The median US income in 2023 was $80,610, up from $22,420 in 1984 — a 260% rise over the 39-year time frame. However, if we adjust for inflation chained in 2023 dollars, the 1984 median is $55,828, and the increase drops to 37%.
The median household is the statistical center of the Middle Class. Let's take a closer look at the Census Bureau's latest annual household income data with a focus on middle class income. In this update, we'll focus on the growing gap between the median (middle) and mean (average) household incomes across the complete time frame of the Census Bureau's annual reporting from 1867 to 2023.
We need to face the reality that we’ve chosen a system that prioritizes lower taxes over centralized health care.
The journey from niche asset to core allocation looks set to continue.
Every new year brings with it a new opportunity to stop for a moment, revisit resolutions, and refresh outlooks.
Our commentary on household income distribution offers some fascinating insights into average U.S. household incomes, but misses the implications of age for income. In this update, we examine household income with a focus on age bracket.
The question asked of me most often recently: "Why are bond yields rising?" After verbally answering it plenty of times, it's time to put my answer in writing for everyone else to see.
On this episode of “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth joined Chuck Jaffe of Money Life to talk about the Fidelity Blue Chip Growth ETF (FBCG).
Markets are coming off back-to-back gains of more than 20% each on an annual basis. The chances of a hat trick in 2025 are slim to none.
Weather has always been a key factor influencing commodity prices, even though not very obvious at first glance. Agricultural yields depend on rainfall, frost can ruin crops, and hurricanes disrupt supply chains.
U.S. equities closed 2024 on top and U.S. growth took back leadership from U.S. value.
Yields may trade in a wide range as markets work through issues in the new year. Navigating volatility may mean capturing higher nominal and real yields over the longer term.
A few weeks ago, a reader emailed to challenge what he described as our “cautionary, skeptical and net negative” stance on Bitcoin.
Research Affiliates’ Rob Arnott delves into the strategy of investing in companies recently removed from major market indices and offers perspective on current stock valuations. VettaFi’s Cinthia Murphy presents five ETF predictions for 2025.
The US banking system’s reserves, a key factor in the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep shrinking its balance sheet, tumbled below $3 trillion to the lowest since October 2020.
Inflation remains the steadying factor in the Fed’s hand, but the Fed's intentions for next year are not likely unanimous.
As you look toward the new year, I’ll share an idea you can give yourself and your team as a gift in 2025.
Change is a catalyst that can drive innovation and help position businesses in all industries for sustained success. The adoption of wealthtech illustrates the transformative power of embracing change.
Treasuries were mixed in thin trading as traders absorbed the prospect of a less aggressive path ahead for Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts and priced in greater risk for US long-term debt.
Today often kicks off the Santa Claus rally. Stocks rose and volatility is down sharply from recent peaks, but yields keep rising, which has hurt the non-tech part of the market.
Over the last decade, U.S. large cap growth stocks have been far and away the best performing major financial asset in the world.
For 2025, the financial markets will be entering a new chapter in the ever-evolving policy story. Indeed, not only will the U.S. economy be operating under a new political and attendant fiscal backdrop, but it will also be in the midst of a different monetary policy setting—rate cuts, not the after-effects of rate hikes.
Index funds emerged in the early 1970s and were designed to match rather than beat the market. For decades, they were associated with the capitalization-weighted (CW) market indexes that defined their investment approach.
As we near the end of 2024, researchers, businesses, and investors have begun to question the overheated artificial intelligence sentiment.
Displaying your expertise is an attempt to prove your value, and it’s how the industry has always taught advisors to win new clients. However, it does not work.
Has the U.S. economy diverged from the global economy, or are a lot of economic canaries in coalmines keeling over and warning the U.S. is soon to catch down?
Bond traders have rarely suffered so much from a Federal Reserve easing cycle. Now they fear 2025 threatens more of the same.
This is the first part of a series of Bloomberg Opinion columns exploring the risks related to the US’s rapidly expanding debt and budget deficit.
In an actively managed portfolio, there’s no way to escape capital gains taxes altogether. But understanding the importance of tax efficiency is crucial to long-term success for investors and advisors.
Surely one of the silliest things that happened in tech stocks in 2024 was the sudden tumble in Nvidia Corp. shares moments after its fiscal second-quarter earnings release in August.
Taxes are on my mind. Do I factor in whether a dividend is considered qualified or ordinary when making my recommendations?
A conversation with our stock selection team, part two.
Investors see recent inflation data as a green light for the Federal Reserve to trim another quarter point from the short-term interest rate.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth discussed the VictoryShares Free Cash Flow ETF (VFLO) with Chuck Jaffe of Money Life. The pair discussed several topics related to the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF overall.
Energy is everything. Or, if Einstein was right, you and I are just energy in material form. Accelerate us to lightspeed squared and we might become something else.
In the latest episode of ETF 360, Kirsten Chang was joined by Rockefeller Asset Management’s Director of Fixed Income Alex Petrone.
Corporations are currently producing the highest level of profitability, as a percentage of GDP, in history.
The near-$5 trillion hedge fund industry is having one of the toughest years in decades in convincing fee-conscious investors to fork out cash for new market players.
Republicans have lashed out at the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a landmark package of incentives for clean energy, since it was passed two years ago.
Our outlook on the 11 S&P 500 equity sectors.
Riverfront's stock selection team performs analysis on individual equities that provides useful insights into how we position our portfolios.
Effective listening can help convert more prospects into clients. Your ability to listen effectively can be the deciding factor in whether they choose to work with you.
The U.S. economy and stock market are entering 2025 from a position of strength, but risks of volatility—especially pertaining to policy—are much higher compared to last year.
Waiting until 67 or 70 may not feel like the best choice in the moment. Yet the extra income could mean more freedom from financial stress and more ability to enjoy your later years with peace of mind.
Last week we processed robust economic data and growing clarity on Federal Reserve policy, instilling a consensus view for a strong market that is now well reflected in positioning.
Amid concerns about the impact of rising deficits on U.S. Treasuries, it helps to differentiate bond investments by maturity, credit rating, and global relative value.
Five of Franklin Templeton’s specialist investment managers provide their annual outlooks for the global economy and key asset classes, including global equities; global fixed income; global infrastructure; the macro fixed income environment; municipal bond market; high yield bond market; small cap equities; U.S. dollar; U.S. economy; and U.S. equities.
Hedge fund executive Cliff Asness says artificial intelligence is becoming “annoyingly better” at doing parts of his job.
The bond market is caught between the Federal Reserve's plans to cut interest rates and the risk of higher inflation and federal debt levels.
While the economy helped President Trump win a second term, it also created expectations that could prove difficult to meet.
