Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will be in the hot seat again on Thursday when he testifies before the Senate Banking Committee. On Wednesday, he was in front of the House Financial Services Committee. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is on the Banking Committee.
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NEW YORK– U.S. stocks climbed to records Thursday, with easier interest rates beckoning on the horizon. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said in testimony on Capitol Hill that the central bank is "not far" from delivering the cuts to interest rates that Wall Street craves so much. It's a key point on Wall Street because cuts to rates would release pressure on the…
The Insured Retirement Institute released its 2024 Retirement Security Blueprint with 33 proposals to enhance and strengthen retirement security for more of America’s workers and retirees.
When we examine our most successful clients, we see behavior patterns. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but here are a few characteristics most prevalent among those best prepared to retire. The most common characteristic of successful retirees is they treat their savings as a bill.

#FinanceTok: Leveraging social media challenges for financial education
#FinanceTok is a burgeoning movement where users share, learn and engage with financial education through short, impactful videos.

IncomePath: Helping clients reimagine retirement spending
Two retirement industry thought leaders believe the industry’s “failure” approach to retirement planning is faulty, so they conducted their own research and created a tool to help consumers make the best choice for a successful retirement.
–Each year at tax time, millions of people who received advance premium tax credits to buy ACA Marketplace insurance find out that they need to pay back some of the premium subsidies they received. This week, healthinsurance.org is providing information that explains why many consumers receive excess APTC and what determines the amount they have to repay.
The Financial Services Institute (FSI), along with the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), the American Trucking Association (ATA), the Coalition…

Nearly 80% of near retirees fail or barely pass Social Security basics quiz
Nearly 8 out of 10 (78%) of near retirees failed or barely passed the latest Social Security retirement benefits quiz from MassMutual.

More states earn an ‘A’ in financial literacy education
Half of the 50 states are projected to get an “A” grade in financial literacy education for their high school students by 2028, according to a Champlain College report.
NEW YORK- Wall Street roared higher again on Thursday with hopes the Federal Reserve may finally be done with its market-rattling hikes to interest rates. More importantly for financial markets, investors also took comments by the Fed's chair to mean that recent jumps in longer-term Treasury yields were acting like rate-hike substitutes and could obviate…
–When you think about net worth, some of the world's wealthiest people may come to mind, like Jeff Bezos or even Oprah. The Federal Reserve released its Survey of Consumer Finances in October, outlining the average net worth of Americans by age– so you can see how you stack up to your peers. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, net worth is your…
A research report about the SECURE 2.0 Saver’s Match provision published today by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 21.9 million Americans could qualify to receive a matching retirement plan contribution from the federal government starting in 2027.
In February 2021, inflation was reported at just 1.7%. This is still well above the Federal Reserve's target rate of 2%. Since February 2021, food prices have risen a cumulative 20.7%.
When Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told the world in November that lower interest rates were coming, investors rejoiced. The Fed's campaign to beat down inflation had pushed interest rates higher and weighed on the costs of U.S. debt and severely dampened housing markets. The U.S. Labor Department will report on the jobs market and on unemployment on…
I recently received a letter asking me for more information on Roth IRAs. Many things can be used in retirement to provide income, but in this column, I will discuss accounts that the IRS recognizes and gives special tax treatment. For example, $50,000 deposited plus $50,000 growth from retirement investments will be taxed at $100,000.

How financial advisors can overcome long-term care insurance buyer hesitation
How financial advisors can overcome buyer hesitancy in purchasing traditional long-term care insurance policies.

Social Security planning is crucial to preparing clients for retirement
Understanding the amount of money your client will receive from Social Security is the bedrock of forming a retirement strategy.
Inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 and registered 3.1% in January 2024. Those warning of recession believed interest-rate increases by the Federal Reserve would not just shrink inflation. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon is uncertain about the economy's trajectory.

NAIC issues policies, but not regulation, on ESG investments
NAIC issues ESG insurance sector policies, an expanding metric to grade insurers’ underwriting, investing, or other business decisions.