... budgeting flexibility, so don’t simply lump it all in together.
Once you’ve determined your typical spending needs, write this number down. Then add any upcoming one-off expenses, such as that big trip, ...
...
This week we’re closing out our review of financial terms with savings account and credit union, two terms that just about everybody should understand. But interestingly, about a quarter of those Americans ...
Hopefully you’ve been finding these weekly posts about financial terms to be helpful and informative. We’ve typically been reviewing two terms per week, but let’s switch it up a bit this time and look ...
... average dividend yield across the S&P 500.
Most stock sectors are no longer “overbought”, as they had been for an extended period, so lower prices can present good opportunities to start putting longer-term ...
... bonds were flat or down less than 1% depending on the index, while longer-term bonds were down more, perhaps 5% again depending on the index. Riskier types of fixed income like preferred stocks were up ...
... being unhappy?
Researchers used a three-year average of “life evaluations” that show our country falling from 15th place to 23rd among all countries in terms of overall happiness. The change was due ...
... Life is short, as they say, and I wanted to put myself out there and reset my definition of possible. So both in my personal and business life I was determined to move forward instead of getting stuck ...
... indicates there may be a penalty exception.
Also interesting is the box for “Taxable amount not determined”. This usually comes up when clients donated money to charity directly from their IRA. The gifted ...
...
Recasting a home loan isn’t refinancing. When you recast you’re working with the same loan terms, such as length and interest rate, while lowering your loan balance with a lump sum payment. Your lender ...
... to have at least a general understanding of popular investment products, so let’s talk about it.
Now I don’t want to sound overly negative or kid around too much but hearing the term “physical bitcoin” ...
... them and it can be hard to see through the clutter. In my industry there’s a lot of financial bias, so to speak, that can make predictions and longer-term forecasts can seem more like product pitches. ...
... the short-term target rate it controls down to about 3%. This should help bond returns while also reducing mortgage rates and the cost of financing in general. One interesting thing about their prediction ...
... cheer the bad news so long as it’s not too bad because it raises the likelihood that money will get cheaper faster. That’s definitely short-term thinking but is something the stock and bond markets specialize ...
... the wealth effect that comes from rising asset prices coupled with comparatively great mortgage terms helps support this. Now, this consumption is expected to slow into the new year for a variety of reasons, ...
... poor performance from bonds may have created some opportunities in your portfolio. You’re probably in good shape in terms of broad market stock funds, but let’s review performance at a high level.
Here’s ...
... Fed’s fight to tame it.
Here’s a chart showing how Fed policy walloped bond prices as our central bank stair-stepped short-term rates higher to fight inflation. You’ll see those steps matched pretty ...
... were trading in and out, or maybe sitting on the sidelines. While both made money it was the investor who stayed the course who saw their $100 grow to $391 while the shorter-term investor’s money grew ...
... for a near-term recession. It’s out there somewhere, no doubt about it. But, as explorers of old quickly figured out, the horizon line never gets any closer.
Even though our economy continues to sail ...
... by Bankrate.com. My system and the Wall Street Journal show it at 7.6%, but Bankrate tends to be a little better at determining loan terms actually available in the marketplace. In the grand scheme of ...
... sectarian schism within the Islamic world has driven a change in attitude. Sunni/Shia divisions that were exacerbated by the chaotic aftermath of the US invasion of have re-oriented the priorities of countries ...