A word about recessions. Are we still going to see one this year? Let’s discuss. Why did so many people think a recession was coming? Inflation and interest rates, primarily. Historically high inflation has cast a pall over the economy since early 2021.1 In response, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates rapidly to bring […]

Big question: how’s the economy doing? With the year more than half over and markets on a spree, it’s an important question to consider. Let’s dig into the latest data and find out. Inflation continues its downward spiral. The latest data for June shows that inflation fell for the 12th month in a row to […]

Markets are doing their thing again, so let’s discuss. Markets tumbled, heading into negative territory, and then bounced back. And then promptly fell again.1 We’re caught in a whipsaw pattern of uncertainty. Is this weird? Not really. These things happen pretty regularly when investors get jittery. Let’s talk about what’s going on. What led to […]

In previous postings, we discussed some of the factors facing prospective/current retirees. These factors were classified in three general categories: 1) factors over which we have total control, 2) factors over which we have some control, and 3) factors over which we have no control. The second category (factors over which we have some control) […]

In early May, we attended an “Inside Retirement” conference sponsored by Financial Advisors magazine; the topics were centered on “income and longevity.” Various nationally known speakers discussed pertinent items related to those themes. We found some presentations worthy of discussion here. Some presentations were individual speakers; some presentations, panel discussions. Various concepts were presented for […]

Retirement is a popular topic of discussion and, in some cases, an item of concern. There have been television commercials of “What is your number?” and “Do you have enough money for retirement?” This Quarter’s newsletter discusses some of the factors that lead to a successful (financial) retirement. These factors can be complex and our […]

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) have been a popular savings vehicle for a long time (since 1974). They became more popular with the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981. Contributions made into an IRA were usually tax deductible (depending on your income level) and grew tax deferred until money was taken from the IRA. There were […]

Over this three post session I’ll venture into a topic that most of us are familiar with but probably not prepared for.  We all use technology in various ways.  Some of us are more active using online resources than others.  Have you stopped to consider what will happen to your digital assets upon your death? […]

The news media has been reporting some of the discussions between the two major political parties in the “reduce spending/raise taxes” debates –especially as they relate to “entitlement” reforms such as Social Security. One of the items being mentioned by the presidential administration is a change in the method of calculating cost of living adjustment […]