Lawmakers in Washington failed to reach an agreement on legislation to fund federal government operations for the new fiscal year. As of October 1st, the U.S. government effectively shut down to some greater or lesser extent, and the last time this occurred was in 1996 under the Clinton Administration. Media
Saving Is Not Enough. After two financial crises occurring almost back to back during the “lost decade,” investors have every right to be risk-averse, hesitant, angry, or distrustful. The problem with not investing at all, however, is that you may not have sufficient money to achieve your financial goals. An
Investors make significant efforts to maintain a disciplined saving approach throughout their lives in order to meet long-term financial goals such as retirement, saving for children’s education, or passing an estate to grandchildren. Thinking about what will happen when you are no longer here is not pleasant; it is important,
A repertoire of mixed economic news seemed to be the main theme of July. On the bearish front, employment growth decelerated and construction spending fell. Adding to this sentiment were disappointing pending home sales and weekly shopping growth slowing down to below 2.5%. On the other hand, GDP came out
The Costs of Financial Procrastination. Retirement usually doesn’t start until you’re in your 60s but there is a good reason to start saving much sooner. The earlier you contribute to your nest egg, the more time your portfolio will have to grow in value. The image illustrates the ending wealth
The markets went through a lot of turmoil in June, as stronger economic reports were offset by fears of the Fed tapering its bond-buying programs. Home prices, employment reports, and auto sales were all better than expected, unlike trade and GDP data. Together with falling business investment and government employment,
Fear is a basic emotion that all human beings experience when feeling threatened or uncertain. Fear can be caused by many things, from being afraid of losing a loved one, to being fearful of the ancient Mayan prophecies that predict the end of the world. Interestingly, an investor can also
In recent meetings with clients, the common question we hear is, “Where are we headed now that the markets have reached new all-time highs?” The obvious follow-up questions are: What are we going to do about it? Should we buy more? Should we sell? Should we take profits and head
The April 23 PBS Frontline episode was the most-watched edition of the news magazine since the presidential elections—and with good reason. Titled “The Retirement Gamble,” it tapped in to a concern that really hits home with Americans these days: Whether we will be able to retire comfortably without outliving our
Economic data, corporate earnings, and corporate forecasts continued to be a mixed bag even as the S&P 500 rallied past 1,600 in April. Markets reacted favorably when central banks made announcements to address some of the market weaknesses (European bankers reduced their target interest rate and the Fed affirmed that