After the market closed on Wednesday, April 2, the President announced new “reciprocal” tariffs on nearly every nation. How were tariffs calculated? Figure 1: The Tariff Formula In plain language, let’s use China as an example (WSJ). Divide the U.S. 2024 goods-trade deficit of $295 billion by the amount the U.S. imported from China—$439 billion. That […]
What We’ll Cover: Stress, Anxiety, and Crises The Risk of Mistakes Maintaining Perspective in Crises In any crisis, “playing it safe” to avoid losing your money can seem like the only rational strategy. However, in the past 60 years, we’ve seen repeating patterns of crises. Despite these crises, the market has been resilient. The Dow
On January 31, 1940, Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont, was the first person to receive a Social Security check. That historic payment amounted to $22.54. Before retiring in November 1939, she served as a legal secretary and contributed to Social Security for about 2½ years. Total taxes paid: $24.75. Before passing away in 1975, she had
62, 67, or 70—When Should You Apply for Social Security? Read More »
What is a tariff? The International Trade Administration defines a tariff as “a tariff or duty (the words are used interchangeably) is a tax levied by governments on the value including freight.” This tariff, or tax, is “paid to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service at the border by a U.S. broker representing a U.S. importer,
The S&P 500 Index set an all-time high on February 19. However, optimism quickly faded as investors grew increasingly concerned over trade policy and the economy. On March 13, the S&P 500 entered its first official correction since 2023, with the index down 10.13%. It’s the first correction since the second half of 2023. But
Stock Market Correction Read More »
Following the election, optimism surged amid the belief that the new President would follow through with plans to pare back regulations that stifle businesses and extend the tax cuts passed in 2017. From an investor’s perspective, so far, so good. But candidate Donald Trump also pledged that he would enact tariffs on countries he believed
Tariffs and economic uncertainty Read More »
An IRA, or Individual Retirement Account, is intended to assist you in saving for retirement. As the name implies, the account is for an individual. It cannot be held jointly with your spouse or another person. An IRA offers significant advantages, including: Tax advantages include tax-free growth on Roth IRA accounts and tax-deferred growth on traditional
Understanding the Ins and Outs of IRA Accounts Read More »
On Saturday, February 1, President Trump announced a 25% tariff on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada, and a 10% tariff on goods imported from China. Stocks sold off the following Monday morning but pared losses after Canada and Mexico made modest concessions and Trump delayed implementation of the tariffs for one month. Clients
Tariffs Bring Headline Risks; Progress Stalls on Inflation Read More »