In this week’s recap: White hot inflation report alarms investors. THE WEEK ON WALL STREET A hotter-than-expected inflation report sent stocks sharply lower last week as investors faced the prospect of more aggressive interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve for perhaps a longer period. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 4.13%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 4.77%. The Nasdaq Composite index dropped 5.48% for the week. The MSCI EAFE index, which tracks developed overseas … [Read more...]
5 Retirement Concerns Too Often Overlooked
Baby boomers entering their “second acts” should think about these matters. Retirement is undeniably a major life and financial transition. Even so, baby boomers can run the risk of growing nonchalant about some of the financial challenges that retirement poses, for not all are immediately obvious. In looking forward to their “second acts,” boomers may overlook a few matters that a thorough retirement strategy needs to address. RMDs. The Internal Revenue Service directs seniors to withdraw … [Read more...]
Inflation Reduction Act: What You Should Know
The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law on August 16, 2022, includes health-care and energy-related provisions, a new corporate alternative minimum tax, and an excise tax on certain corporate stock buybacks. Additional funding is also provided to the IRS. Some significant provisions in the Act are discussed below. Medicare The legislation authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate Medicare prices for certain high-priced, single-source drugs. However, only 10 … [Read more...]
Handling Market Volatility
Conventional wisdom says that what goes up, must come down. But even if you view market volatility as a normal occurrence, it can be tough to handle when it's your money at stake. Though there's no foolproof way to handle the ups and downs of the stock market, the following common sense tips can help. Don't put your eggs all in one basket Diversifying your investment portfolio is one of the key ways you can handle market volatility. Because asset classes often perform differently under … [Read more...]
Is the U.S. Economy in a Recession?
In an early July poll, 58% of Americans said they thought the U.S. economy was in a recession, up from 53% in June and 48% in May.1 Yet many economic indicators, notably employment, remain strong. The current situation is unusual, and there is little consensus among economists as to whether a recession has begun or may be coming soon.2 Considering the high level of public concern, it may be helpful to look at how a recession is officially determined and some current indicators that suggest … [Read more...]
Required Minimum Distributions 101
Understanding mandatory retirement account withdrawals. If you are approaching your seventies, get ready for required minimum distributions. You may soon have to take RMDs, as they are called, from one or more of your retirement accounts. You can now take some RMDs a bit later in life, which is good. Recent rule changes give your invested savings a little more time to potentially grow in your retirement savings vehicles before that first required drawdown. What account types require … [Read more...]
The Health of Social Security: Some Good News and Some Bad News
With approximately 94% of American workers covered by Social Security and 65 million people currently receiving benefits, keeping Social Security healthy is a major concern.1 Social Security isn't in danger of going broke — it's financed primarily through payroll taxes — but its financial health is declining, and benefits may eventually be reduced unless Congress acts. Each year, the Trustees of the Social Security Trust Funds release a detailed report to Congress that assesses the financial … [Read more...]
3 Shrewd Maneuvers in a Down Market
It’s natural to think “defense” during a bearish market season. But why not mix in some “offense” with your defense? Here are three moves that, together, may be helpful during the current market downturn. Invest Your Excess Cash: If you have excess cash earmarked for a long-term goal (retirement or college, for example), a downturn may present an opportunity. Over the last three years, the Standard & Poor’s 500 compounded annual growth rate was 9.10%. Even with all the pandemic-related … [Read more...]
The Behavior Gap and Your Financial Health
How might it affect you? “It turns out my job was not to find great investments but to help create great investors,” writes Carl Richards, author of “The Behavior Gap.” From increasing our budget mindfulness to taking a steadier approach to investing, Richards has drawn attention to how our unexamined behaviors and emotions can be to our detriment when it comes to living a happy and financially sound life. In many cases, we make poor financial decisions when experiencing panic or anxiety due … [Read more...]
Creating a Retirement Strategy
Most people just invest for the future. You have a chance to do more. Across the country, people are saving for that “someday” called retirement. Someday, their careers will end. Someday, they may live off their savings or investments, plus Social Security. They know this, but many of them do not know when, or how, it will happen. What is missing is a strategy – and a good strategy might make a great difference. A retirement strategy directly addresses the “when, why, and how” of … [Read more...]