Posts by Patrick Villanova:
Young and middle aged adults are particularly pessimistic about the future of Social Security, but their greatest fears will likely never come to fruition. The Nationwide Retirement Institute’s 2021 Social Security Survey found that 71% of people worry Social Security will run out of funding in their lifetimes, while a considerable percentage of Millennials and Gen X-ers believe they’ll never receive “a dime” of benefits. But the 86-year-old program enjoys near-universal approval among Americans and is far more likely to be bolstered through legislation than to fail outright. Read more
Though retirees are only required to take a certain portion of their retirement savings out as distributions each year, a study from JPMorgan Chase shows that there is likely good reason to take out more. A withdrawal approach based solely on required minimum distributions (RMDs) not only fails to meet retirees’ annual income needs but can also leave money on the table at the end of their lives, the financial services firm found. Read more
A 2021 survey from the staffing and recruitment firm Robert Half says that 44% of professionals reported feeling burnt out at their jobs. That’s a 10% jump from one year ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the economy. This year, a record 3.8 million U.S. employees quit their private-sector jobs in April 2021 – and are still leaving their jobs at a breakneck pace. The national quit rate, or percentage of workers quitting their jobs each month, crested at an all-time high of 3.1% in April and remained at 3% in June. For perspective, roughly an average of 2.5 million left their jobs every month between January 2001 and December 2020, well below the 3.7 million who gave their two weeks’ notice in June 2021 alone. Read more
Between longer lifespans and a seemingly never-ending bull market, you might be tempted to invest heavier in equities during retirement than the “110 minus your age” rule dictates. But new research… Read more
There might be missing money out there with your name on it. A pair of bills in Congress could make it easier to find it. The two bills introduced earlier this year call for the creation of an Office… Read more
The closure of college campuses in 2020 stoked fears about whether college towns around the country could endure the economic instability wrought by COVID-19. The smaller the town, the more… Read more
Investors don’t understand the fees they pay for investment products and advice especially well, according to a recent State Street Global Advisors survey. State Street’s Low-Cost Investing Survey… Read more
As inflation continues to soar, senior citizens next year could receive their largest increase in Social Security benefits in nearly four decades. The Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan senior… Read more
It’s no secret that the U.S. is absolutely dog crazy. According to an American Pet Products Association survey of pet owners from 2019-2020, more than half of all American households, or 63.4 million… Read more
New research from Vanguard suggests that investing in commodities is the most powerful way to hedge against unexpected inflation. Pointing to a concept known as inflation beta — an asset’s predicted… Read more
By the end of July 2021, the price of gasoline had surged almost 42% over the previous 12 months and the price of used vehicles spiked at nearly the same rate. While skyrocketing prices of these two… Read more
As college tuitions continue to rise, a recent study found that parents aren’t taking advantage of college savings tools to help fund their children’s educations. Fidelity’s 2021 College Savings and… Read more
Looking to boost your savings? Forget about cutting out those morning lattes, and instead consider your biggest monthly expense: housing. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, housing… Read more
If $1 million was once the consensus target for retirement savings in the U.S., that appears to be changing. A recent Schwab Retirement Plan Services survey found that 401(k) plan participants across… Read more
A major investment in the nation’s aging infrastructure is on the way. Congress passed the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill , which aims to bring American infrastructure into the 21st century… Read more
The key to financial wellness may be a cool half mil. Though the factors determining financial stability may be different to each investor and retirement saver, a recent Empower Retirement and… Read more
A provision of the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill would tighten the rules of how cryptocurrency transactions are reported, potentially prompting investors to rethink how and where they store… Read more
Owning real estate has traditionally been viewed as an effective way to hedge against inflation. The logic is simple: as the price of goods and services increases, so does property value. Like other… Read more
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than six million people reported not working at all or working fewer hours in June 2021 because their employer closed or lost business due to the… Read more
The number of people who move each year within the U.S. has been steadily decreasing for years. The U.S. Census Bureau says that while more than 42.6 million people moved within the country in 1999,… Read more
Seismic changes could be coming to the way America’s wealthiest investors are taxed. Under President Joe Biden’s $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, taxpayers whose incomes exceed $1 million would… Read more
Whether you were once cut off by a car with Florida license plates or mercilessly tailgated by a driver in New York, we’ve all had bad experiences with drivers from other states (or our own) at some… Read more
Buying a home is an important financial milestone. Many homebuyers have to save up for years, even decades, to buy a dream home. For them, this is a long-term investment that can also help them build… Read more
When planning a wedding, the costs can add up pretty quickly. There’s the venue, the music, the photographer, the catering and the outfits and adornments, among other common expenses. While the… Read more
A quant hedge fund is a pooled investment vehicle that uses quantitative analysis to select securities. This means that the fund relies on research and mathematical and statistical modeling to… Read more
