Our Weekend Word

Luckily for us investors the Great Recession of 2008 is fading away like a bad dream. However, some industries are still feeling the sting of that crash almost ten years later. Notably this time of year, Christmas tree nurseries are facing a national shortage because of limited planting in 2008 from low tree demand.

Investing at its root is marrying goals with expectations. The goals part can be difficult, but more often it is the expectation for what our investments will do that can allude us

We hope this week that all of you reading got the chance to unwind with family and friends and think about the important things in life; the people we spend it with. We hope that you were able to have a low stress holiday and family sparring matches were few and far between.

If you’re like me the fact that the “holidays” are next week is making you sweat a little. So, before you get swept into 2018 with manic bouts of cooking and cleaning and sugar coma’s here are a few things to keep in mind as the end of the year approaches that can help you feel productive in the chaos.

Social Security is a critical topic for most people.  Retirees and pre-retirees are counting on the income that it provides, and younger generations have convinced themselves they won’t have Social Security when they retire.  With all the preconceived notions and false information surrounding Social Security in general, we wanted to set the record straight.

A joint account may seem like a quick and easy way to be able to help out a parent or grandparent with their finances while allowing them to maintain some independence and control. And it is true that a joint account allows for quick transfer of assets without probate if one owner passes away. But, there are some pitfalls to this setup when it comes to estate and inheritance planning that are very important to be aware of.

Identity theft and cybersecurity are topics we have touched on frequently over the past year, but bear with us as we go to that well one more time.  In the wake of the Equifax breach this topic has been everywhere, but it leaves us with important questions; can we fix the system, and how do we protect ourselves?

This week, the White House unveiled its tax plan, proposing to cut taxes across the board, relieve millions of people from paying income taxes, and streamline filing—all while keeping the budget in balance (or at least not making the situation worse). But are the plan’s promises possible to fulfill, and does it stand a chance of passing?

In the wake of two of the worst storms the U.S. has ever seen many questions linger. We all grieve for the hardships these disasters have brought on millions of Americans, but we also share concerns over if this will have a significant negative impact on the economy.

In 2014 the European Central Bank attempted to usher in an era of “easy money” by lowering their main interest rate below 0%.  This was an unprecedented event which lead to many countries across the globe with negative yields on their 10-year treasury notes. (If you’re interested in a quick primer you can always refer to our piece last year The World According To NIRP. While this madness was happening, many pundits wondered the impact this might have back home.  While the immediate impact wasn’t notable, one pundit, despite three rate hikes believes negative interest rates have come to America.