- Inflation: Hard Choices For Consumers
Despite a flat growth in July, Americans are still navigating an expensive economy
Inflation stayed flat in July after rising 1.3% in June, according to a report from the Labor Department on Wednesday 10 August. Despite this, research from Forbes Advisor confirms that Americans are being forced to make hard choices as they navigate an increasingly expensive economy, with prices remaining much higher than they have done in…
read more - The State Of Our Money
How Americans understand and approach their wealth
Stash, the investing and banking app with more than 2M customers and nearly $3B in assets under management, found that 90% of Americans want to invest, and 54% learn about personal finance from personal experience, but almost half (45%) don't know where to start.
read more - How Money Matters To Today’s Workforce
Money matters more than time to working adults
CareerBuilder, a global talent acquisition leader and job marketplace, shared findings from their latest survey revealing thoughts on the reality of money in today's workforce including how money matters more than time as the priority for most working adults with 66% preferring a 10% pay increase over an additional week of paid time off. Of…
read more - From A Market Risk Vantage Point, All Securities Are Created Equal
From a financial risk point of view... not so much
by Steve Selengut
All investing involves risk. All marketable/tradable securities are subject to both "Market Risk" and "Financial Risk, among several others. Market Risk is actually the very nature of all securities, as all are constantly changing in market value for a myriad of reasons. But changing market values do nothing to alter the intrinsic nature of a…
read more - Synchronizing Products And Placement
In a shifting, digital world, making the sale may be a ’now or never’ equation
by Denise Garth
“Would you like fries with that?” was never meant to be a polite question to make sure that we were satisfied. It was meant as an upsell. It is a perfectly-timed, pressure-driven question that often gets a positive response. It was marketing in the moment. In today’s terminology, we might call it “soft-embedded,” opt-in marketing.
read more - Has Inflation Peaked Yet?
Inflation is causing stress and anxiety and many investors believe it has not peaked
State Street Global Advisors, the asset management business of State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT), today announced the findings of its Inflation Impact Survey, which reveals how inflation is influencing Americans’ spending, saving, and investing behavior.
read more - The Gender Confidence Gap
The state of women’s financial and emotional confidence
Guardian’s Study of Financial and Emotional ConfidenceTM explores how financial behaviors and habits affect one’s overall life satisfaction and well-being. Among other results, Guardian learned that income is not the sole driver of financial confidence and success.
read more - Small Businesses Report Hiring Growth In July
July saw a marginal hiring uptick with industry trends underscoring consumer sentiment and ongoing shifts in economic trends
The CBIZ Small Business Employment Index (“SBEI”) (NYSE: CBZ) reported a seasonally-adjusted increase of 0.80% in July, continuing the upward trend from June.
read more - Investor Movement Index Lower Amid July Volatility
Many looked to reduce exposure, finding opportunities in communications services, energy
The Investor Movement Index® (IMXSM) decreased to 4.68 in July, down from 5.10 in June. The IMX is TD Ameritrade’s proprietary, behavior-based index, aggregating Main Street investor positions and activity to measure what investors actually were doing and how they were positioned in the markets.
read more - More Homebuyers Have Flocked To Climate Risky Areas, Despite Intensifying Natural Disasters
Homes with high fire and flood risk sold for a premium during the pandemic as homebuyers sought out waterfront properties and fire-prone suburbia
Homebuyers have paid a premium for high-fire-risk and high-flood-risk homes during the pandemic, according to research from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. This comes as more people have moved into than out of climate-risky areas in recent years, in part because they can often get more bang for their buck and gain better…
read more - Meet Ms. Financially Independent
More than half of women now control household finances, investment & retirement planning
New research on female financial independence released today from HerMoney and the Alliance for Lifetime Income reveals that women are breaking down stereotypes and taking control – of their finances, careers, and futures.
read more - Post-Pandemic, Today’s Low Unemployment Rate Is A Positive Sign For The Economy…
... and may mean no recession
by Tenpao Lee, PhD
Today’s news from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that the July unemployment rate was 3/5% may signal that the economy is in relatively good condition - and with the Fed’s interest rate hikes - that a recession is not imminent.
read more - On The Minds Of Investors
Investor optimism drops on inflation and geopolitical concerns
Optimism among high-net-worth investors dipped to early-pandemic levels on continuing concerns about the economic and market impact of inflation and the war in Ukraine, according to the latest quarterly Investor Sentiment survey from UBS, the world's leading global wealth manager.
read more