A look back at 2022 thus far Presented by Marc Aarons The year in brief. Soaring inflation impacted consumers, businesses, and investors in 2022, and the Federal Reserve tried to rein it in with an aggressive cycle of interest rate hikes. Bulls and bears engaged in a tug-of-war on Wall Street, leaving the major benchmarks […]

2022 brings new life expectancy tables.  Provided by Marc Aarons  For the first time in nearly 20 years, the IRS has released updated actuarial or life expectancy tables. Those who take required minimum withdrawals (RMD) from retirement accounts may already know we use these tables to calculate your RMD. Using these new tables is relatively […]

It’s a new year, full of new possibilities for what may lie ahead.  Provided by Marc Aarons  By any measure, 2021 was a strong year for investors. But what’s in store for 2022? From my perspective, I expect that many of the same forces that influenced markets last year will play a role again in […]

Powell’s testimony to Congress may be telling. Provided by Marc Aarons  If you weren’t paying close attention, you might have missed it. Fed Chair Jerome Powell dropped the word “transitory” when describing inflation during his recent testimony to Congress.1 Powell had told the story of transitory inflation for the past several months while the Consumer […]

These numbers don’t always represent the full picture. Provided by Marc Aarons  The holiday season is often a quiet, positive time for the financial markets. The phrase “Santa Claus Rally” was coined in the early 1970s to reflect the stock market’s upward bias during the November-January stretch.1 But this year, the markets might face some […]

In recent months, consumer confidence has been falling. Provided by Marc Aarons A confident consumer can be a powerful ally in an economy. But when the consumer starts to have questions, we can measure consumer confidence in everything from retail sales to home buying to the personal savings rate. In recent months, consumer confidence has […]

Is it time to contribute more?  Provided by Marc Aarons  Preparing for retirement just got a little more financial wiggle room. This week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced new contribution limits for 2022. Staying put for 2022 are traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), with the limit remaining at $6,000. The catch-up contribution for traditional […]

Enrollment period begins October 15.  Provided by Marc Aarons  Medicare’s annual open enrollment period begins October 15 and ends December 7. During this time, current Medicare beneficiaries have the option to adjust their coverage for the coming year. Any changes to your plan will go into effect on January 1, 2022.1 This is an opportunity […]

Here are some things you might consider before saying goodbye to 2021.  Provided by Marc Aarons  What has changed for you in 2021? For some, this year has been as complicated as learning a new dance. Did you start a new job or leave a job behind? That’s one step. Did you retire? There’s another […]

Preliminary estimates call for a 4.7% cost-of-living increase.1  Provided by Marc Aarons If there is a “silver lining” to all the inflation talk, it may be that Social Security benefits are expected to see a larger-than-normal increase in 2022. Preliminary estimates call for a 4.7% cost-of-living increase (COLA) in Social Security benefits next year, which […]