We’re all familiar with the concept of the American Dream, the idea of having a small family, a house, a car, and leading an idyllic lifestyle. But for more and more Americans that dream is becoming further and further away from reality. With a rising cost of living, more expensive housing, food, and education, it seems that each generation...
Although the Social Security system was originally intended only to provide a backstop to retirees who may not have had enough money saved up for retirement, the initial benefits received by Social Security recipients lured many people into a false sense of security, leading them to believe that they could survive in retirement solely on their checks from the...
One thing that’s almost universally true of the financial media is that they are ignorant of economics. Read just about any financial commentator and you’ll find articles chock full of bad economics and debunked fallacies. Whether it’s the “benefit” of higher government spending contributing to GDP growth, the necessity of the Fed to stimulate demand, or the broken window...
To millions of American investors, the bull market in stocks of the past few years has added billions of dollars to their 401(k), IRA, and other retirement accounts. Most investors don’t know or care why stock markets have shot up so much, but they certainly enjoy benefiting from that run. If you take a look at the underlying causes...
With stock markets near all-time highs and economic data such as GDP and the unemployment rate looking rosy, many investors have been lulled into a false sense of security, believing that the economy is going strong and that they’ll continue to make gains well into the future. But that feeling is dangerous, as there are numerous issues lurking about...
In the aftermath of World War II, the United States was not just a military superpower but also an economic superpower. As the world’s largest economy and with the dollar being established as the world’s reserve currency, the US government had no qualms about taking advantage of that position. Even in the aftermath of the breakdown of the Bretton...
One of the temptations that most investors fall prey to is the temptation to check the value of their investment portfolio on a daily basis. When prices rise significantly, they feel great; when prices drop significantly, they feel like they made a bad decision. But looking at things in the short term is never a good way to think...
Retirement planning is one of those things that is necessary for everyone to do, but that everyone hates actually having to do. The myriad options available in terms of investment assets, the multiple firms competing for your business, and the knowledge that making a mistake could costs you thousands of dollars of your hard-earned money puts so much pressure...
It’s no secret that the US government has a problem with spending and debt. For decades the government has consistently spent more money than it takes in, requiring it to issue debt to fund its operations. Even the so-called years of budget “surpluses” in the late 1990s resulted in increases in the national debt since off-budget deficits outweighed on-budget...
One of the difficult parts of planning for retirement is figuring out just how much money you’ll need to live on. With no wage income coming in after you retire, your income stream will depend on what you’ve been able to save and invest over the course of your lifetime, plus any additional income from pensions, Social Security, and...