There have been reports that so-called “elder abuse” in a financial context is on the rise, costing elderly Americans an estimated $36 billion last year alone. By one estimate, roughly one in three older Americans has been scammed in the past five years—what an official at the Institute on Aging calls “an elder financial abuse [...]
Arguably the wildest consequence of the recent pandemic is the remarkable price boom in the U.S. housing market—which, some might remember, went spectacularly bust in the 2008-9 Great Recession collapse. Today, half of all houses put on the market are purchased in less than a week, often for more than the asking price. One recent [...]
When you marry or simply share a household with someone, your life changes—and your approach to managing your money may change as well. The good news is it’s usually not so difficult. At some point, you will have to ask yourselves some money questions—questions that pertain not only to your shared finances but also to [...]
Inflation is in the news again, thanks to a recent jump in the Consumer Price Index. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has calculated that the price of a basket of goods and services rose 5% on an annualized basis in May, the largest increase since August of 2008. The inflation rate was 4.2% in April—which, [...]
Stephen Fulton, Ceo/Founder of Firefly Support Services and Jonte Mufti, Merchant of Firefly Apothecary, joined Tony Jones for a virtual live broadcast last Friday. Firefly is a private provider agency for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Not only do they offer residential care services, but vocational and day services. Firefly Apothecary Mission Stephen started [...]
The 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision streamlined tax and estate strategizing for married LGBTQ+ couples. If you are filing a joint tax return for this year or are considering updating your estate strategy, here are some important things to remember. Keep in mind, this article is for informational purposes only and is not a replacement [...]
There’s a lot of buzz in the investment world about Bitcoin—and cryptocurrencies generally. Is it an investment? A real medium of exchange? Some of this interest undoubtedly comes from the fact that, in 2009, Bitcoins were selling for eight cents a coin. At the peak earlier this year, one of those coins was trading at [...]
You aren’t likely to find a bigger contrast in economic fortunes than the one between the U.S. and Europe as we finally come out of the pandemic crisis. In the U.S., the real gross domestic product—the sum of all goods and services produced in America—grew by an annualized rate of 6.4% in the first quarter [...]
When you’re buying homeowners insurance, and you’re one of the 63 million U.S. households that owns a dog, you should know that many companies have lists of dog breeds that they will not cover on the liability portion of the policy. Why? Homeowners insurance typically pays the victim whenever a dog bites or causes other [...]
Someday, maybe before long, it will become normal again to get on a plane, and the more daring of us might even decide to travel outside the United States. But as we ease back into long-distance vacations, there is going to be an uneasy period where there are greater than normal numbers of cancellations, delays [...]
