February 2020
Retirement Articles This Week
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Entries by Wise Owl (1044)
Retired?...Need Income?
Here's a blog that may provide you with income ideas....make sure to discuss with your financial advisor.
Bond yields are up up up!...Your bond funds head lower...
Since last week's election, the benchmark 10-year Treasury has gone from a yield of 1.80 to 2.30 percent. It has moved higher with the dollar, which is up about 2.5 percent against a basket of currencies. The 30-year bond yield crossed the psychological 3 percent level Monday.
Mortgages and other financing are based on the 10-year, and fixed-rate and other mortgages are already on the rise. The 30-year fixed rate mortgage is also up a half percent since Trump was elected. It jumped an eighth of a point Monday, to the psychologically important 4 percent level.
Medicare Part B
Premiums for Medicare Part B will rise by a modest amount in the new year.
The average premium for Part B, which covers physician services, outpatient hospital services and medical equipment, will rise to approximately $109.00 for most retirees, according to an announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
That's just slightly more than the typical premium of $104.90, which has been in place for the last four years.
Trump rally continues...Dow at Record high!
18,807.88 USD....Not sure whats's going on....Donald Trump is rocking the market today...
Unfortunately...the market not liking reit's, utilities, staples and telecom...The RUST stocks!...A lot of retiree's are heavy in these sectors. The dividend sector has gone down with rising interest rates. Your retirement portfolio has probably gone south recently.
Day after election...Trump Rally!...Dow Up 256 Points
Wow...new president...markets love it today!
One Day Away from elections...Dow up 370 Points!
Election Day tomorrow....stocks up big today.
We can't wait till the election is over!
The performance of the S&P 500 Index has signaled the outcome of every presidential election since 1984, according to an analysis by Strategas Research Partners LLC.
A gain in the benchmark for American equity in the three months prior to the vote has seen the incumbent party win 86 percent of the time since 1928. Right now, the benchmark gauge is down 3.6 percent since Aug. 8 with just a week until the vote, a fact that in isolation augurs well for Donald Trump.
Social Security cola is peanuts
The Social Security Administration just announced Social Security’s COLA or cost-of-living adjustment for 2017, and it is tiny. Retirees will likely see just a $4.00 increase (.03 percent) in their checks beginning in January.
On the average monthly benefit of $1238.12 that amounts to $3.70.
Seven things david letterman is doing in retirement
Here’s what the 69-year-old funnyman says he’s up to now that he’s no longer tied to 9-to-5ing…
1. Growing the beard. The thing first made headlines during his St. Barts jog and it’s taken on a life of its own. He now describes the facial hair as “a good reminder to me that that was a different life.” Letterman added that his family (he’s married to Regina Lasko and they have a son Harry) has “given up” on the beard. His son “thinks it’s creepy.”
2. Shopping in Target. There isn’t a superstore that Letterman, who splits his time between residences in NYC and Westchester (though still has his sprawling Montana estate), doesn’t like, apparently. He’s also shopped at CVS and Walgreens, according to the story. He even got to visit Target on a weekday afternoon! “I’m the guy who holds up lines because he always thinks he has the correct change. ‘How much was that? I think I may have the 87 cents,’” he explained. How cool would it be to see him in line though?
Cold winter ahead?...Barron's suggests a natural gas investment
If you have some spare cash, and betting on a moonshot doesn’t make you nervous, buy natural gas before the winter. This could produce a big jackpot, if nature cooperates. Prices are still not far above historic lows, and winter is the time of year when demand can surge.
Remember, always consult with your financial advisor.
Better fill up the tank this week!
The average price of gasoline in the U.S. has dropped six cents over the past two weeks to $2.16 a gallon for regular grade.
California Public Employes retirement system Has Dismal returns
Calpers announced recently that it returned just 0.61% during the fiscal year that ended June 30th, falling well short of it’s goal of a 7.5%, meaning that the fund will lose ground in its efforts to earn enough to make good on its promises to retirees.
Right now, the fund has 68 cents in assets for every dollar in liabilities, assuming that it continues to earn returns of 7.5% per year, though it has failed to do that for two years in a row.
Source: Fortune.com