Quantitative Easing And The Federal Reserve’s Balance Sheet
Government officials argue that consistent deficits are good for the economy, if we were only willing to go high enough.
Government officials argue that consistent deficits are good for the economy, if we were only willing to go high enough.
We finally found a great building and decided to purchase it!
The conflicting information of the Federal Reserve report has to do with the so-called tapering of asset purchases.
How do you prepare for the end of the world?
In addition to learning how a viral story can get many of the facts wrong, another more important lesson can be learned from this experience.
Here’s to a better 2014!
You should be just as prepared for the possibility that the world as we know it is not ending.
This is much better advice if civilization is continuing than if it is collapsing.
I expect we have seen the bottom of both the housing market and 30-year fixed interest rates.
Comprehensive wealth management is a bottomless task.
Blaming the 85% with 100% of the wealth for the poverty of the remaining 15% is unreasonable. The two are unrelated.
When a woman gets married she often changes her name. Once you’ve changed your name at the Social Security Administration, the DMV, your employer and employer benefits, and your passport, it’s time for the last few changes.
Studies show that couples argue most about finances. Being on the same page about finances will allow you to enjoy a life that focuses on your needs and goals and will help you achieve them smartly.
When the Federal Reserve decided to maintain the $85 Billion monthly stimulus at their September policy meeting, they cited elevated mortgage rates as a top concern.
When I work my 9 to 5 job and earn a paycheck, I receive a paper certificate I can trade in for the real reward of my labor. But why do investors get a reward?
Corporations go bankrupt for a wide variety of reasons, but there’s only one reason for municipalities.
Milestones in life encourage advice. In 2012, I graduated, got married, and started a job and then this year, I bought a house. I received a lot of great advice, but here is some of the worse advice I was given.
Several issues can cause retired clients to deviate from their safe spending rates.
Inflation is one of the most important factors in nearly every aspect of financial planning and wealth management.
Even if you think you have good credit, periodically check the facts on your credit report anyway. Your credit report will outline your full credit history. And it can help you verify you have not been the victim of identity theft.
Some suggest using ten times your take home salary as a rough rule of thumb when determining life insurance. Like all such rules, this rough guide is found lacking in many situations.
Despite a steady diet of bad news, most markets around the world climbed the proverbial “wall of worry” to log strong returns. Major market indices around the globe delivered double-digit total returns.
The presidential election should be settled by a single question: “Who caused the financial crisis of 2008?” President Obama’s entire campaign has centered on his claim that he inherited a mess caused by the failed policies of the past.
Such a well-intentioned program which steals our youth, our love, our happiness, our faith and our self-esteem.
Two proven methods to pay off your debts – with gusto. Say goodbye to the stress, ANXIETY and late fees.
Many communities such as Charlottesville identify themselves as an arts community. This image translates into passionate support for public funding of the arts. But the common justifications for public funding don’t hold up under careful scrutiny.
In our second edition of the Wealth Management Carnival, we’re linking to articles about general life planning, from good habits to cultivate, to life insurance considerations, to financial calculators.
Although it is possible, buying a house without a credit history will require you to jump through some uncommon hoops to find a competitive rate.
During the 2007 – 2009 financial crisis, many stable value funds were on the brink of disaster due to risks that were unknown to the average investor.
During elections the political dialogue assumes that the well-being of your future is out of your control and in the hands of politicians. This is simply not true. You have the freedom to take control of your finances and your life.
Out-of-pocket closing costs are a big deterrent to would-be refinancers. Is it better to stay with the higher rate or get the lower rate and pay the closing costs?
The unintended consequences of good intentions can do more economic harm than all the mean-spirited greed within capitalism.
Franco Modigliani won the Nobel Prize for a simple technique that squirrels know intuitively from birth. You have to squirrel away some nuts during times of plenty so you can survive during times of scarcity.
There are two opposing approaches to limit your AMT tax. The obvious strategy is to lower your income so you avoid this AMT bull’s-eye. The less obvious approach is to raise your income.
Portfolio construction begins with the most basic allocation between investments that offer a greater chance of appreciation (stocks) and those that provide portfolio stability (bonds). There is no such thing as a safe investment that pays market rates of return.
Advisors who offer comprehensive wealth management are like financial concierges. Their only goal is to meet your needs. If you ask for fresh strawberries, they try to find them for you.
“Average American investors start to worry that FINRA will damage their relationship with independent financial advisors.”
A U.S. Public Interest Research Group report in 2004 found that one in four credit reports have serious errors that could significantly lower your chances of being approved.
I highly recommend that you plan to live on one salary for the first several years. This is a challenge that too few couples accept.
“Economics in One Lesson” by Henry Hazlitt is one of the classics which should be required reading before voting. It is interesting to see that he knew more in 1946 than the politicians of our age.
Who would have thought that someone earning $400,000 might want to purposefully push their taxable income up to $1.2M this year in order to pay $280,000 more in taxes at these lower 2012 tax rates?
Nearly everyone is an excellent candidate for executing a Roth conversion this year. But it is helpful to have a target amount in mind before you begin.
You may be a good candidate for a Roth conversion in 2012 if you can answer “yes” to any of these statements.
Q: My husband hasn’t gotten rid of a single bill or financial statement during our entire 18-year marriage! He received a shredder from Santa this past Christmas, and I am ready to get started, but I want to know what, if any, of this paperwork I should keep.
Computing your net worth annually is like taking a sextant reading to chart your course toward financial security. Net worth gives you a snapshot of how much money would be left if you converted everything you owned into cash and paid off all your debts.
Financial resolutions usually don’t even last until the end of January. Making a permanent change in our behavior requires both time and a steely resolve. We can only develop financial character one action at a time. Here are seven practices to take you from pauper to prince or princess if you add one each year.
“Sleeping well at night knowing our household is 100% debt free is truly priceless.” – Manisha Thakor, personal finance expert & author.
Starting October 1, price controls were set by law on debit card swipe fees. Such populist well-intentioned legislation reduces economic freedom and slows economic growth.
Libertarians and economists both recognize that countries with more economic freedom experience higher gross domestic product (GDP) growth. That growth translates into higher stock returns for investors savvy enough to look for governmental fiscal restraint rather than government stimulus.
Our country’s debt and deficit is difficult to understand in the abstract. Translating it to the numbers on each taxpayer’s credit card can help us see how our country’s spendthrift ways have debilitated economic productivity.