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A Seven-Year High for Gas Prices
Over Memorial Day weekend, gasoline prices hit the highest for this holiday weekend since 2014.1With the Colonial Pipeline outage in the rear-view mirror and an ever-increasing number of adults vaccinated, formerly cooped-up motorists...
Read MoreFinancial Illiteracy
Stephanie thought she was relatively comfortable with the conversation she had with her husband, Peter, in regard to their personal financial situation. She knew what bank they used for their checking accounts, their mortgage, their...
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Will His Retirement Plan Be Enough For Me To Live On For The Rest Of My Life?
Baby Boomer Women Ginny knew that Bill had saved up a good sum of money for their retirement but now that he was diagnosed with some heart problems, she wondered if there was enough to take care of her needs in the future. They had not...
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Food for Thought
Know and Understand Your Correct Tax Filing Status. Taxes, tax filing, tax status
Read MoreJanuary 4, 2021 - The Year in Review
The Week on Wall Street Stocks moved higher during a holiday-shortened week of trading, capping off a turbulent, but otherwise strong year for equity investors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.35%, while the Standard &...
Read MoreDecember 21, 2020 - Vaccine Rollout Spurs Markets
The Week on Wall Street Stocks climbed higher amid the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and an improving outlook for a fiscal stimulus bill.The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which has lagged all year, gained 0.44%. The Standard & Poor’s 500...
Read MoreDecember 14, 2020 - Cases Rise, Stocks Retreat
The Week on Wall Street Stocks retreated last week on rising COVID-19 infections and slow progress on an economic relief bill. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.57%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 dropped 0.96%. The Nasdaq...
Read MoreDecember 7, 2020 - Is Stimulus Near?
The Week on Wall Street Stocks marched higher last week on an improving outlook for the passage of a fiscal stimulus package. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.03%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 tacked on 1.67%. The Nasdaq...
Read MoreNovember 30, 2020 - Dow Hits 30,000
The Week on Wall Street Stocks surged last week, ignited by another COVID-19 vaccine announcement, encouraging economic data, and the easing of political uncertainty.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.21%, while the Standard &...
Read MoreNovember 23, 2020 - New Infections Increase Anxiety
The Week on Wall StreetDespite news of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate, stocks were mixed amid investor anxiety over an increase in new infections and economic lockdowns.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.73%, while the...
Read MoreNovember 16, 2020 - Vaccine Triggers Rally
The Week on Wall Street News of a COVID-19 vaccine ignited a rally in economically sensitive stocks and a broad retreat in technology companies last week, though enthusiasm was tempered by reports of rising new infections and fresh...
Read MoreNovember 9, 2020 - Markets React to Election
The Week on Wall Street Stocks soared last week as investors anticipated that a split Congress would raise legislative hurdles to changing corporate taxes and adjusting regulatory oversight of big technology companies.The Dow Jones...
Read MoreNovember 2, 2020 - No Stimulus, Stocks Lag
The Week on Wall Street Stock prices dropped last week as hopes for a fiscal stimulus bill faded and investors focused on rising COVID-19 infections, here and abroad. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 6.47%, while the Standard &...
Read MoreOctober 26, 2020 - No Stimulus, Stocks Lower
The Week on Wall Street The failure to reach an agreement on a new fiscal stimulus bill soured investor sentiment and sent stocks modestly lower for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.95%, while the Standard & Poor’s...
Read MoreOctober 19, 2020 - A Difficult Week for Stocks
The Week on Wall Street Stocks treaded water last week amid fading prospects for a stimulus bill, fears of a second wave of COVID-19 cases, and increasing political and regulatory pressures on Big Tech companies.The Dow Jones...
Read MoreOctober 12, 2020 - Stocks Rise, Stimulus Uncertain
The Week on Wall Street Stocks staged a powerful rally last week, riding a wave of optimism over the prospect of the passage of a new fiscal stimulus bill.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.27%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500...
Read MoreOctober 5, 2020 - Special Update: Quarterly Report
The Week on Wall Street Stocks advanced last week, propelled by hopes that legislators may reach an agreement for a new fiscal stimulus package and optimism generated by a few corporate deal announcements and initial public offerings....
Read MoreSeptember 28, 2020 - Stocks Mixed Amid Uncertainty
The Week on Wall Street Stocks were mixed last week as worries that stretched from Washington D.C., where prospects of a new fiscal stimulus bill dimmed, to Europe, which saw an increase of new COVID-19 cases.The Dow Jones Industrial...
Read MoreSeptember 21, 2020 - Tech Sector Slip Continues
The Week on Wall Street Stocks slipped as the technology sector remained under pressure and a mid-week announcement by the Federal Reserve failed to inspire investors.The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.03%, while the Standard...
Read MoreSeptember 14, 2020 - Stocks Continue Downward Slide
The Week on Wall Street Stocks traveled a volatile path last week as investors appeared concerned about the upcoming elections, an uncertain economy, and more delays with additional fiscal stimulus. The Dow Jones Industrial Average...
Read MoreSeptember 8, 2020 - Stocks Stall as Recovery Continues
The Week on Wall Street A late week sell-off sent stocks broadly lower as investors took some profits after stocks reached all-time highs earlier in the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 1.82%, while the Standard & Poor’s...
Read MoreEpisode 52 Power of The Purse – Sally Burche Hurme (2 of 3)
This is the second of three podcasts with Sally Balch Hurme, an estate planning elder law attorney and author of six books. Sally discusses the ways that baby boomer women can find purpose in retirement. Finding Purpose Whether you...
