U.S. Weighs Student Loan Forgiveness   The current tab for student loan debt in the United States is $1.6 trillion. Most individuals don’t owe the federal government huge sums of money: 14 million borrowers owe $10,000 or less, while less than 3.5 million borrowers owe $200,000 or more. Many of those students in the latter…

Financial Advising During a Pandemic   The pandemic has been hard on nearly everyone, and it’s particularly difficult for professionals who normally meet with clients in an office setting. Fortunately, financial advisors have been able to adapt to this “new normal.”   Our goal is to be our clients’ trusted advisors. Once that relationship is…

The Future of Retirement Planning As of the end of July, the stock market was still performing relatively well and the Federal Reserve had announced no near-term changes to interest rates.1 However, other economic news was not as rosy. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. economy contracted by nearly a third (32.9% annual…

The Highs and Lows of Dollar-Cost Averaging   Investors who defer the same amount of money from their paycheck into a 401(k) plan at regular intervals are practicing dollar-cost averaging. By investing the same fixed dollar amount each time, the investor buys more shares when prices are low and fewer shares when prices rise.1 The long-term…

Recovery: COVID-19 First, Then the Economy   The World Health Organization recently reported that while some countries have made effective inroads to contain COVID-19 within their borders, the pandemic is still well on the rise throughout the world.1 Perhaps one of the most debilitating impacts of today’s global economy is that one country’s problem is now…

Dealing with Financial Hardship   A recent poll found that nearly one out of every five Americans are experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdowns.1 With reported infections soaring in recent weeks, financial stress could affect even more citizens as various areas of the country struggle to contain the pandemic.   However,…

What the Increasing National Debt, Deficit Could Mean for You   If you’d like to see a snapshot of what’s going on with national debt versus revenue, check out the U.S. Debt Clock. While there’s a lot moving on one screen, you can take a look at individual blocks to see how much the U.S. takes…

In 2000, actors Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey starred in “Pay It Forward.” The premise of the film is that a person repays a favor by offering small acts of kindness to more people. This concept of paying it forward leads to an exponential movement of goodwill.   Social Security works a bit like that.…

Consumer prices fell by 0.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis in April, the biggest drop in more than a dozen years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Conversely, prices for grocery items jumped 2.6%, the highest one-month increase in 46 years, with eggs rising by 16%.1   What’s going on here? Well, the devil is…

Will we learn to live with less? Some lessons were learned when the U.S. initially closed up shop and told everyone to stay home. For example, we can live without extra-soft, double-ply toilet paper and go a whole weekend without shopping at a store or eating at a restaurant — but we’d rather not.  …