This week, France set a precedent for governments around the globe when it approved a new law that will levy a 75% tax on French companies that are paying employees €1 million or more in annual salaries. The new tax is widely understood to be symbolic, as a message...
There are many economists and global financial strategists talking about the ever-expanding U.S. debt which is quickly approaching $20 trillion dollars. One of those experts is Peter Schiff, president and CEO of Euro Pacific Capital. He is an investment broker, investor, author, financial commentator, and radio personality. For the...
It’s been almost four years since the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a rule that would enforce a fiduciary duty on financial advisors who work with retirement accounts.
But little progress has been made towards imposing such a standard, thanks to continued protests from the financial industry. The most recent—and...
Last week, the United States celebrated the 80th anniversary of the ratification of the Social Security Act, the law that created one of the most important government programs in our country today.
The Act was a direct response to the economic disaster of the Great Depression. Unemployment surpassed 25%, forcing...
A recent study conducted by Wells Fargo illustrates just how nervous—and unprepared—the everyday American is for retirement.
In the Wells Fargo Middle Class Retirement Survey, some 22 percent of middle-class Americans indicated that they would prefer to ‘die early’ over living well into retirement without the means to preserve their...
Starting January 27, 2020 the IRS began accepting 2019 tax returns. The IRS stated in a recent news release that they are expecting to receive more than 150 million returns this year and are prepared to assist filers to ensure a manageable transition. Despite the large volume...
The Internal Revenue Service’s proposed updates to their Uniform Lifetime Table are set to change required minimum distributions starting in 2021. In 2018, the Trump administration signed an executive order directing the Treasury Department and IRS to revise their life expectancy and distribution tables. The purpose of...
Threats continue to be exchanged among world powers over the future of Ukraine. The United States and the European Union (EU) have promised to collapse Russia’s economy if it continues to meddle in Ukraine’s affairs. Russia has responded with promises of its own, even going as far as to...
This week’s approval of H.R. 83, the $1.1 trillion ‘Cromnibus’ spending bill that will fund the federal government for 2015, did serious damage to the Dodd-Frank Act.
Language in the bill re-permits trading in swaps and derivatives by FDIC-insured banks—a practice the Dodd-Frank Act eliminated when it was signed back...
The stock market ended the first quarter of 2015 in almost the same position where it began the year. But it sure was a bumpy ride to get back to the starting position.
The Dow took a beating in January—falling almost 4%—before recovering to gain 5.6% in February. This was...