The Social Security Administration announced a 2021 Cost of Living Increase of 1.3% on Oct. 13, 2020. Whether you’re currently working or enjoying retirement, here’s how you may be affected.
Stocks have been up — but unemployment has also risen. Why is that? Here, we break down the major differences between the stock market and the economy.
Should you consider taking Social Security early to cover financial hardships caused by COVID-19? Make these crucial considerations first.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our lives in unprecedented ways, forcing us to stay at home more, adjust our spending habits and even reevaluate our retirement hopes and dreams. Here are four simple steps to align your spending with exactly what you value.
72% of Americans have felt financially stressed at some point during 2020. Here are 6 of the most common stress triggers with ways to fix them.
How do you decide between a 15-year and a 30-year mortgage? Emotional decision or a financial one? Read on for one analysis.
It’s painful, but increasingly common. Big companies are laying off employees. Have you or someone you know lost a job? How to help? Focus on working on six critical tasks.
Ever wonder what difference financial planning might make in a person’s life? One Investec advisor went into this field in part because wealth management holds the promise of achieving four objectives he holds dear.
Do you think a financial plan is just about investments? Our blog challenges that thinking, asserting that financial planning is built upon a foundation of what you care about most in life. Read our five reasons to have a financial plan.
If you've recently received your $1,200 stimulus check, have you thought about what you'll do with it? We're offering 6 productive things you can do with your stimulus check right away.
Often times, the decision as to which credit card to use is made with not a lot of research or foresight. This causes consumers to sign up for credit cards that do not fit their needs, incorrectly use their card, overspend, and worse, fall into a never-ending debt cycle.
Investec hosted its live "State of the Markets" event on Thursday, January 30th, at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Houston. Clients attending the event heard presentations from John and Daniel Goott, Investec principals, on economic and market events of 2019 as well as on their outlook for investors in 2020.
What's known today as Investec Wealth Strategies began when John Goott first registered his firm with the State of Texas on December 17, 1984. We asked John, as the Founding Principal, to reflect on the past 35 years.
EBUs are “Earning Bonus Units,” which ExxonMobil employees may be awarded each year as part of their incentive bonus compensation. For those who receive both cash bonuses and EBUs, typically the EBUs are approximately equal to the cash bonus, i.e., half of the annual bonus component of incentive awards is paid through EBUs.
There's a temptation to want to define the value of an advisor as an annualized, net-of-fees increase in the value of one's portfolio. But as we'll discuss shortly, some of the most meaningful contributions an advisor can make aren't recurring on an annual basis.
We don't know when the next bear market will hit. U.S. stocks are near all-time highs, but many investors are nervous. Tariff talk and threats make many nervous. There are signs growth in the global economy is slowing, business investment is declining, and consumers may begin to cut back. The economy tends to go in cycles.
In the face of uncertainty in forecasting years into the future, many figure that more is always better. For many, trying to determine how much of a portfolio is "enough" is too imprecise, too subjective, too risky an exercise to quantify. At least that's conventional wisdom.
Price increases for much of what you buy each month may be reflected in the official CPI, but don't assume that your budget will magically work each year based on increasing it by those numbers. You should use CPI as an initial estimate for much of what you buy. But "official" inflation and your own "personal" inflation may be quite different.
Each month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases lots of statistics about inflation. You might think the BLS simply prices a whole bunch of goods and services, compares the cost, and declares the price difference as the official rate of inflation... but you'd be wrong.
You've heard the horror stories. Perhaps you know someone who's been impacted. You think you're prepared to avoid it--but you're fearful it might possibly happen to you. "It" is being exploited. Being taken advantage of. Or simply losing the capacity to make sensible financial decisions.