Do your investments match your values?
How much income are we going to need in retirement?
How do we make sure we don’t outlive the money that we have saved?
Every person’s retirement needs are different, but even within the variability, we all have several expectations in common.
Continue reading “How to set up Guaranteed Retirement Income”
My most vivid memory of the Seventies is sitting in the car with my siblings and parents in a mall parking lot the week before Christmas and my mother crying because they couldn’t afford presents and had to file bankruptcy. For a 12-year-old it made the challenges of real life… real.
The seventies were a traumatic time for many Americans… the end of the Vietnam war, the political chaos of Watergate and Nixon, the oil embargo, gas rationing throughout the decade, the suffocation of unions, the loss of jobs and industries as Japan and South Korea became exporters. Economic instability was an ever-present cloud.
Moving in waves through the decade, the economy suffered from bouts of inflation and deflation. It made policy decision-making challenging at best… boost the economy to keep it from slowing down, or is the economy running too hot?
Continue reading “2023 Inflation and Parallels to the Seventies”
In the United States, there is a huge number of households which are unprotected or under protected by Life Insurance. In a 2018 LIMRA study 7 in 10 households believed they would be in serious financial distress if an adult in the household passed away. (1)
In an updated 2024 LIMRA study, 49% of American households were found to have no life insurance.
Of the households that have life insurance, 42% state they do not have sufficient life insurance to count themselves as protected.
One vehicle that many people rely upon for protection is Group Life Insurance. When offered as a company benefit, it can inexpensively provide protection for many people… but it only does so while the insured works for the company.
Continue reading “Job Change, Group Life Insurance and Russian Roulette”
I have been writing for years about the impact the AI will have on the economy, and especially on workers. In 2023 many commentators remarked that…
“The death of big tech as a leader of growth and earnings has been grossly exaggerated. That was the message from Surveillance guests today ahead of results from Alphabet Inc. and Microsoft Corp., especially given the pace and scope of recent technological advancements. (1)
Neuberger Berman’s Charles Kantor said artificial intelligence hasn’t been fully priced into the valuations of tech companies.
“I am quite optimistic that the very large index contributors will deliver earnings of high quality, and they’re protecting their cash flows this year,” he said. He said AI-related developments can add 500 basis points of value to tech adopters.
Rishi Jaluria of RBC Capital Markets agreed, saying ChatGPT-like technologies will offer long-lasting benefits in profitability and efficiency for the biggest players, with Microsoft on the leading edge of that race for now.
Continue reading “AI and the New Labor Economy”
One of the most impactful actions people can take in addressing the climate crisis is to change their diet from the Standard American Diet (SAD) based on heavy meat consumption, to a plant-based vegan diet. (1)
Animal agriculture and Concentrated Animal Farming Operations (CAFOs) are a primary cause of CO2 and methane, the two main gases contributing to rising temperatures worldwide. The farming of animals also drives deforestation and environmental breakdown, aggravating the crisis.
By shifting to a plant-based diet we can start reducing our demand on our fragile planet.
Continue reading “Changing the Corporate Menu is a Great First Step”