Read MoreEpisode 51 Power Of The Purse – Claire Hillier
The Week on Wall Street Stocks advanced relentlessly last week on positive COVID-19 developments, encouraging economic data, and a supportive policy shift in the Fed’s approach to its target inflation rate. The Dow Jones Industrial...
Read MoreEpisode 50 Power of The Purse – Sally Balch Hurme
A topic that is really important to baby boomer women is caregiving. Whether it be caregiving to elderly parents or to spouses facing dementia or other maladies, most baby boomer women are already facing or will be facing the...
Read MoreA Grey Divorce May Affect Retirement Plans
It is usually an uncomfortable situation, to say the least, to settle a divorce amicably, let alone, fairly. That is further complicated when the divorce happens so near to retirement that neither party has the time to create any...
Read MoreTips to Free Your Time and Simplify Your Life
At this busy time of year, we are all pressed above and beyond the norm to get it all done by Hanukkah or Christmas Eve. Or earlier. And it highlights the virtual impossibility of trying to get it all done and hold a full-time job or...
Read MoreIs a 55-and-over Community the Key to Retirement Happiness?
Why do some people look forward to retirement and others dread it? Since the advent of Social Security, our culture has decided age 65 is the magic age for those of us who have put in many years of “hard work” to step aside...
Read MoreWhat Does It Take To Be Happy In Retirement?
Being with family over the holidays is always a time to reflect on the lives of those who passed before us and are no longer present at the holiday table. It also makes each of us consider what we require to be really happy. We...
Read MoreDo you have to choose between having children or a comfortable retirement?
She chose not to have children and defended it as a conscious decision. She passed up two marriage proposals because her near-fiancés wanted children. She opted instead for a comfortable lifestyle where going out for dinner,...
Read MoreDon’t Want to Be a Burden to your Children? Start Planning Now.
Outliving your money? Bingo. Having to move to a skilled nursing facility? Bingo. Losing my freedom by turning in my keys? Bingo. But how about this one: becoming a burden to my children. Many people do not address that one because it...
Read MoreSocial Security “File & Suspend” Strategy Ends in April 2016
The passage of the newest Federal Budget is causing some rapid responses by those who might be considering a strategy for Social Security planning called “file and suspend.” It was designed by the Social Security...
Read MoreWhy You May Need Long Term Care Insurance
Recently I read an article written by an insurance agent regarding the loss of long term care insurance by those who need it most. It raised an interesting point: when dementia or senility begins, one of the most common signs of the...
Read MoreHow to Get Financially Prepared
Obviously no one can predict when a life event will occur: divorce, death of a spouse, forced retirement, or job loss. But being prepared financially for whatever happens can be one less trauma to deal with during a difficult time....
Read MoreWomen Physicians Need to Create More Wealth
Why is it that women physicians lack the ability to create as much wealth as their male counterparts? Some of it has to do with the difference in their compensation, for sure. But once the salary is paid out, how do they spend it? The...
Read MoreHow to Maximize Your 401K and Investments
What Our Mothers Taught Us About MoneyAs I reflect on the time I was teenager, I remember the constant reminders my mother gave to me regarding money and how to work with it. Quite simply, there were none. She never spoke about the use...
Read MoreWomen Physicians Still Earn Less Than Their Male Counterparts
A recent study by Medscape showed us the sad facts: women physicians in general medicine as well as those in specialities are still earning less than their male counterparts. But not as much less. On a somewhat positive note, the...
Read MoreFinancial Planning Advice for Wives and Widows
Why do wives leave their husband’s financial planner when they are widowed? Maybe because he never paid any attention to her while her husband was alive! All too often, the wife is marginalized in the conversations about money....
Read MoreRetirement and Encore Careers
The time is running out to make the decision to retire or not yet. And you have all your ducks in a row. The “early out” package is very compelling and your spouse is anxious to get started doing all those things you talked...
Read MoreDon’t Sell! The Stock Market Will Recover.
Is the Sky Falling? How do you stay calm when all the financial news tells you to run for cover? Get out of the market! Sell everything! Please don’t. Let’s take a look at the relative drop in the stock market indexes. We...
Read MoreThe Importance of Life Insurance If Your Spouse Dies Post-Retirement
I was having a conversation with a co-worker last week in regards to the planning we do for those who are couples at the time of retirement. How do we acknowledge the loss of income when one of the two spouses dies? Most planning is...
Read MoreWomen Are Better Investors
Women are supposed to be very conservative and very thrifty. That’s the model from our mother’s generation. Accounted for every penny every week and bought only those things that were on sale. How is it then that we are...
Read MoreTips to Boost Your Retirement Savings
Why Does The Thought of Retirement Hurt So Much? It is the ugly monster we don’t want to deal with. It’s the question no one wants to ask. How are we going to fund our retirement when we have so little in the...
Read MoreValuing the Client’s Values
How do a financial planner’s values affect the decisions they make as an advisor? This past week I presented some thoughts to a group of women in NJ around this topic. I asked them to consider the ways in which we bring our own...
Read MoreIs Remarrying Worth It For the Boomer Generation?
In the past few weeks, I have had conversations with women my age who are caught in a societal dilemma: being single in retirement vs. marrying someone for companionship. With the divorce rate what it is and the incidence of divorce...
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