Against a backdrop of economic challenges, adults are beginning to feel less positive about the current state of their finances in 2023, according to the latest findings from the New York Life Wealth Watch survey.
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Life insurance companies would love higher-rate bonds, but accounting standard would not, Conning reports
Life carriers would love to trade their low-interest bond for new higher-rate ones, but an NAIC accounting standard dissuades them from taking the short-term hit, according to Conning.
It's the sound of credit crunching all across America. For example, recent data from the Federal Reserve show that commercial bank lending fell by over $100 billion in the two weeks ending March 29. Lending is down partly because there are fewer deposits to lend out: Since the Federal Reserve began to raise rates about a year ago, deposits leaving the banking…
Uber Black is the rideshare company's most luxurious tier offering. So you can imagine the driver's dismay when Uber- Get Free Report unceremoniously kicked him off of the app for suspected fraud. Uber driver using the app.Shutterstock.

Study looks at motivators, challenges of affluent Asian Americans
A recent report by Merrill Wealth Management is shedding light on the unique motivators, priorities and challenges faced by affluent Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the U.S.
After living through previous crises, only 36% of investors have confidence surviving the next one. Those with advisors feel more secure.
D.A. Davidson & Co. announced survey results revealing that more than three-quarters of Americans (77%) report that inflation is impacting, or will impact, their ability to save enough money for retirement – a significant increase from 64% surveyed in April 2022.
Despite a pair of historical bank failures last month which put the nation's banking industry into crisis mode, the nation's biggest banks posted strong profits last quarter, helped by higher interest rates and a U.S. economy that keeps adding jobs and growing even as the Federal Reserve attempts to curb inflation. JPMorgan Chase& Co. posted a 52% jump in its…

Economy hits millennials’ ability to build, transfer wealth
Ongoing economic turmoil has severely impacted millennials’ ability to build and transfer wealth, according to a new survey.
Apr. 17— At age 73, Yoav Zohar is an outlier among the Millennials and Gen Z who make up most of the cryptocurrency community. So when it comes to crypto— digital money that isn't tied to a central bank— Zohar won't hold more than $5 worth. Then came high-profile scandals, including the downfall of the exchange FTX and its billionaire-turned-fraudster CEO Sam…
And handwringing about the health of the Social Security retirement program. It points out that the Social Security trust fund— currently valued at $2.8 trillion, according to the latest report— will run out of funds in 2033.. Over the past almost 40 years, the money collected by way of Social Security payroll taxes, taxes on the benefits themselves, and interest on…
In December 2021, Iwrote a favorable review ofWade Pfau’ s "Retirement Planning Guidebook" published byRetirement Resources. Pfau has produced a second edition of his book, which addresses all the major regulations passed since then. The book covers investments, withdrawal options, annuities, Social Security, Medicare, health insurance, long-term care options,…
NEW YORK- Stocks dipped to close an up-and-down Wednesday on Wall Street following the latest update on inflation and the latest warning of a possible recession. The main focus for more than a year on Wall Street has been high inflation and how much painful medicine the Federal Reserve will have to dole out to contain it. That's still well above the Federal…

Managing risk amid banking crises and economic turmoil
It’s natural for clients to worry about the security of their investments when the market reacts to surprising bad news – but we advisors needn’t wait for dire headlines to address portfolio risk with clients.
Daniel Todd Levine was indicted on April 6 on eight counts of securities fraud and 11 counts of forgery of…
I am a staunch believer in understanding and knowing your individual risk tolerance for your investment portfolio. In other words, it is vital to know how comfortable you are with the risk in your portfolio. Of course, there is always a risk when investing whether that be in the stock market or bond market.
For many people, one of the key steps in estate planning is making sure their children are treated fairly when it comes to inheritance. But "fair" doesn't always mean "equal," especially if your family situation or assets are complicated. According to data from the University of Michigan's Health and Retirement Study, the proportion of parents over 50 who reported…
Converting a 401 k to a gold IRA is a great way to diversify your retirement portfolio and protect your savings from market volatility. A gold IRA rollover allows you to move your 401 k funds into a gold IRA, which can be a great way to protect your retirement savings. When you convert 401 k to a gold IRA, you can benefit from the stability of gold as well as the potential…
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate inched down for the fifth straight week, positive news for potential home buyers and a real estate market that's been chilled by the Federal Reserve's series of interest rate hikes the past year. The national median home price slipped 0.2% from February last year to $363,000, marking the first annual decline in 13 years,…
The FTSE Nareit REIT index returned a negative 20% over the last 12 months, though it has stabilized this year, returning 1% so far. Real estate has hit the skids since the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates in March 2022 and the economy showed some signs of slowing. CoStar's April 2023 real estate data update gives a good picture of some of the problems…