Archive for June 2017

Before 2016, the American Psychological Association’s (APA) annual Stress in America surveys showed money, work and the economy were the biggest sources of stress in people’s lives.1 During the 2016 presidential campaign season, however, doctors began reporting patients were increasingly anxious due to issues candidates highlighted in speeches and interviews. 2 The APA’s most recent…

Every morning, Emma Morano ate a raw egg and biscuits. When she died at age 117 in April of this year, she was the oldest person in the world. She lived in Verbania, a picturesque town situated on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy.1 Violet Brown, who was born in 1900 and lives in Jamaica, now…

Here’s a new twist to the renewable energy and save the planet story: The Kentucky Coal Mining Museum in Benham, Kentucky, has recently switched from coal to solar power to help save on operational costs.1 It just goes to show you that the power struggle over power may be better energized by not making it…

Donald Trump set out to make big changes the moment he entered the White House. While Congress may move a bit more slowly, it’s worth noting the difference in styles and substance. For example, presidential executive orders do have the power to roll back previously passed regulations, but in many cases, they merely signal intent…

A famous line of dialogue came from the 1989 film “Field of Dreams”: “If you build it, he will come.” Perhaps the quote endures because of its inherent irony — it’s not always true. In fact, during the Obama Administration, there was an unfortunate lesson best illustrated by paraphrasing this quote: “If you fund it,…

Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor published the final regulation of what is known as the “Fiduciary Rule,” delaying implementation for 60 days from its scheduled start date. The newly expanded definition of fiduciary investment advice is scheduled to go into effect June 9, 2017.1 The rule holds certain financial professionals to a fiduciary standard…

Some researchers believe the U.S. economy has a healthy outlook: The GDP growth rate is in the ideal 2 percent to 3 percent range, unemployment continues to abate and inflation remains in check.1 The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects 88 percent of all occupations will experience growth by 2020, with the biggest increases coming…

In recent months, there has been a recent movement out of actively managed investments into passively managed instruments such as exchange-traded funds. Globally, ETFs gained more than $270 billion in 2016.1 An ETF is a single investment vehicle that tracks all of the securities within an index, a commodity, bonds or a group of assets…

In an investment portfolio, the withdrawal rate is the monetary percentage from which a retiree draws from his account each year.  A “safe” withdrawal rate is a fixed percentage distributed as a systematic withdrawal that reasonably expects portfolio funds to last throughout the retiree’s lifetime. When determining your personal retirement withdrawal rate, it’s important to…

Americans who expect to see a wide array of new jobs on the horizon may be in for a surprise. Not only are traditional full-time jobs scarcer these days — a combination of technological automation and corporate thrift — but they also aren’t what they used to be. Companies are less inclined to offer full-time…