The question, is there a retirement crisis in America, was answered earlier this month during an expert panel discussion moderated by the Founder of Retirement Media Inc., Phil Cannella. This eye-opening conversation took place just outside of Philadelphia at the Retirement Media Inc. production studios and featured some of...
Five years ago this Sunday General Motors filed for bankruptcy which led to a $49.5 billion bailout to bring this staple of the auto industry back to its feet. Now at its 5th anniversary, the “new GM” is one of the 40 most profitable companies in the nation outperforming...
Even with troop reductions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the unrest in the Middle East continues to affect the United States’ economy on an almost-daily basis. Last week, markets opened lower on Monday morning due chiefly to concerns over escalating tensions in Iraq, where Sunni insurgents began campaigns to overtake regions...
In the summer of 2010, almost two years removed from one of the biggest financial disasters the United States has ever seen, there was reason to believe there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Best of all, it seemed the lessons we learned after the crash...
One of the cardinal rules mutual fund investors follow is the avoidance of ‘load’ fees—essentially, the sales charge associated with joining a fund.  Unfortunately, that leads these investors into perhaps a bigger mistake. That’s because they’re overlooking two more fees funds assess. One is covered in the prospectus, but the...
Cause and effect—it’s one of the first things we learn as children. But few people truly understand its meaning, which can become the source of all kinds of trouble. The economy is a perfect example. Just because the stock market keeps reaching or approaching all-time highs does not mean the...
Last week, the Federal Reserve announced the end of the third leg of quantitative easing, or QE3. QE3 lasted for over two years, with the Fed buying between $40 billion to $85 billion in mortgage-backed securities each month. This number was tapered to $25 billion in August. The greatest ‘side effect’,...
Today, the American public is focused on the mid-term elections—and rightfully so. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for grabs, as are one-third of Senate seats. In addition, 36 of 50 states will have their governorships determined Tuesday. These elections will go a long way...
Last week, stocks closed at all-time highs after the Bank of Japan announced surprising stimulus measures. This week, the fallout from that decision continued. On Monday, the Japanese yen fell to a seven-year low of 114.2 against the U.S. dollar. In other words, $1 dollar U.S. is worth 113 Japanese...
The rule of thumb holds that Americans need to maintain 70% of their pre-retirement income after they stop working. If that’s true, then the retirement crisis is even worse than we thought—and it’s worst in the Northeast, the most populous area in the country. A recent study from Interest.com found...