Tag Archives: Finance

Financial Wellbeing Pays Off | Gallup

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  • Employee wellbeing is more than just physical health
      • A person’s experience of the five elements of wellbeing affects their work
      A financial wellbeing initiative can improve performance

    Gallup’s research into wellbeing found that “a life well-lived” — the underlying concept of wellbeing — requires the fulfillment of five elements: Career, Social, Physical, Community and Financial wellbeing. A person’s experience of wellbeing — whether thriving, struggling or suffering — affects every aspect of their life. Including their experience of their job.
    — Read on www.gallup.com/workplace/267152/financial-wellbeing-pays-off.aspx

    Juggling Competing Priorities | T. Rowe Price

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    How to balance your own needs with those of your children and aging parents.

    Key Points

    • Putting your own financial security first is the best way to ensure your ability to help others.
    • An open and honest conversation about finances is a critical first step in helping parents.
    • Set clear expectations about what support you can provide for your grown children.

    Feeling pulled in different directions raising children while caring for aging parents? You’re not alone. According to a recent T. Rowe Price survey, as many as a third of parents with school-age children are facing the same challenge. Often referred to as the “sandwich generation,” they find themselves wedged between competing priorities across multiple generations. And this group is growing, so it’s possible you could find yourself in this situation in the future.  

    The impacts are real

    There may be direct financial impacts for those in this situation—for example, our survey found nearly a third of those caring for an aging parent or relative spend $3,000 a month or more to do so. “The reality is that your resources are limited,” says Judith Ward, CFP®, a senior financial planner with T. Rowe Price. “Remember to first focus on taking care of yourself, which will better position you to help your loved ones.”
    — Read on www.troweprice.com/personal-investing/planning-and-research/t-rowe-price-insights/retirement-and-planning/personal-finance/juggling-competing-priorities.html

    7 Secrets of Highly Successful Investors | Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

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    Prosper in this volatile market (or any other) by focusing on fundamentals.

    In investing, it’s as important to practice good habits as it is to avoid bad ones, and the stakes have rarely been higher. The longest bull market on record is in its 11th year, volatility is sky-high, the economy is uncertain and market sentiment is skittish.

    But long-term investors should rise above the fray and focus on the fundamentals. You already know you shouldn’t buy stock on a tip from your Uncle Fred. But it’s even more important to set appropriate goals, save regularly and monitor your progress. Don’t beat yourself up for the occasional mistake. But if you follow the seven steps below, you’re likely to feel good about your portfolio over the course of a long investing career.

    — Read on www.kiplinger.com/article/investing/T023-C000-S002-7-secrets-of-highly-successful-investors.html

    The Basics of Creating Your Emergency Fund | MakingCents | Navy Federal Credit Union

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    Saving for Your Emergency Fund

    Having an emergency fund can help you feel at ease and prepared for the unexpected. Putting aside three to six months of living expenses takes time. Start by opening an emergency savings account and begin making regular deposits, no matter how small. Look for accounts that pay the most interest, so your money can grow even faster.

    Set a deadline to reach each of your goals. It’s helpful to have a plan in place to hold yourself accountable for reaching your goals. Having a deadline can help you stay on track. Don’t worry if you get a little behind. What’s important is that you’re moving ahead.

    Track your progress. Remember-every little bit counts. Even if you only save a small amount each week, you’ll be building a cushion you didn’t have before. When you track your progress, you’ll see that you’re not only earning interest on the money you contribute, but you’re also earning interest on the interest you earned before. Take the time to enjoy watching your little fund grow. 

    Resist the urge to spend it. It might be tempting to use your money on the latest technology or a fun vacation, but resist spending your emergency fund unless you really have an emergency. That way, it will be there when you really need it.

    — Read on makingcents.navyfederal.org/knowledge-center/financial-literacy/saving–getting-started/emergency-funds.html

    2019 is shaping up to be one of the best years ever for investing |CNBC

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    This could be the first year ever where stocks, bonds, gold and crude oil all returned double digits, according to LPL Financial.

