- The Importance Of Shopping Small
Communities turn out in earnest and in droves to support the small businesses they cherish
As consumer spending continues to rebound, U.S. shoppers showed up in a big way for the small businesses in their communities during this year’s Small Business Saturday on November 27, positioning American Express’ (NYSE: AXP) 12th annual event to be one of the most impactful shopping days of the holiday season.
read more - The Value Of Personal Advice: Wealth Management Through The Pandemic
Following a difficult year, advisors achieve record client and asset retention
In 2020, North American wealth-management clients dealt with fear and uncertainty in their portfolios, amid the fear and uncertainty that defined so many other parts of their lives due to the human tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic.
read more - Low Interest Rate Environment & Pandemic Pressure U.S. Fraternals
Net premiums written for the 73 U.S. life fraternal companies decreased by approximately 6% year over year in 2020 to $9.3 billion
U.S. fraternal insurance companies posted a positive year in 2020 despite COVID-19 challenges and low interest rates, as well as difficulties in reaching current and prospective members, according to a new AM Best report.
read more - Tax-Loss Harvesting Using ETFs
A strategy to balance investment losses
No investor wants to have losses, yet even the most successful investors can have a mix of potential winners and losers. Even though 2021 has been a good year for most investors, with the S&P 500 up 34% year to date, that doesn't mean that all investments have gone up. As the year draws to…
read more - Financial Health Means More Than Money
Research reveals critical inequalities in terms of how different groups view their financial wellness, it also identifies a clear opportunity for employers to step in and create meaningful change
Three-quarters of Americans surveyed say their financial health affects their physical and mental health, and more than half say it’s connected with overall happiness and quality of life.
read more - What Will The Future Of Work Look Like?
IDC FutureScape provides their top 10 predictions
The Future of Work predictions from International Data Corporation (IDC) signal an enduring adoption of hybrid work models by a majority of G2000 organizations, supported by broad adoption of automation and artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) technologies.
read more - CFP Board Announces Best Paper Winners For 2021 Academic Research Colloquium
The Colloquium brings renowned researchers from around the world to present their work on investments, psychology, behavioral finance and other financial planning-related fields to both scholars and practitioners.
The CFP Board Center for Financial Planning (“Center”) announced today the recipients of the 2021 Best Paper Awards. The Awards were presented virtually during the Center’s fifth annual Academic Research Colloquium for Financial Planning and Related Disciplines (“Colloquium”), which took place on November 11-16, 2021.
read more - Shaping The Retirement Landscape
Closing a widening retirement savings gap, improving financial wellness, and adjusting to lower return expectations
T. Rowe Price held its inaugural U.S. Retirement Market Outlook press briefing yesterday, offering research-based insights on major themes expected to shape the retirement landscape in 2022. Amid recent significant global events like the pandemic and its impact on the market, a select group of the firm's experts shared their perspectives on key topics, including…
read more - Financial Confidence Among Americans Remains Nearly Flat From The Beginning Of 2021
More than a third of women are spending less this holiday season
With the biggest consumer holidays of the year only weeks away, the BMO Real Financial Progress Index revealed that more than a third of American women plan to spend less this holiday season than in recent years, driven by less savings and a decline in financial confidence and security among women. These findings are from…
read more - Interest Rate Risk Outweighs Credit Risk From Potential Bond Bubble
Still, impact of a ‘bond shock’ remains low
Investors face higher potential market-value losses than credit losses in the event of an accelerated U.S. corporate bond sell-off, due to the system-wide increase in fixed income asset duration and higher levels of low-coupon debt, Fitch Ratings says. However, the direct ratings impact of a bond shock for Fitch-rated insurance companies, pension funds, short-term funds…
read more - Americans Seek To Diversify Investment Portfolios Amid Growing Financial Concerns
Prime opportunity for financial advisors to help consumers build their financial knowledge
The economic aftermath of the COVID‐19 pandemic forced many Americans to revisit their finances and take a critical look at their investments. Now more than ever, consumers are seeking to sharpen their financial knowledge. A recent YouGov study of more than 3,000 U.S. adults, conducted on behalf of MDRT, found that 64% of individuals with…
read more - How Small Businesses Are Emerging From The Pandemic
Focus on well-being sets small businesses apart to attract & retain talent
The Great Resignation has companies of all sizes scrambling to attract and retain talent, but small businesses in particular are grappling with the challenge. According to the latest research from Guardian Life (Guardian), workers at small businesses who said they were “happy or very happy at my job” dropped to 48%, down from 55% in…
read more - Central Banks Pump $9 Trillion Into The Economy Amid The Pandemic
Enacting quantitative easing measures to aid suffering economies
With the economy taking a hit due to the coronavirus pandemic, most central banks globally resorted to enacting various Quantitative Easing (QE) measures to salvage the situation. However, leading economies used the measure to pump historic amounts of money into their crashing economies.
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