Unlike with 401(k) plans and other retirement savings accounts, the IRS does not set annual contribution limits for 529 college savings plans. Instead, the states that sponsor individual 529 plans set parameters for the life of the plan.
In the 1980s there was a famous TV ad for Wendy’s with the tagline “Where’s the beef?”.
The National Association of Realtors released the August data for their Pending Home Sales Index. According to the National Association of Realtors®, "Pending home sales sagged for the third straight month in August."
Our leadership is forcing changes on us at a rapid pace that don’t make sense.
Low volatility does not mean low risk when it comes to ETFs. By selecting products that minimize losses rather than volatility, advisors can achieve better outcomes for clients.
All eight indexes on our world watch list posted losses through September 26, 2022. The top performer is India's BSE SENSEX with a YTD loss of 1.9%. London's FTSE 100 is in second with a loss of 4.92% and Tokyo's Nikkei 225 is in third with a loss of 8.20%. Coming in last is Germany's DAXK with a loss of 25.47% YTD.
“Invest in what you know.” You’ve likely heard this advice before.
Frequent flyers are accustomed to turbulence on some flights. Indeed, many expect it. Despite such anticipation, however, the turbulence can once in a while create significant anxiety among even the most seasoned travelers.
The world will be going from an era of zero rates and loose monetary policy to higher rates and likely slower growth, except in certain sectors. Adjusting to this change will be both problematic and also full of potential opportunities.
The latest full set UIG for August is 4.51% while the prices-only measure is 6.02%. Current Headline CPI is now 8.26% and Core CPI is 6.32%.
Balancing acts. As the Fed walks the line between curbing inflation and averting recession, anxious investors are seeking to balance the two risks. Amid the uncertainty, we believe stock selection matters more.
The latest index came in at 1, down 10 from last month, indicating "slow" expansion in September and its lowest since July 2020. The future outlook fell to 9. All figures are seasonally adjusted. Here is a snapshot of the complete Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Survey.
The Federal Reserve once again voted unanimously to raise rates by three-quarters of a percentage point - 75 basis points (bps) - today, bringing the target for the federal funds rate to 3.00 – 3.25%, and signaled expectations for continued hikes ahead.
This morning's release of the August Existing-Home Sales showed that sales fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.80 million units from the previous month's 4.82 million. The Investing.com consensus was for 4.7 million. The latest number represents a 0.5% decrease from the previous month and a 19.9% decrease YoY.
Innovation was the market darling thematic for many years leading up to COVID.
Portfolio Manager Michael Oh, CFA, says attractively valued companies are growing in Asia unfettered by inflationary headwinds.
Direct indexing is the fastest growing segment of the asset management industry. In this interview, Brandon Thomas of Envestnet explains how direct indexing helps clients gain low-cost, tax-efficient exposure to asset classes, ESG and quantitative strategies.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the August Consumer Price Index data last week. The year-over-year non-seasonally adjusted Headline CPI came in at 8.26%, down from 8.52% the previous month. Year-over-year Core CPI (ex Food and Energy) came in at 6.32%, up from 5.91% the previous month.
Despite widespread use in institutional portfolios, alternative investments are not typically found in US defined contribution plans.
"Travel on all roads and streets changed by -3.3% (-9.9 billion vehicle miles) for July 2022 as compared with July 2021. Travel for the month is estimated to be 286.6 billion vehicle miles." The 12-month moving average was down 0.3% month-over-month and up 4.9% year-over-year. If we factor in population growth, the 12-month MA of the civilian population-adjusted data (age 16-and-over) was down 0.4% month-over-month and up 3.9% year-over-year.
I wrote an article last month regarding the 10 things I got wrong about financial planning over my 20-year career. As it happens, I also got some things right and was happy when I was asked to write about them.
New research shows that portfolios that owned companies that provide climate solutions outperformed ones that owned firms with low carbon intensity. Before you adapt that approach, however, beware that this research relies on a small sample of data over a short time period.
