Estimating the Cost of College
It doesn’t take a degree in finance to see that the cost of college continues to rise. In its 2023 report, the College Board showed that in-state tuition and fees at private non-profit four-year institutions increased by 5% in inflation-adjusted dollars between the 2013-14 and 2023-24 school years.1 For many families, the lion’s share of […]
Mutual Funds vs. ETFs
The growth of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has been explosive. In 2006, there were less than 1,000; by 2023, there were nearly 10,000 investing in a wide range of stocks, bonds, and other securities and instruments.1 At first glance, ETFs have a lot in common with mutual funds. Both offer shares in a pool of investments […]
How Stocks Work
Asset Allocation
If you live in or have visited a big city, you’ve probably run into street vendors – people who sell everything from hot dogs to umbrellas – on the streets and sidewalks. Many of these entrepreneurs sell completely unrelated products, such as coffee and ice cream. At first glance, this approach seems a bit odd, […]
How the Federal Reserve Works
Have you ever taken a close look at paper money? Each U.S. bill has the words “Federal Reserve Note” imprinted across the top. But many individuals may not know why the bill is issued by the Federal Reserve and what role the Federal Reserve plays in the economy. Here’s an inside look. The Federal Reserve, […]
Types of Stock Market Analysis
There is no shortage of analysis for anyone interested in investing. A search for the term “stock market analysis” turned up over one billion results on Google and well over two billion on Yahoo.1 The majority of stock market analysis can be lumped into three broad groups: fundamental, technical, and sentimental. Here’s a close look […]
Inflation & Your Money
“If the current annual inflation rate is 3 percent, why do my bills seem like they’re 10 percent higher than last year?”1 Many of us ask ourselves that question, and it illustrates the importance of understanding how inflation is reported and how it can affect investments. What Is Inflation? Inflation is defined as an upward […]
Required Reading: The Economic Report of the President
In January, the White House released its 508-page book, “Economic Report of the President (2023).” If you haven’t yet made time to peruse this weighty tome, don’t beat yourself up. Most people don’t take the time to read the report—still others don’t even know it exists.1 What is the “Economic Report of the President,” and […]
Best-Performing Asset Classes
According to Yale University’s Crash Confidence Index, only about 24% of investors are confident the stock market will not crash sometime during the next six months.1 If fear leads investors to avoid the entire investment class, they may limit their potential returns. For example, for most of the 10-year period between 2012 and 2022, stocks […]
TIPS for Inflation
In February 2018, Jerome Powell was appointed as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. He became the 16th chair to take over the helm of the world’s most influential central bank. Among other duties, he and the Fed governors are tasked with adjusting short-term interest rates to help control inflation […]