Congrats on your summer earnings! Set aside some for a little fun, then have the rest do double duty as reserve fund and tax-free savings.
We are half-way through the year. I hope your personal life was more solid than the markets which were anything but – except for commodities (energy in particular) and some alternative strategies.
Social Security and Medicare are important programs providing income and health coverage during retirement. Will the programs be around when you retire? The answer is yes, but benefits may be reduced. Here is a brief financial overview of these programs in a Q&A format.
If you only looked at month-end market levels, you would have thought May was a fairly quiet month. Looking under the hood however shows intra-month swings of over 10% for some markets.
We recently celebrated our son’s college graduation. This was our third and final child to graduate – a proud and exciting time for all. What a great time to share the different features and benefits of the 529 Savings Plan.
What will these April showers bring? US equities down 9% for April and 30-year Treasury Bonds down 10%... for the month!
You will likely hear “… a half a point” on May 4th. Who is the Fed, what does this mean, and how many rate hikes are expected this year are important questions.
Rates – at the long-end, at the short-end, at the mortgage end – RATES!
You are likely in the process of completing your 2021 tax return. Those who didn’t plan may be frustrated and wonder if there is anything to do. The answer is YES!
Global events overtook the market toward the end of February but the Fed also remains an important driver.
It is tax season. You are getting the W2’s and 1099’s online or in the mail. Depending on your stage of life, some are getting 1099-R’s for IRA withdrawals and others a 1098-T for college tuition. Some know exactly what all this means; others just enter in the tax software dialogue boxes; still others throw it in the shoe box and hand it to their accountant.
The equity markets aren’t having such a happy new year. As stated last month, watch real interest rates.