Erik J. Hass, 53, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release, according to a news release from the Oregon District of the U.S. Attorney's Office. He was also ordered to pay more than $1.75 million in restitution to his victims. In January 2013, Hass founded Simply Grains Inc., which he claimed supported Christian missionaries…
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When Franklin D. Roosevelt started Social Security in 1935, the goal was to make the program self-funding. In addition, any income tax revenues from Social Security earnings and interest earned by the trust fund would go into the fund. This worked fine at the beginning because Social Security only provided retirement income to retired workers and life…
Cross-selling leads to up-selling
Cross-selling often results in increased sales revenue and higher rates of client retention and satisfaction.
Four tips for getting the most out of industry conferences
Here are four tips to help prepare for conference season. Attending conferences is more than just networking.
BPT- Will I be able to retire? How much do I need to save? What if I outlive those savings?
"If we are not on the right side of this issue, we are going to have major strains on our state treasury and we are going to have major challenges within communities to meet the essential needs of retirees," said Washington State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti, who was in Port Angeles on Aug. 9 for a listening session on retirement security. One of the panelists, Cathleen…
401(k) plan is becoming non-negotiable for job seekers, study finds
The 401(k) plan is becoming non-negotiable for those looking for work, and three in four would refuse a new job if it did not offer one.
Think of a Birkin bag, art by the legendary Jean-Michel Basquiat or a Rolex. The U.S. Federal Reserve has raised interest rates 11 times since March 2022 in an attempt to cool inflation. Research by J.P. Morgan shows a 7% year-over-year increase in the luxury goods market in the fourth quarter of 2022, despite significant price hikes.
Second quarter revenue was $42.92 billion, edging out Wall Street expectations for $42.25 billion, according to a survey of industry analysts by Zacks Investment Research. The Federal Reserve has, in effect, locked many homeowners into the places they own, rather than upgrading, after raising its benchmark rate 11 times since March 2022, most recently late last…
"One trillion dollars in credit card debt is staggering," said LendingTree chief credit analyst Matt Schulz. Credit card balances hit $1.03 trillion in the second quarter, up 4.6% from $986 billion in the preceding three-month period, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Center for Microeconomic Data. "Compared to other debt categories this…
Aug. 12— When you retire, you hope that you'll be able to anticipate the events that could cause you financial challenges down the road. For one thing, most retirees are probably aware that, even if they remain healthy, their health care costs may rise, even if they're covered by Medicare or Medicare Advantage. In fact, 63% of retirees think the biggest financial shock…
–African-American families have known for generations that retirement at the age of 65 is often a mirage. Opportunely, a new research study by the Bipartisan Policy Center a Washington, DC based think-tank and investment manager BlackRock offer ideas and solutions that provide a wholistic approach to retiring, presenting a framework that any person– across…
6 social media do’s and don’ts for advisors
Financial advisors share their social media advice, including six do’s and don’ts for Facebook and LinkedIn.
Cetera Financial Group announced today that it has completed its acquisition of the retail wealth and trust business of Securian Financial.
While a growing number of those properties may be valued at more than $1- million, the buildings really represent the middleclass owner's retirement nest egg. and in time, won't just about all North Side be properties be worth a million or more? Dubbed the "Mansion Tax," the Johnson proposal would hike the buyer's transfer tax on a $1- million property to 2.65%- or a…
The number— that magical figure showing what people think they need to have tucked away to live comfortably in retirement— went up to $1.8 million this year in Charles Schwab’ s annual survey of people with 401 savings plans. That’ s $100,000 more than last year, when inflation hit a 40- year high. "When inflation persists for an extended period of time, workers are…
Credit-card balances surpassed $1 trillion for the first time last quarter in data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, showing how even more widespread credit has become among American consumers as the U.S. economy recovered from the pandemic. Balances increased by $45 billion, the most of all debt types, to $1.03 trillion in the second quarter, the New…
The Volcker rule is named after the 12th Chair of the Federal Reserve, Paul Volcker, here pictured with former Fed Chairs Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke. Passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on July 21, 2010, Dodd-Frank enacted sweeping reforms over the financial industry in the aftermath of the Financial Crisis of 2007– 2008, the…
But now, that household debt is taking on unprecedented levels that could sink the consumer economy, according to new data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. U.S. credit card debt rose by $45 billion to $1.03 trillion in the second quarter from the first quarter, a 4.6% quarterly increase. It's the first time in U.S. history that household credit card…
The widow of a former U.S. Senate candidate from Maine has filed a civil lawsuit alleging his campaign adviser defrauded the couple of more than $225,000 for a fake cryptocurrency venture. Max Linn's wife, Hanna Aquino, and Susan Englar, who represents Linn's estate, filed the complaint Monday in U.S. District Court in Maine against Matthew McDonald of Bar Harbor.
