Retirement Watch Weekly
Some Little-Known Risks of Using Safe Deposit Boxes
Many items wouldn’t be kept in safe deposit boxes if more people knew the facts, and that would be fine with the banks. Safe deposit boxes are used routinely without much knowledge about the potential consequences to the users and their loved ones. One issue is how safe items in the boxes really are. Safe […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/26
The Risks of Using Long-Term Data: A Case Study Long-term data and averages can be useful tools when developing investment and financial plans, but they must be used with care. Here’s a recent example. Those who study stock index data know that historically June 20 through the end of June is a bad time to […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/20
The Stock Indexes Became More Top Heavy Last week was another strong one for the S&P 500 Index, adding to a generally strong year. But few stocks are doing as well as the index, and the disparity between winners and losers widened last week. The S&P 500 returned 1.58% for the week ending June 14. […]
Know the Differences Between Social Security Spousal and Survivor Benefits
Among the most confusing and important Social Security issues are the differences between spousal and survivor’s benefits. Not knowing the differences can cost you or your spouse thousands of dollars in lifetime benefits. The rules are so confusing that the Social Security Administration (SSA) often makes mistakes, as documented by its Inspector General. Though survivor’s […]
The Puzzles Challenging Investors and the Fed: Investment and Economic Review
In my new Retirement Watch Spotlight Series, I’ll share my newest breakthrough strategies for protecting your assets and growing your portfolio, including how to prepare for the next market downturn. Click here now to learn more. […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/13
Private Equity Funds and Your Health Care Costs The role of private equity funds in medical care recently was identified as a problem by two prominent sources. Private equity funds are investment partnerships usually created and managed by an investment management firm. The investors in the fund primarily are institutions (pension funds, foundations) and very […]
Bob’s Journal for 6/6
Facts About the Nasdaq’s Climb to 17,000 The Nasdaq Composite Index exceeded 17,000 for the first time on May 28. It has been a long climb for the index. After its inception in 1971, the Nasdaq didn’t break 1,000 until July 1995. It took another 1,095 trading days for it to break 2,000. By then, […]
The Stumble in the Fed Pivot
Expectations about interest rates and inflation changed quite a bit in the first five months of 2024. In January, investors believed the Federal Reserve would reduce interest rates at least six times, a move known as the Fed Pivot. By April, the consensus saw only two rate cuts, and a growing number of investors wondered […]
