09 Aug Inflation Cuts into Wage Gains
Driven by labor shortages, median hourly wages increased at an annual rate of 5.2% in December 2021, the highest level since June 2001. However, inflation cuts into buying power, and real...
estate planning Tag
16 May Working While Receiving Social Security Benefits
The COVID-19 recession and the continuing pandemic pushed many older workers into retirement earlier than they had anticipated. A little more than 50% of Americans age 55 and older said...
13 May New Businesses May Be Good News for the Economy
After taking a nosedive at the start of the pandemic recession (gold shaded area), business applications rose sharply, peaking in July 2020. Applications have fallen somewhat since then but are...
25 Apr How to Correct an Error on Your Credit Report
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), credit report errors more than doubled during the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the CFPB found that many pandemic protections which were designed...
25 Apr Smoothing Market Ups and Downs
After the wild ride of 2020, the U.S. stock market was relatively calm in 2021, but there was still plenty of volatility. There were 55 days when the S&P 500...
25 Apr Going Public: How Are Direct Listings Different from IPOs?
An initial public offering (IPO) is the first public sale of stock shares by a private company. IPOs are important to the financial markets because they help fuel the growth...
25 Apr The Health/Wealth Conundrum
For those who are healthy, the odds are in favor of a long retirement. And because women live longer than men, on average, they may face higher lifetime health care...
10 Apr Should You Speed Up Your Retirement Plans?
According to a March 2021 survey, an estimated 2.8 million Americans ages 55 and older decided to file for Social Security benefits earlier than they expected because of COVID-19. This...
10 Apr Home Prices Have Risen at Record Pace
U.S. home prices rose 20% during the 12 months ending in August 2021 as buyer demand far exceeded the supply of dwellings for sale. This was the largest annual price...