Bull or bear, in stocks lately, the punishment has been the same. Swift and brutal.
Populations are aging, and the economic consequences will be substantial.
After countless delays, the Ethereum “Merge” finally took place this week, switching the blockchain protocol from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS).
Over the years, I’ve explained at length why I’m not interested in forecasts, but I’ve never devoted a memo to explaining why making helpful macro forecasts is so difficult. So here it is.
Dividends and dividend-paying stocks are getting renewed attention in recent months.
If the consumer price index report for August that showed inflation remains much hotter than forecast was not enough of a shocker, then talk that the Federal Reserve needs to raise interest rates in even bigger chunks starting with its meeting next week surely is.
Yesterday’s inflation print was a big surprise—a bad one.
Opponents of passive, index-based investing frequently claim that large-cap stocks are overvalued, and a market-cap-weighted index unduly exposes investors to those mispriced securities. That is a false statement.
When the supply and demand for bonds normalize, bond investors will realize that economic, inflation and other factors warrant much lower yields.
Investor risk tolerance drives portfolio decisions, yet many financial advisors are rightly concerned about the accuracy of risk tolerance assessments. Why is it so hard? How can we get it right?
“CPI Tuesday” doesn’t have the same ring as some other regular market dates, but there’s little denying that no single data release matters more these days than US consumer price inflation. Tuesday morning’s release on price rises in August will matter a lot.
Earning the coveted charter requires passing a notoriously difficult, three-part exam. But with a clear plan and supportive colleagues, it’s doable and rewarding.
At present, multiple jobholders account for 4.7 percent of civilian employment. The survey captures data for four subcategories of the multi-job workforce, the current relative sizes of which we've illustrated in a pie chart.
Advisors won the last war – true professionals achieved victory by adopting fiduciary principles and providing comprehensive planning. But a new battlefront has emerged – what I call the “next argument” – and achieving victory will slow and painful.
ESG investing is growing rapidly in retail wealth management. But most of the large ESG ratings providers are focused on institutional asset managers, not retail wealth managers.
Today, about 1% of our vehicles are electric. What will happen in 2035 when many more EVs need to be charged, potentially during another heatwave?
Many ask if Jerome Powell can emulate Volcker. We will certainly find out. But much has changed in 42 years. Does Powell even need to emulate Volcker? Here, some prominent economists disagree. Today we’ll talk about the issues.
Why is the first-term governor of Florida the most visible opponent of Wall Street's fastest-growing and best-performing business?
The Institute of Supply Management (ISM) has now released the August Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). The headline Composite Index is at 56.9 percent and is up 0.2 from 56.7 last month. Today's number came in above the Investing.com forecast of 55.1 percent.
The August US Services Purchasing Managers' Index conducted by S&P Global came in at 43.7 percent, down from the final July estimate of 47.3 and in contraction territory.
Some of the attacks on ESG in 2022 were merited.
Technology has made it possible for us to walk on the moon once again, yet academic research has failed to find a way to identify outperforming mutual funds. But a new study shows that may be possible.
The silver market is showing signs of scarcity that haven’t occurred in years. Key indicators continue to stray further from normal market conditions, and we break down why.
This morning the Institute for Supply Management published its monthly Manufacturing Report for August. The latest headline Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) was 52.8, unchanged from the previous month and in expansion territory. Today's headline number was above the Investing.com forecast of 52.0.
The crash in cryptocurrencies was not a unique contributor to investor suicides. It just happened to be the financial crisis de jour.
After a cruel summer, crypto fans might be in for an unforgiving September, too.
With yesterday morning's release of the June S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, we learned that seasonally adjusted home prices for the benchmark 20-city index saw a 0.45% increase month over month. The non-seasonally adjusted national index saw a 18% YoY increase.
New research shows that Forbes' annual list of the best companies to work for are also some of the best stocks to own.
