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...
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...
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 financial story of the summer has been trouble overseas—specifically, a debt crisis in Greece and a market crash in China. But a story developing this week may have the greatest impact on United States markets and citizens. As of Monday morning, Puerto Rico officially went into default when the island...
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...
In theory, the price of shares across the stock market is a reflection of economic health. If stocks are up, business is thriving— or so we thought… Recent market volatility is showing some tell-tale signs that it is not grounded by a sturdy economy, which leaves the fear that it...
Even experts and investors accustomed to the volatile world of Wall Street had to admit that last week was a particularly worrisome time. The week started with the markets ending a seven-day losing streak on Monday, as the Dow bounced up 241 points. But the very next day, the index...
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...
CNN-Money grabbed our attention with this headline recently: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has sharply cut its economic growth forecast for Saudi Arabia. For years Saudi Arabia has been the world’s biggest exporter of oil, but now a severe budget crisis is forcing the oil rich nation to re-figure its finances.  With...
It’s been nearly a month since President Obama made a strong push for fiduciary responsibility on Wall Street, explaining that biased financial advice robs everyday Americans of billions of dollars each year. Since that time, politicians and financial advisors alike have weighed in on the issue. But on Tuesday, perhaps...