So you’ve gotten that firstborn into college. You may be dealing with the separation well. The tuition bill? That’s another subject. Firstborn may be taken care of, but the siblings are lined up, cap and gown in hand, to graduate from high school in turn and set off. What to do? Well, even if your Read more
Futureworld: 401(k), IRA, and Other Ways to Retire
Contemplating the future can be daunting – after all, it’s unpredictable. But if your future includes a secure retirement (and it should), one thing is very predictable: you will need money to maintain yourself and your loved ones. It’s always advisable to have a retirement plan – but which one? This is a choice only you Read more
Tariffs Stir Trade War Winds. But What Are Tariffs?
The drums of a trade war with China are echoing. Canada is miffed, with some of our neighbors to the north talking a boycott of U.S. goods. The European Union is looking to replace us with Australia as a trade partner. Markets are turbulent: the Dow’s 2018 gains have vanished, and the index posted a Read more
A Bumpy Ride: Economics and Market Update First Quarter 2018
2018 has been a good time to fasten your seatbelts. The markets have remained volatile over the last four months, after a stellar performance in 2017. The broader markets went parabolic through January, followed by 1,000-point swings. After the sharp correction in early February and continued volatility through early May, the market recovered much of the losses Read more
Mood Swings: Volatility and the Market
The new normal on Wall Street appears to be wild fluctuations, like the Dow Jones Industrial Average 1000-point drops earlier this year and the rapid-fire price reversals that can shift the mood from optimism to pessimism in a matter of seconds. There have already been 28 trading days in 2018 on which the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index Read more
Fourth Quarter 2017 Economic Update
The Economy Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2017, according to the “advance” estimate released by BEA. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.2%. Real GDP increased 2.3% in 2017 compared with an increase of 1.5% in 2016 and 2.9% in 2015. Consumer Read more