Insights

The benefits provided by recent stimulus packages seem to be fading. U.S. retail sales dipped 1.1% last month and have now declined in two of the last three months [Figure 1]. Declines in motor vehicle and online purchases led the fall. Restaurant sales grew 1.7% in July and continue to reb …

My niece’s hard work in high school paid off, and she had many fantastic options for higher education. Despite being from New Jersey, she chose a liberal arts college halfway across the country in Texas and is about to begin her junior year there.

Core inflation moderated significantly last month, rising only 0.3% after jumping 0.9% in June. Used vehicle prices, which rose 10.2% in June, increased only 0.2% in July. Core CPI excludes food and energy prices, which rose 0.7% and 1.5% respectively. Those two categories propelled overall …

Watch this webinar hosted by Carson’s Managing Partner of Wealth Solutions, Jamie Hopkins, and Planner, Ryan Yamada, to learn more about when is the right time for a roth conversion.

 A strong U.S. employment report was the top market event last week. Payrolls surged 943,000, and the prior two months were revised higher by 119,000 (Figure 1). Restaurants and bars continue to rehire workers as activity expands. The leisure and hospitality segment, which includes eating e …

Did you know your Social Security benefits can be taxed? That’s right – up to 85% of your Social Security benefits, money that you put away over your entire career, could be subject to taxation when you receive the benefits in retirement. Our worksheet helps you figure out if you owe, and h …

When a problem is 14 or 15 years away, there’s not great urgency to fix it. But when that problem comes within a decade, that’s a different story. You’ve likely read that the Social Security trust fund is going to run out of money by 2034, but with the looming Trustees of the Social Securit …

 Supply chain issues continued to constrain economic growth and housing. U.S. GDP grew 6.5% in the second quarter, falling 2.0% short of expectations. Strong consumer demand created a surge in purchases. Production didn’t match demand, and the corresponding drop in inventories robbed more t …

The more contagious Delta variant has contributed to a 172% increase in U.S. COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks. The spike is raising concerns some social distancing measures may be reenacted. Initial jobless claims are increasing. Last week claims jumped above 400,000 after staying bel …

Two big economic releases in the U.S. and a series of economic data in China highlighted a challenging week for U.S. stocks. Inflation surged 0.9% and has now increased 5.4% over the last year (Figure 1). The U.S. Consumer Price Index increased more than expected, led by large spikes in use …