The Budget and the Debt Ceiling: Round 2
On September 30, 2021, Congress averted a potential federal government shutdown by passing a last-minute bill to fund government operations through December 3, 2021.1 Two weeks later, another measure raised the debt ceiling by just enough to sustain federal borrowing...
Too Hot to Handle: What’s Ahead for the U.S. Housing Market?
The U.S. housing market, already strong before the pandemic, has heated up to record levels in 2021. The Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, which measures home prices in 20 major metropolitan areas, reported a 12-month increase of 18.6% in June 2021, the...
Personal Finance Newsletter Oct 2021
Different Inflation Measures, Different Purposes
Key Retirement and Tax Numbers for 2021 See disclaimer on final page
The inflation measure most often mentioned in the media is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
(CPI-U), which tracks the average change in prices paid by consumers over time for a fixed basket of goods and
services. In setting economic policy, however, the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee focuses on a
different measure of inflation —
Rising Inflation: Where Will It Go from Here?
In March 2021, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.6%, the largest one-month increase since August 2012. Over the previous 12 months, the increase was 2.6%, the highest year-over-year inflation rate since August 2018. (By contrast,...
GameStop, Reddit, and Market Mania: What You Need to Know
Over the course of 11 trading days from January 13 to January 28, 2021, the stock of GameStop, a struggling brick-and-mortar video game retailer, skyrocketed by more than 2,200% — creating a mix of excitement and concern throughout the financial world, as well as...
Tax Benefits of Home Ownership
In tax lingo, your principal residence is the place where you legally reside. It's typically the place where you spend most of your time, but several other factors are also relevant in determining your principal residence. Many of the tax benefits associated with...
Coping with Market Volatility: Look In the Rear-View Mirror
If you're investing long-term, sometimes it helps to take a look back and see how far you've come. If your portfolio is currently down, it can be easy to forget any progress you may already have made in previous years. If you've been investing for a while, your...
Personal Finance Newsletter Feb 2021
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