With inflation running at multi-decade highs, major central banks get ready to tighten monetary policy.

Last week, the Labor Department published data that showed consumer price rose 7.5% in January from a year earlier, the biggest increase in decades. Persisting high inflation has led has led the central bank to pivot toward a tighter monetary stance to help cool off prices.

Rental prices for single-family homes grew an average of 7.8% in 2021, an all-time high, according to the most recent data available from CoreLogic Inc. In December, U.S. home rents jumped 12% year over year for the month, with Miami leading the way with a 35.7% increase.

New advisors face an uphill battle. Building your clientele from scratch and producing results for your firm – all while trying to learn the business – is tough. In fact, 80 to 90% fail in the first three years.

As uncertainty pervades the markets, we are positioning defensively, increasing liquidity and remaining nimble in an effort to generate income amid bouts of heightened volatility.

William Vaughan, Research Analyst at Brandywine Global outlines why – in the wake of COP26 – it may be prudent for investors to embrace ESG laggards, rather than restrict investments, and prioritize active engagement with them on their response to climate change, GHG emissions and other difficult issues.

For an ambitious, career-ladder climber, what sort of person makes the best mate? The human heart is not known for being coldly calculating, but pretend, for a moment, that it could be. What personality traits should be preferred?

Those nearing or in retirement are worried about what higher-than-expected inflation will mean. Here are a few things to consider to temper their anxiety.

Are many of the recent problems in the world – from income and wealth inequality to China-U.S. hostility – the result of the structural overvaluation of the dollar and its reserve-currency status?

If everything goes according to plan, travel and tourism could contribute $2 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2022, compared to $1.87 trillion in the year before the start of the pandemic.

Near-zero, zero, and below-zero interest rates changed the incentive calculations and decisions from what they were a mere 30 years ago. You can’t look at policies or almost anything else prior to the early 2000s as a standard for today. The incentives of low interest rates have literally screwed (that’s a technical economic term) things up.

The term “value” is being grossly misapplied.

Chief Economist Scott Brown discusses the latest market data.

In recent weeks, it has felt like the U.S. stock market slips a gear every so often, dropping sharply as investors search for traction in uncertain terrain.

Why is it so hard to accept that speculative bubbles can burst?

The Federal Reserve signaling a shift in monetary policy is causing a shift in the markets that have run hot on many years of stimulus and low rates.

As we examine the municipal bond “board” at the start this new year, it looks to us to be a more challenging one than a year ago. More like chess than checkers. Winning will likely require a more complex, multi-faceted strategy than in 2021.

We may not be in a bond bear market, but we are in a bearish market for bonds. A dangerous one, even.

Some of this year’s worst-performing emerging markets will get another chance to lure back bond investors after their first round of aggressive rate hikes failed to contain inflation.

With demand waning and supplies increasing, the housing market is in for a lot of pain. Low interest rates have been a boon to housing, making mortgages more affordable and allowing consumers to refinance existing loans, with many of them tapping the equity in their homes for extra cash.

I have charged Ken Fisher with crimes against annuities. I will begin this proceeding by expressing my gratitude for his anti-annuity advertising campaign including its famous tagline, “I hate annuities and you should too!”

As we begin 2022, there is a lot of noise in the marketplace: midterm elections, omicron and everything in between.

Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve seen consumers around the globe shift much of their spending from services and experiences to goods, and consumers in China were no exception, according to a recent report by consultancy firm Bain & Company.

January was a terrible month.

Millennials often say their biggest challenge is being lumped into one category, as if everyone’s needs and aspirations are identical.

The expanded child tax credit lapsed in December as the cost of President Joe Biden’s spending plans became a sticking point in Congress. Yet amid the debate over whether its success in reducing poverty is worth its large price tag, many are missing a crucial feature: It was uniquely well-designed to address the increasingly precarious economic reality that millions of Americans experience.

For a year and a half, Chinese authorities have been trying to reduce property prices, leverage, and the economy’s dependence on the real estate industry. As defaults and distress spread, from China Evergrande Group to Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd. and others, the first signs of a shift toward policy easing emerged last year.

The short answer is “yes.”

Franklin Templeton’s second edition of our “Voice of the American Worker” survey revealed that US workers are re-evaluating how they think about their jobs and what they expect from employers.

A recent study by Hartford Funds revealed that more than half of respondents believe that men and women have different financial needs. But only 24% said they want to work with a financial professional who caters to the needs of their gender. It is clear that investors simply want to be treated as individuals. To provide sound financial advice, it’s imperative that advisors avoid making generalizations based on age or gender. Instead, they must help clients plan for life’s circumstances by asking thoughtful questions. My guest today will explain why this enhanced focus on lifestyle goals and personalization will be the key to attracting the next generation of clients.

The macroeconomic picture still doesn't support the case for monetary tightening in the eurozone.

The prospect of rising interest rates has clouded the outlook for global bond investors in 2022, but it’s not all bad news.

The near-10% correction in the S&P 500 Index and even larger drawdown in the Nasdaq have gotten a lot of attention this year.

In 2021 the FOMC refused to accept and acknowledge that inflation was getting worse in the second and third quarter and continued with its monthly purchases of $120 billion in Treasury debt and Mortgage Backed Securities.

A Potemkin economy has lured the Fed, economists, and Wall Street analysts into a potentially dangerous assumption of economic normalcy.

It has been a tumultuous start to the year for crypto markets to say the least.

Here are four ways to generate cash from an expensive whole-life insurance policy.

IMO 2020 has contributed to higher shipping rates.

From 2008 onward, U.S. market returns have been strong and consistent, and 2021 was no different, with the S&P 500 returning a solid 29%.

Recently, euro-based investors have been able to access higher-yielding US dollar bond markets while hedging their currency risk at low cost.

CUNA Mutual Group’s Chief Economist, Scott Knapp, looks at the latest economic conditions, arguing that expectations for a 50-basis point hike in March will likely be nonexistent very soon, and expectations for the number of near-term hikes and balance sheet reduction will likely come down from current levels.

The strike price on the Fed put has moved significantly. The Fed may sit idly by if markets voice displeasure with abrupt changes in monetary policy.

When considering portfolio allocation, it’s important to keep in mind the wide dispersion of returns among economies.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are showing no signs of abating.

We don’t think this is complicated. Do you want to pay to own expensive stocks or get paid to own cheap ones?

Financial advisors are increasingly abandoning the 60/40 portfolio for higher allocations to alternative investing strategies. They have found that alternatives enhance returns, diversify risk, and supplement income. In this episode, we will discuss the trends shaping the future of wealth management and driving growth of alternative product usage, including regulatory easing, product innovation, and the changes in advisor behavior brought on by the pandemic.

U.S. lenders issued more credit cards than ever last year, with a growing share of them going to consumers with lower credit scores.

From the advent of electricity to the adoption of the internet, technology has often been a catalyst for cost reduction.

Stephen Dover, Head of the Franklin Templeton Investment Institute, recently sat down with colleagues Scott Glasser, Chief Investment Officer of ClearBridge Investments, and Mark Lindbloom, Portfolio Manager for Western Asset, to discuss recent US market volatility.