What features should it have? What terms should it offer? Have you thought about bundling your insurance? You may want to consider that, as insuring your house and vehicles with the same carrier could save you some money. Most people buy insurance without doing much homework. That holds true for auto insurance, property & casualty…
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How Might Higher Inflation Affect Your Investments?
With the Fed poised to gradually raise rates, this is worth considering. America once experienced something called “moderate inflation.” It may seem like a distant memory, but it could very well return in the second half of this decade. A remote possibility? Most economists think the Fed will start raising interest rates in late 2015…
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Weekly Economic Update – July 27, 2015
EXISTING HOME SALES UP, NEW HOME SALES DOWN According to the National Association of Realtors, residential resales increased 3.2% in June with the median home value hitting an all-time peak of $236,400, 6.5% higher than a year ago. New home buying subsided 6.8% last month with the median sales price at $281,800, representing a 1.8%…
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Weekly Economic Update – July 20, 2015
CONSUMER & WHOLESALE PRICES INCREASE The Labor Department announced a 0.3% June rise in the headline Consumer Price Index, following the 0.4% advance for May. This left annualized consumer inflation positive for the first time in six months (+0.1%). June brought a 0.2% gain for the core CPI, which is now up 1.8% across the…
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Weekly Economic Update – July 13, 2015
GREECE GIVES IN, STOCKS RALLY In an about-face development, the Greek government acceded to the demands of its creditors Thursday night. Prime minister Alexis Tsipras submitted a bailout proposal similar to the one the Greek people had rejected by referendum on July 5, including sales tax hikes, pension spending cuts and debt restructuring. Leaders of…
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Weekly Economic Update – July 6, 2015
WALL STREET HANGS ON AS GREECE DEFAULTS When Greece revealed it would miss its July 1 debt payment to the International Monetary Fund last Tuesday, the Dow lost 2% for the day while the CBOE VIX gained more than 35%. (To add to the drama, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico stated that its debts were…
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Behind On Your Retirement Savings
What steps could you take to catch up? If life has not allowed you to build substantial retirement savings, what can you do to improve your retirement prospects? Here are some suggestions. Play catch-up. If at all possible, take advantage of the catch-up contributions the IRS allows you to make to IRAs and other retirement…
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