    The S&P 500 has returned nearly 22% in 2019 while gold and crude are sporting returns of 16.1% and 17.8%, respectively. Treasuries are right on the cusp, with the the 10-year Treasury note up more than 9%

    Through Wednesday’s close, just 75 stocks in the S&P 500 were down for the year while 361 were up at least 10%.

    Assets have gotten a boost from lower Federal Reserve rates as well as generally strong consumer spending.

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    10 Reasons It Is Never Too Late to Start a Small Business

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    Those who start businesses later in life have a better chance of reaching success: Studies have shown that if you’re over 55 years old, you are twice as likely as your counterparts who are under 35 to launch a high-growth startup.

    Not convinced? Here are 10 reasons you would make a better entrepreneur now than you would have when you were younger.
    — Read on www.thebalancesmb.com/10-reasons-it-s-never-too-late-to-start-a-small-business-4083127

    Consumers Won’t Be Able to Save the Economy Much Longer – Bloomberg

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    Falling interest rates are likely to deter spending and boost savings rates, further weighing on growth.

    A weakening economy may soon hurt consumers.  

     With the unemployment rate at a 50-year low, the hope is that the U.S. consumer will more than offset an otherwise faltering economy. Don’t bet on it.

    Clearly, the broad economy is not only weak, but weakening. The yield curve has inverted, with 10-year Treasury note yields falling below two-year yields. Every time that’s happened in the post-war era, a recession has followed if it hadn’t already commenced. No exceptions.

    The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis reports that the lower real interest rates are at the time of inversion, the longer the recession and the higher the unemployment rate climbs. The real 10-year yield is minus 0.13%, even lower than the 2.2% that preceded the 2007-2009 Great Recession.

    — Read on www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-10-14/consumers-won-t-be-able-to-save-the-economy-much-longer

    China’s reaction to the NBA is the wake-up call the world needed

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    Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s now-deleted tweet in support of the Hong Kong protests and the response to it have already earned more attention than dozens of other stories in recent years documenting questionable relationships between U.S. companies and Beijing, writes Jake Novak.
    — Read on www.cnbc.com/2019/10/08/chinas-reaction-to-the-nba-is-the-wake-up-call-the-world-needed.html

    Strong U.S. Consumers

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    Most economists or financial pundits concede that it is difficult to have a U.S. economic recession in the next twelve to eighteen months with the historically low (3.5%) unemployment rate and strong consumer spending. Essentially, the U.S. consumers, who represents 70% of the U.S. economy, are coming to the rescue the economy.

    Eventually, those predicting and appear to be even rooting for a recession prior to the 2020 Presidential elections will be correct someday in the future. Bottom line, since the business economic cycle has not been repealed, recessions are inevitable and a normal part of the cycle.

    Business hiring and historical low unemployment rate are lagging economic indicators for forecasting the strength of the economy. Today’s strong U.S. consumers due to hiring and low unemployment rate have buoyed the economy and can mask moderating and slowing economic growth.

    China trade talk uncertainty and threat of additional U.S. tariffs on China and the European Union continue to weigh on the global economic growth and health.

    No one…repeat no one, is able to forecast the future direction of the economy.

    A Rich Life – HumbleDollar

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    A Rich Life – HumbleDollar
    — Read on humbledollar.com/2019/09/a-rich-life/

    Frugality is about avoiding spending on things that have little value.

    Affluence is about having things that truly matter.

    It’s possible to strike a balance, so you’re frugal and affluent at the same time.

    Track your expenses, ruthlessly reducing or eliminating spending that has little meaningful value. This will help you spend more on things you find truly rewarding. It doesn’t take a supersized income, financial windfalls, unsustainable self-deprivation, extraordinary luck or investment genius to become affluent.

    Even if you have none of these, but you have frugality, financial success is all but inevitable.