Wealth and Wisdom: Week of January 29, 2024
Stock prices are showing continued strength as 2024 gets into full swing and January comes to a close. All three of the major equity indexes – Dow Industrials, S&P 500, and Nasdaq – have now made new all-time highs.
That leaves investors to wait and wonder what is to come. Will it be a soft landing or a shallow, brief recession? Will corporate earnings be as disappointing as many fear? And will “none of the above” be the top vote-getter in this year’s presidential election?
Investors are being told to brace for renewed market volatility in the months ahead – and that’s probably good advice.
Stocks have fully recovered
After a 25% decline at the beginning of 2022, the S&P 500 has reached new highs. What does history tell us about what happens next? (Reading time: 2 minutes)
How long you hold stocks matters most
In the short run, stock performance is as random as the weather. Over the long run, they are just the opposite. (Reading time: 5 minutes)
Investors’ favorite parlor trick
The Rule of 72 tells you how long it will take money to double based on the rate of return. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
Why aren’t more employers doing this?
Financially literate workers are more confident, less stressed – and more productive. Employers can help them get there. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
Just how bad is our national debt problem?
The greatest threat to the economy, national security, and social stability might come down to how much money we owe. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
Retirement in three acts
Here’s what to expect during retirement’s different phases – and how to cope with their financial challenges. (Reading time: 5 minutes)
Getting ahead on your mortgage
Paying extra on the mortgage saves money and gets you out of debt sooner – but there might be better uses for your extra savings. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
Today’s bank robbers don’t wear masks
Banks are the targets of daily cyberattacks. Here are 12 things you can do to help keep your money safe. (Reading time: 5 minutes)
Should you freeze your credit?
Take these four simple steps to limit who has access to your personal financial information. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
Poverty is declining in the U.S.
Based on how much we spend – as opposed to how much we earn – poverty in the U.S. has declined by more than a third since 1980. (Reading time: 3 minutes)
Words to the Wise
“I think the best way of doing good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty, but by leading or driving them out of it. I observed that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves and became richer.”
– Benjamin Franklin
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