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Friday, July 25, 2025

Sometimes unconventional indicators can shed some light on what’s happening with the economy. As you can see, traffic from 20-foot ocean containers is at its highest level since January 2022. That’s a solid rebound from earlier in the...

Monday, May 5, 2025

Tracking inflation is like herding cats these days. Should you believe the monthly updates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, what the Fed says about future prices, or your own experience at the grocery store? The answer is maybe a...

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Some have been waiting for the Fed to lower interest rates and confirm it will ease monetary policy, which may result in lower home mortgage rates, credit card rates, auto loans, and so forth. However, the Fed went another route at...

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Some have been waiting for the Fed to lower interest rates and confirm it will ease monetary policy, which may result in lower home mortgage rates, credit card rates, auto loans, and so forth. However, the Fed went another route at...

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Interrupt the Conversation - If you feel something might be wrong, pause and let the caller know you will call them back. It's essential to call back using a publicly available number; do not use a number provided by the caller (no matter h

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Thursday, July 7, 2022

In case you didn’t know, June is National Internet Safety Month. With nearly 4 billion people on social media worldwide, plus the risks of using online brokerage and bank accounts, the need for digital security has never been...

Monday, May 2, 2022

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

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. One of the proposals would reduce the estate tax exemption to...

Thursday, November 4, 2021

While it’s still too early to draw any final conclusions, Congress is getting closer to outlining what tax law changes are under consideration to pay for the proposed $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Plan.1 For now, it appears...

Thursday, October 28, 2021

While the world has begun to recover from the economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the delayed reaction has been felt in the supply chain. Industrial shutdowns around the world slowed production to a relative crawl, leaving...

Monday, October 25, 2021

There are a lot of questions about President Biden’s Build Back Better plan and potential tax law changes, including an adjustment to capital gains taxes. One of the proposals Congress is considering sets the top rate for taxing...

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

There are a lot of questions about President Biden’s Build Back Better plan and potential tax law changes, including an adjustment to capital gains taxes. One of the proposals Congress is considering sets the top rate for taxing...

Monday, October 18, 2021

There are a lot of questions about President Biden’s Build Back Better plan and potential tax law changes, including an adjustment to capital gains taxes. One of the proposals Congress is considering sets the top rate for taxing...

Thursday, September 23, 2021

There’s a famous saying about a hurricane starting from a butterfly flapping its wings on the other side of the world. That “butterfly effect” is certainly happening in terms of the Chinese property market’s...

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

With overseas investments, we remind people that, “international markets carry additional risks, which include differences in financial reporting standards, currency exchange rates, political risk, foreign taxes and regulations...

Monday, August 16, 2021

With overseas investments, we remind people that, “international markets carry additional risks, which include differences in financial reporting standards, currency exchange rates, political risk, foreign taxes and regulations...

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

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...

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

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...

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

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...

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

The news keeps getting better for Social Security recipients. It's now projected that benefits will increase 6.1% in 2022, up from the 4.7% forecast just two months ago. That would be the most significant increase since 1983.1,2...

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

One of the most anticipated comebacks of 2021 isn’t an athlete, rock star, or movie franchise. It’s summer travel, and it appears to be back with a vengeance. Travel agents are working 14-hour days to meet the needs of...

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Recently, you may have seen headlines regarding the Securing a Strong Retirement Act, also referred to as the second version of the SECURE Act, or SECURE Act 2.0. As the bill moves from the House of Representatives to the Senate, many...

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Recently, you may have seen a number of major cryptocurrencies fall thanks to a continuing sell-off that began last week. In fact, over $250 billion was lost in the crypto market alone.1 It may be tempting to view this as another...

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

The real rate of return is an important personal finance concept to understand. 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...

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

As our nation continues to recover from the effects of COVID-19, one economic trend has been capturing news attention as of late. Consumer prices are rising amidst economic recovery. In fact, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.8%...

