Author: News Room

Americans saw mortgage rates soar during the Federal Reserve’s aggressive campaign to fight inflation, leading many to hope for a reprieve after the central bank finally cut the federal funds rate last month for the first time in four years. But instead of declining, mortgage rates have marched higher for the past three weeks, with the benchmark 30-year fixed surging to 6.44% as of Freddie Mac’s latest reading.Mortgage rates spiked in 2022 and 2023 as the Fed hiked interest rates. In the span of just 16 months, the central bank approved 11 rate increases – the fastest pace of tightening…

There aren’t many absolutes in financial planning. There are, however, many—MANY—opinions. Advisors, personal finance gurus, and online opine-ers regularly die on the hills of passive vs. active investing, ETFs vs. mutual funds vs. individual stocks, traditional vs. alternative investing, good debt vs. bad debt, term vs. permanent life insurance, traditional vs. Roth IRAs, the roles of disability income and long-term care insurance, various cash flow management methods and apps, Social Security claiming techniques, tax avoidance strategies, and don’t get me started on the role of annuities in investing and income creation… But despite our desire to apply dualistic right-and-wrong thinking…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Moldova’s President Maia Sandu decried an “unprecedented assault” on the democratic process by “foreign forces” on Sunday as a referendum on EU membership remained too close to call after more than two-thirds had been counted. For weeks before polling day authorities had issued warnings about intense Russian interference, describing their fight against a hydra-like network of Kremlin proxies and an onslaught of illegal money intended to purchase votes. Sandu, who has depicted the referendum as a historic choice for the former Soviet…

This article was written byFollowStone Fox Capital (aka Mark Holder) is a CPA with degrees in Accounting and Finance. He is also Series 65 licensed and has 30 years of investing experience, including 10 years as a portfolio manager. Mark leads the investing group Out Fox The Street where he shares stock picks and deep research to help readers uncover potential multibaggers while managing portfolio risk via diversification. Features include various model portfolios, stock picks with identifiable catalysts, daily updates, real-time alerts, and access to community chat and direct chat with Mark for questions. Learn more.Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no…

Estimated tax requirements are a frequent problem for retirees, with many incurring penalties for underpaying their estimated taxes. Fortunately, there’s a little-known strategy that can help avoid penalties when a retiree realizes late in the year that estimated tax payments have been too low. Income taxes have to be prepaid during the year. If they aren’t withheld from income, a taxpayer must make estimated tax payments four times during the year. The estimated tax payments are supposed to be made as income is earned. You can’t avoid the penalty by making a lump sum estimated tax payment by the January…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The union representing 33,000 striking Boeing machinists said on Saturday that it had reached a tentative agreement to end a month-long work stoppage that has crippled the plane maker.The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents Boeing staff, told members in a statement that it had received a “negotiated proposal” that “is worthy of your consideration”. Members will vote on whether to end the strike by ratifying the contract on Wednesday, the same day that Boeing is due to report…

This article was written byFollow**Effective 8/20/2023 the in-depth retirement article series for John & Jane will be available in video format on YouTube. Please consider watching, commenting, and subscribing as I expand on my analysis. I am trying to keep the videos about 30 minutes or less but hope they will be even more interesting for those who have enjoyed the articles. I will still post shortened updates from time-to-time that comply with the rules Seeking Alpha would like me to follow that do not have the same level of depth.https://www.youtube.com/@consistentdividendinvestor/featuredGraduated in 2011 with degrees in Pre-Law and Business Administration…

Another 60,000 student loan borrowers will receive student loan relief in the coming weeks. The Biden Administration announced $4.5 billion in relief for public service workers such as nurses, teachers and social workers. The relief comes as a fix to the original Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The program was initially signed into law by George W. Bush in 2007 to give non-profit and government employees loan forgiveness after 10 years in the workforce.”Before President Biden and Vice President Harris entered the White House, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program was so riddled by dysfunction that just 7,000 Americans…

Many pre-retirees and retirees make serious mistakes regarding their retirement income and spending for living expenses. This is very understandable, since building sources of lifetime retirement income can be complicated and beyond someone’s skill set. Preparing retirement budgets can also be time consuming and frustrating. As a result, either you might spend too much, which increases your chance of running out money, or you’re very cautious and might spend less than you could have and miss out on fully enjoying your retirement. Let’s look at seven spending mistakes you might make and some strategies to address them. First, however, let’s…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.The US is willing to provide up to $20bn as part of a G7 loan to Ukraine that will be repaid with profits generated by Russia’s frozen assets, according to three people familiar with the matter.The talks over the loan are accelerating as western officials want to provide funding to Kyiv before the end of the year, conscious that if Donald Trump wins the US election in November, Washington’s aid to Ukraine could be cut off.G7 countries have been locked in…