Fed Note: July 2022
The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee continued its aggressive tightening pace in the June meeting, by raising the key fed funds interest rate today by 0.75%—to a new range of 1.50-1.75%.
Fed Note: June 2022
The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee continued its aggressive tightening pace in the June meeting, by raising the key fed funds interest rate today by 0.75%—to a new range of 1.50-1.75%.
Federal Student Loan Repayment Postponed for Sixth Time
On April 6, the U.S. Department of Education announced a record sixth extension for federal student loan repayment, interest, and collections, through August 31, 2022.1 The fifth payment pause was set to end on April 30, 2022. The six extensions have postponed federal student loan payments for almost two and a half years — since…
Fed Note: May 2022
The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee turned more aggressive in this month’s meeting by raising the key fed funds interest rate by 0.50%—for the first time in over twenty years by that amount—to a new range of 0.75-1.00%. There were no dissents.
Colliding Forces: Russia, Oil, Inflation, and Market Volatility
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has drawn condemnation and punitive sanctions from the United States, Europe, and their allies. The humanitarian cost of war cannot be measured, and the long-term economic effects could take months or years to unfold.
Market Update: Ukraine Conflict
A quick note from The H Group…With Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine, markets are experiencing increased volatility as they try to price in the geopolitical fallout. We do anticipate volatility may remain high until there is a better understanding of how far Putin’s plans may span and the extent of which sanctions may be applied by the West.
Social Security’s Uncertain Future: What You Should Know
Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system, which means today’s workers are paying taxes for the benefits received by today’s retirees. However, demographic trends such as lower birth rates, higher retirement rates, and longer life spans are causing long-run fiscal challenges. There are simply not enough U.S. workers to support the growing number of beneficiaries. Social…
Hostage Data: Ransomware And Protecting Your Digital Information
On May 7, 2021, the Colonial Pipeline, which carries almost half of the East Coast’s fuel supply from Texas to New Jersey, shut down operations in response to a ransomware attack. Colonial paid a $4.4 million ransom not long after discovering the attack, and the pipeline was reopened within a week. While there was enough…
Are Cryptocurrencies the Place to Be?
We’ve covered some of the characteristics of cryptos before, but with the ongoing spike in investor interest, the topic is worth revisiting. With any newer and harder-to-understand product, it’s important to take a step back and not lose sight of the forest for the trees.
There’s Still Time to Make an IRA Contribution for 2020
Even though tax filing season is well under way, there’s still time to make a regular IRA contribution for 2020. You have until your tax return due date (not including extensions) to contribute up to $6,000 for 2020 ($7,000 if you were age 50 or older on or before December 31, 2020). For most taxpayers, the contribution deadline for 2020 is April 15, 2021.