Watch on YouTube> This week on “Inside the Economy”, we discuss consumer confidence, mortgage rates, and U.S. Markets. The May consumer confidence index report shows a higher than anticipated reading. Who is typically surveyed for the consumer confidence index report? As for interest rates, the Federal Reserve Board forecasts rates to decrease to 4% in the next two years. What is the forecast for mortgage rates? Lastly, Foreign investments in U.S. Markets eclipse $25 Trillion. Do countries like Singapore, Australia, or the U.K. have additional monies for future investment? Tune in to learn ..read more

Watch on YouTube> This week on “Inside the Economy”, we evaluate employment, currency, and the importance of Natural Gas as a U.S. export. The recent job openings report shows a continued trend downward. What does this tell us about the trajectory of the U.S. economy? In other news, the U.S. dollar index continues to strengthen. How do global payments denominated in the U.S. dollar compare to other currencies such as the Euro? Lastly, the U.S. is a major exporter of Natural Gas. How much supply is left to keep the trend going? Tune in to learn more!   Key Takeaways: Total job opening ..read more

Watch on YouTube> This week on “Inside the Economy”, we discuss personal interest expense and changes in household debt. What category has the highest percent change from 2023? New home sales have slowed due to higher interest rates, but what does this mean for delinquency rates? Federal net interest outlays are climbing higher in amount as compared to historical data. However, how does the near 3% share of GDP compare to the past and is it necessarily bad for the overall economy? Tune in to learn more!   Key Takeaways: U.S. GDP growth slowed to a 1.6% rate in Q1 Personal interest ex ..read more

Watch on YouTube> This week on “Inside the Economy”, we monitor the increased consumer spending in tandem with rising delinquencies on mortgages. Is the Federal Reserve going to consider any rate hike movement before year-end? Consumers are still flooding into the stock market, alongside money flowing into money market bond funds. U.S. goods imported have remained steady or on the rise for most countries. What country is on the downward trend?   Key Takeaways: U.S. Head CPI at 3.5 (YOY) Crude Oil at $83.71 Credit Card account revolving balances exceed $600B Full Transcript: Welcome ..read more

Important Birthdays Over 50 Most children stop being “and-a-half” somewhere around age 12. Kids add “and-a-half” to make sure everyone knows they’re closer to the next age than the last. When you are older, “and-a-half” birthdays start making a comeback. In fact, starting at age 50, several birthdays and “half-birthdays” are critical to understand because they have implications regarding your retirement income. Age 50 At age 50, workers in certain qualified retirement plans are able to begin making annual catch-up contributions in addition to their normal contributions. Those who participate ..read more

Watch on YouTube> This week on “Inside the Economy”, we discuss the good news for consumers and bad news for the Federal Reserve. Spending on new manufacturing construction projects has increased. Does this emulate a contracting or expanding economy? How will the Federal Reserve react to the ISM Survey and Manufacturing data? Home prices are at a stabilization point and still have a negative year-over-year percent change. Will the consumer start flooding back in the market? Tune in to learn more!   Key Takeaways: ISM Survey at 50.3 Durable Goods increased to 1.4 Core PCE inflation ra ..read more

A Taxing Story: Capital Gains and Losses Chris Rock once remarked, “You don’t pay taxes – they take taxes.” That applies not only to income but also to capital gains. Capital gains result when an individual sells an investment for an amount greater than their purchase price. Capital gains are categorized as short-term gains (a gain realized on an asset held one year or less) or long-term gains (a gain realized on an asset held longer than one year). Keep in mind that the information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any fede ..read more

Roth IRA for Kids Small business owners may find it challenging to find ways to provide additional benefits to their children who work for the company. One often overlooked choice is including a Roth individual retirement account (IRA) as part of their compensation, a strategy that offers the potential to benefit both the children and the business. Small businesses play a significant role in labor markets. They employ 61.7 million Americans, 46.4 percent of all private-sector employees. Over the period from 1995 to the present, small businesses have been responsible for generating 17.3 million ..read more

Watch on YouTube> This week on “Inside the Economy”, we assess household net worth and assets, commercial real estate, and the Dollar. The U.S. consumer has a strong balance sheet; specifically, with checking and savings. What does that mean for overall market exposure? The trade-weighted dollar continues to drive upwards and proving to still be a strong dollar. What does a strong dollar mean on the global scale? Tune in to learn more!   Key Takeaways: 10-year bond rate is steady at 4.25% U.S. GDP at 3.2% in Q4 of 2023 U.S. Fed Trade-Weighted Broad Dollar Index at 121 Full Transcrip ..read more

9 Facts About Social Security Social Security has been an element of retirement life ever since it was established in 1935. We all think we know how it works, but how much do you really know? Here are nine things that might surprise you. 1. The Social Security trust fund is huge. It was $2.8 trillion at the end of 2022.1 2. Most workers are eligible for Social Security benefits, but not all. For example, until 1984, federal government employees were part of the Civil Service Retirement System and were not covered by Social Security.2 3. You don’t have to work long to be eligible. If you were b ..read more