714 – The national average FICO score in 2022. Baby boomers and the silent generation had scores higher than the national average, while other generations had lower-than-average scores. Source: How Credit Card Usage Differs by Generation, Experian, September 13, 2022 During the past two years, credit-card balances of younger generations have grown at a faster
Acts of kindness, even small ones, can have lasting benefits. You may not always see the impact of your investment of time or money, but your acts of kindness will ripple through the lives of people you know…or don’t know. Here are some ideas for practicing financial kindness. Pay It Forward…or Backward Hand out gift
“London Bridge is down.” On September 8, 2022, those words were reportedly used to launch what was arguably the most complex end-of-life proceedings the world has ever witnessed: the funeral arrangements for Queen Elizabeth II. The plan, known as Operation London Bridge, laid out in exacting detail how the ensuing days would unfold. Although most
Stock market losses can be rough on your portfolio’s bottom line, but they may also offer the potential to reduce your tax liability and possibly buy shares at a discount. Whether this strategy — called tax-loss harvesting — is appropriate for you depends on a variety of factors, including your current portfolio performance, your long-term
If you and your spouse are looking for a way to build your retirement savings but one of you is not working, you might consider funding a spousal IRA. This could be the same IRA that the spouse contributed to while working or it could be a new account. In either case, IRS rules allow
12% – Percentage increase in prices for food at home (primarily groceries) for the 12-month period ending November 2022. By comparison, prices for food away from home increased 8.5% and general inflation ran at 7.1%. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022 Have you noticed that packages are smaller at the grocery store? If so,
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
