For most families and households, the primary residence represents one of the largest assets on their balance sheet, and it is certainly the largest single purchase (or investment) in most individuals’ lifetimes. Protecting that asset, then, should be a consistent and thoughtful consideration for the homeowner. And yet, more often…
The government shuts down
As the third quarter reached its end, the most recent short-term federal spending agreement (originally reached in March) expired, sending the government into shutdown mode once again. This closure marks the 11th such funding gap since 1980—when a legal opinion first began to require it—and the third since 2018. The…
Navigating early retirement
The vast majority of financial planning literature and advice is based around an assumption of retirement at age 65, a figure that dates back to the signing of the Social Security Act by FDR in 1935. Much has changed in the decades since, but age 65 has remained something of…
The market's tariff tantrum
In the 2024 election campaign, President Trump ran on a wide-ranging platform that included promises of both increased tariffs and sweeping immigration reform. In the initial weeks of his term, action on both fronts was somewhat limited, and there was an expectation among most economists and analysts that his ultimate…
Budgeting basics (Part II)
In our most recent article, we presented an initial overview of budgeting basics, while promising to take a deeper dive into the practical side of building (and managing) a household budget. We’ll do just that in this quarter’s post, beginning by revisiting some of our initial recommendations from our last…
Understanding budgeting basics
For much of the last 3 years, economic conversations and headlines have been dominated by concerns about inflation and its impact on household budgets. Understandably, Americans have become increasingly concerned about their ability to make ends meet, and their growing anxiety is exacerbated by the fact that many individuals simply…
Is Social Security still solvent?
For decades, Social Security benefits have stood as a linchpin of any properly designed retirement plan. Originally conceived during the Great Depression as a national pension “safety net”, the system remains important for the vast majority of retired workers. More than 50 million Americans currently receive Social Security retirement benefits,…
Web-based elder fraud surges
The pandemic-related restrictions in 2020 and 2021 led to a surge in all sorts of online activities, from web shopping to Zoom meetings and TV streaming and everything in between. For many older Americans, the last few years have forced a reckoning with technology that had long been ignored or…
High inflation means large inflation adjustments
Stubbornly high inflation was the dominant story in 2022, causing issues for consumers, business owners, and economists everywhere. But high inflation can often come with a silver lining, due to inflation adjustments. Most notably, Social Security recipients will be seeing an 8.7% benefit increase in 2023, marking the largest cost-of-living…
When will inflation peak?
The story of the market year so far in 2022 has been persistent inflation, and its impact on Fed interest rate policy. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 8.6% in May on a year-over-year basis, the highest recorded figure in more than 40 years. Increases in the price of…
