More than 65 million Americans — about one out of three adults — provide care for someone who is ill, disabled, or aged.1 Although these caregivers are unpaid, the total value of their efforts is estimated at $450 billion annually — more than the value of paid home health care and more than the 2010 […]
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Interest rates have been exceptionally low for three years now — and are expected to remain so through the end of 2014, according to the Federal Reserve.1 Meanwhile, market volatility has been high. These are challenging times for risk-averse investors who want to improve their returns. If you are retired or approaching retirement, capital preservation […]
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Wouldn’t it be disappointing to dream about a comfortable retirement and then find yourself unable to enjoy your leisure years because of limited financial resources? Unfortunately, this is a possibility for people who underestimate retirement expenses and the rising cost of living. Evaluate Spending and Costs Although your expenses may change when you retire, […]
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International visitors to the United States spent a record $153 billion in 2011, an increase of 14% over 2010. That’s good news, but just as significant is the fact that the travel and tourism balance of trade produced a surplus of $42.8 billion — a historic high and a 35% increase over the previous […]
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The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index (LEI) is designed to assess the U.S. economic outlook for the next three to six months. Because the LEI is forward looking, businesses and investors may use it to help anticipate what could be ahead and make informed decisions. The LEI summarizes a large amount of economic data, […]
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On June 28, 2012 — two years and two months after passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) — the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law by a vote of five to four.1Unless Congress takes further action, the provisions of the act currently in effect will remain so, […]
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Many small firms have found it more difficult to borrow money since the financial crisis hit, and business access to credit has yet to improve despite an economic recovery. A larger percentage of small-business owners who applied for financing were unsuccessful in 2011 (44%) than in 2010 (34%), primarily because there was more demand for […]
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Nearly 50 million Americans are covered by Medicare, including most people 65 and older and many disabled people under age 65.1 Medicare benefits can be valuable — the average benefit per enrollee was $12,042 for Parts A, B, and D in 2011.2 Because there are a variety of coverage options, you may have to do some […]
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You may be familiar with the most common types of investment companies — mutual funds and exchange-traded funds — but how much do you know about a third type: unit investment trusts (UITs)? A UIT purchases a portfolio of stocks or bonds. The portfolio is divided into shares called “units” and sold to individual […]
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According to some measures, total student debt in the United States surpassed $1 trillion last spring and is now more than Americans owe on credit cards or auto loans.1 In 2010, about 56% of students who received a bachelor’s degree from a public college or university had an average debt of $22,000. Not surprisingly, debt […]
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