts have no designated beneficiary. Rarely, the same thing occurs with insurance policies. This is usually an oversight. In exceptional circumstances, it is a choice. Without beneficiaries what happens to these accounts and policies when the original owner dies?
What Is DeepSeek? The buzz around Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek began to stir over the weekend, prompting a “sell now ask questions later” attitude across tech shares on Monday. AI has been a major investment theme, but this time the headlines didn’t feature new chips or bold development plans. The AI chatbot utilized … Continue reading “Market Update – DeepSeek What Happened and What are Implications?”
You can prepare for the transition years in advance. In doing so, you may be better equipped to manage anything unexpected that may come your way.
Information vs. instinct. When it comes to investment choices, many people believe they have a “knack” for choosing good investments. But what exactly is that “knack” based on? The fact is, the choices we make with our assets can be strongly influenced by factors, many of them emotional, that we may not even be aware … Continue reading “Making Investment Choices”
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