Employer-sponsored qualified retirement plans such as 401(k)s are some of the most powerful retirement savings tools available. If your employer offers such a plan and you're not participating in it, you should be. Once you're participating in a plan, try to take full advantage of it. Understand … [Read more...]
Taking Advantage of Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans
The Health of Social Security
Some Good News and Some Bad News With approximately 94% of American workers covered by Social Security and 65 million people currently receiving benefits, keeping Social Security healthy is a major concern.1 Social Security isn't in danger of going broke — it's financed primarily through payroll … [Read more...]
High Inflation: How Long Will It Last?
In March 2022, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), the most common measure of inflation, rose at an annual rate of 8.5%, the highest level since December 1981.1 It's not surprising that a Gallup poll at the end of March found that one out of six Americans considers inflation to … [Read more...]
U.S. Savings Bonds
Many people had their first experience with saving for the future as children when they received a U.S. savings bond as a gift. Savings bonds are issued by the U.S. Treasury Department. However, unlike Treasury bills, notes, and bonds, they are not traded on the open market, and are sold almost … [Read more...]
What Do Rising Interest Rates Mean for Your Money?
On May 4, 2022, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve raised the benchmark federal funds rate 0.50%. This is part of a series of increases that the FOMC expects to carry out over the next two years to combat high inflation.1 Along with announcing the current increase, … [Read more...]