Will Interest Rates Rise This Year?
The Fed hasn't yet raised its target interest rate from less than 0.25%, and it has promised not to do so before unemployment reaches roughly 6.5%, which it doesn't expect to happen until next year. However, some interest rates have already begun to go up. For example, according to Freddie [...]
Looking Backward and Forward on Entitlement Programs
Last year's presidential election, along with the more recent fiscal cliff and debt ceiling negotiations, have put the spotlight on our nation's tax policy, deficit, and entitlement programs. For some, entitlement programs are necessary--a social compact for America in an era of longer life spans, the decline of employer-provided pensions [...]
Is College Debt the Next Bubble?
What might a 23-year-old recent college graduate, a 45-year-old entrepreneur, and a 60-year-old pre-retiree have in common financially? They may all be hobbled by student loan debt. According to financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz, the student loan "debt clock" reached the $1 trillion milestone last year. And even as Americans [...]
July 2013 Blog: Hot Weather and Hot Markets?
With temperatures in parts of the Bay Area recently moving the thermometer well north of 100 degrees, I have begun to wonder if there was any connection between the stifling weather and other unexpected and bumpy developments in the financial world! As you might have guessed, I am referring to [...]
Issues Impacting Markets and the Economy
I'd like to share some insights into the issues impacting the current market and economic landscape. We all know the big changes and events the markets face in the second half of 2013: a potential reduction of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) bond-buying program, the need for Congress to craft a [...]