Monday, May 24, 2021

Inflation can be a scary word for people who are retired. It’s code for “prices are going up, but my income may stay the same.” The most recent reading on consumer prices put inflation back into the conversation. The...

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have been the recipient of the latest buzz. NFTs are digital files attached to blockchain codes. If you know anything about digital currencies, you’re probably aware that these blockchain codes are...

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

What does it mean when two of the most powerful voices in American financial life seem to be saying two different things? In one corner, we have the “Oracle of Omaha,” investor Warren Buffett. As one of the nation’s...

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

In a speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has called for a minimum corporate income tax that would be shared by countries all over the world.1 The decrease of corporate tax rates around...

Friday, April 30, 2021

In most states, December 31 is an important deadline for parents and grandparents contributing to 529 plans. To qualify for a state tax credit or deduction this year related to your contribution, you may have to meet that year-end...

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Previously, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year had been automatically extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021.1 More time for allHowever...

Friday, April 16, 2021

Perhaps you’ve heard the maxim, “Preparation is the key to success.” But when it comes to life insurance, knowing when to prepare is almost as important as the preparation itself. Sure, it can be difficult to think...

Monday, April 12, 2021

Among the many changes arising from the pandemic, one of the most noticeable was a change in American spending habits. A survey released in March 2021 by Pew Research shows that Americans have increasingly chosen to put away what...

Monday, March 1, 2021

On Monday, Feb. 22, the White House announced several changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that went into effect on Wednesday, Feb. 24. These changes are intended to further target “the smallest businesses and those...

Monday, February 22, 2021

It can be easy to overlook the nation’s solid economic fundamentals when the financial media splashes stories every day about an army of amateur traders, short-selling mania, and initial public offerings (IPOs) that double in...

Thursday, February 18, 2021

While many in the United States are beginning to receive vaccinations and people are starting to foresee a life after COVID-19, it remains clear that things aren’t yet back to normal. As a result, there has been a great deal of...

Monday, February 8, 2021

You may have heard the news about stocks for certain companies suddenly ballooning, quickly going from lunch money prices to several hundred dollars a share. In one case, the shares rose over 1700% since December 2020.1 So, what...

Friday, February 5, 2021

You may have heard the news about stocks for certain companies suddenly ballooning, quickly going from lunch money prices to several hundred dollars a share. In one case, the shares rose over 1700% since December 2020.1 So, what...

Monday, December 14, 2020

Your investment strategy is a lot like a marriage. One day you may feel like everything’s going swimmingly. The next day, there might be an argument over who forgot to load the dishwasher. And even the best marriages and...

Friday, December 11, 2020

As Wall Street pushes higher, a pandemic-weary Main Street is relearning how to manage cash flow with the hope of keeping its retirement dreams alive. Self-employed Americans, and the people working for them, account for roughly 30...

Thursday, December 10, 2020

With the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates at or near zero, you may wonder about your mortgage. Is it a good time to refinance or even pay off the debt entirely? After all, your mortgage is one of the biggest expenses you may...

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

As Wall Street pushes higher, a pandemic-weary Main Street is relearning how to manage cash flow with the hope of keeping its retirement dreams alive. Self-employed Americans, and the people working for them, account for roughly 30...

Friday, November 20, 2020

As the United States sees a rise in cases of COVID-19 across the nation, news of two promising vaccines out of hundreds being tested has offered a ray of hope for a fatigued world.1 A positive reaction to these vaccines affects every...

Monday, November 2, 2020

On October 26, the Treasury Department released the 2021 adjusted figures for retirement account savings. Although these adjustments won’t bring any major changes, there are some minor elements to note. 401(k)sThe salary...

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Earnings are coming in, reflecting the third quarter of 2020. However, it’s important not to jump to any conclusions about the state of the overall economy based on the results reported from a small handful of companies....

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

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Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Few life events are more stressful than a job loss. If you or someone you know is in this situation due to COVID-19, you’ll likely have several questions about job hunting, unemployment insurance, and health care. You may also...