By Joel Dresang
Only about 1 in 15 Americans has an online Social Security account and checks their benefits estimates once a year. I happen to be one of those few. Not only do I plan on Social Security being there for my wife and me when we retire, but I’m getting an idea of how much to expect and how that fits in with the rest of our plans. […]

After a healthy start for stocks and bonds in 2019, investors face uncertainties, including global economic sluggishness and the Federal Reserve’s plans for interest rates. Bob Landaas and Kyle Tetting recent developments and what they mean for investors in a MONEY TALK VIDEO. […]

By Joel Dresang
My wife and I have provided our daughters with limited financial assistance in college. That’s because a) We want our children to have some skin in the game, and b) We’ve needed to save for our retirement. College has presented a serious lesson in what we have hoped to instill in our children about personal finances: You have more opportunities than you have resources, so you must sort out your priorities and plan accordingly. […]

Credit for coining the term “skin in the game” commonly goes to the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett. But as wise and quotable as the billionaire is, the internet can easily overattribute him. As Yogi Berra is said to have said, “I never said most of the things I said.” […]

As concerns of economic slowdown gather, Bob Landaas and Kyle Tetting tell investors how to balance their life’s savings to weather the storm—whenever it comes. Bob and Kyle discussed the difficulty of forecasting recessions in a MONEY TALK VIDEO. […]

By Kyle Tetting
Following the best first quarter in two decades for the S&P 500, many investors are nearing the high-water marks notched by their portfolios just before the fourth-quarter 2018 sell-off. To see stocks fall at the end of one year and then rebound so dramatically with the turn of the calendar is uncommon. With uncommon market movements, though, investors need to guard against a common reaction—making abrupt shifts in their investment strategies. […]

A rare inversion of the yield curve—when long-term yields get lower than short-term—occurred on March 22. The phenomenon ended within a week but not without reminders that inverted yield curves frequently precede economic recessions. More important than their power to predict imminent downturns, though, is the message that inverted yield curves send to investors. […]

By Bob Landaas
Analysts have known for years that longer term, interest rates and corporate earnings drive stock prices. So, it was welcome news in January that the Federal Reserve is now on hold with raising short-term interest rates. Since December 2015, the Federal Reserve has sent short-term interest rates higher, unsettling markets. While it is premature to say that the Fed is done raising rates, it now appears that the central bank is mostly done, which should support stock prices. […]

By Joel Dresang
A former co-worker informed me of a gathering at a bar for our old boss, who’s taking a company buyout. That got me thinking about retirement gifts.
As more of my cohort reach retirement age, I wonder how to send them off. How will our retirements be different from those of our parents or older siblings? […]

By Bob Landaas
As I get older, it becomes clearer to me that there are some problems that you face that can be solved while there are others where there is no easy fix. Two of the issues that are weighing on financial markets currently are solvable and give investors hope after the disappointments of last year. […]

By Joel Dresang
As investors, we’re always hearing about buying low and selling high, not putting all our eggs in one basket, making a plan and sticking to it. Apparently, there’s something to be said too for the warning, “Don’t look down,” which individuals are advised when they find themselves atop a lofty perch and an unfamiliar perspective could panic them into a costly misstep. […]

By Kyle Tetting
The year 2018 marked the worst in a decade for broad measures of U.S. stocks. After some late January weakness, stocks had been trending higher for most of the year before succumbing to uncertainty in the fourth quarter. Uncertainty is always part of investing in stock markets – and, long-term, creates opportunity – but the fourth quarter of 2018 was unnerving in its reminder of how quickly trends can turn. […]