Even in Healthy Markets, Stocks Go Up and Down After more than a 30% total return on the S&P 500 over the last 12 calendar months, a five-month win streak, and a 27% rally in the first 100 trading days off the late-October lows, the market may finally be having a well-deserved break. We …
Did you know your Social Security benefits can be taxed? That’s right – up to 85% of your Social Security benefits, money that you put away over your entire career, could be subject to taxation when you receive the benefits in retirement. Our worksheet helps you figure out if you owe, and h …
When a problem is 14 or 15 years away, there’s not great urgency to fix it. But when that problem comes within a decade, that’s a different story. You’ve likely read that the Social Security trust fund is going to run out of money by 2034, but with the looming Trustees of the Social Securit …
Supply chain issues continued to constrain economic growth and housing. U.S. GDP grew 6.5% in the second quarter, falling 2.0% short of expectations. Strong consumer demand created a surge in purchases. Production didn’t match demand, and the corresponding drop in inventories robbed more t …
Though we’re still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of vaccinations increasing and the great reopening upon us, we’re reemerging from our bunkers in full force.
The more contagious Delta variant has contributed to a 172% increase in U.S. COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks. The spike is raising concerns some social distancing measures may be reenacted. Initial jobless claims are increasing. Last week claims jumped above 400,000 after staying bel …
Two big economic releases in the U.S. and a series of economic data in China highlighted a challenging week for U.S. stocks. Inflation surged 0.9% and has now increased 5.4% over the last year (Figure 1). The U.S. Consumer Price Index increased more than expected, led by large spikes in use …
