Over time, finances tend to get complicated, especially when you’re juggling multiple goals and accounts. Simplifying your finances requires a bit of effort up front, but making just a few changes may help free up more time to focus on your financial priorities. Make Saving Automatic Saving for a goal is simpler when money is
Long-term bonds generally provide higher yields than short-term bonds, because investors demand higher returns to compensate for the risk of lending money over a longer period. Occasionally, however, this relationship flips, and investors are willing to accept lower yields in return for the relative safety of longer-term bonds. This is called a yield curve inversion,
47% – Percentage of retirees who retired earlier than planned, with nearly one-third citing an unexpected hardship, such as a health problem or disability. Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2022 Workers typically plan to retire much later than the actual age reported by retirees. In the 2022 Retirement Confidence Survey, 65% of workers said they
$45.97 – Average monthly price of the most popular broadband internet packages, with download speeds of about 98 Megabits per second. It’s estimated that nearly 40% of U.S. households (48 million) may qualify for a new federal program that provides a subsidy of $30 per month to help cover high-speed internet. For more information, visit
To help improve your financial situation, you might consider reducing your debt. Before starting any debt payoff strategy (or combination of strategies), be sure you understand the terms of your debts, including interest rates, payment requirements, and any prepayment or other penalties. Start with Understanding Minimum Payments You are generally required to make minimum payments
With stock and bond markets both faltering over the past year, it’s easy to see why more near-retirees have a newfound appreciation for fixed annuities — insurance contracts that guarantee a specified rate of return. A fixed annuity maintains its value regardless of market conditions, and yields on these products have risen in response to
Maintaining an appropriate balance of stocks and bonds is one of the most fundamental concepts in constructing an investment portfolio. Stocks provide greater growth potential with higher risk and relatively low income; bonds tend to be more stable, with modest potential for growth and higher income. Together, they may result in a less volatile portfolio
Inflation is a sustained increase in prices that reduces the purchasing power of your money over time. According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), inflation peaked at an annual rate of 9.1% in June 2022, the fastest pace since 1981, before ticking down to 7.7% in October.1 The CPI tracks changes in the cost of
Wall Street ended last week higher on favorable inflation, economic, and corporate earnings data. Investors now must await the Federal Reserve’s meeting this week to see whether the Fed will soften its policy of aggressive interest-rate hikes. Fourth-quarter corporate earnings season is wide open with roughly 68% of the companies comprising the S&P 500 reporting
Last week saw stocks slide lower, despite a rally last Friday. Only the tech-heavy Nasdaq was able to post a gain among the benchmark indexes listed here. Throughout the week, investors had to balance data that showed inflation was waning with the impact rising interest rates may have on the economy. Several Federal Reserve officials
