A thorough financial analysis and risk assessment of debt security assets and bank equity values shows the threat of bank failures was in plain sight. Interest rate increases result in unrealized losses for held-to-maturity debt security investments, but these losses do not appear in the financial statements (as long as there are no impairment losses).… Read More »Identifying and analyzing the risks of ‘risk-free’ securities
Conventional wisdom about putting money in qualified accounts (401(k), 403(b) and IRA are examples) for decades has been to defer your tax liability on those assets for as long as possible and get growth in those accounts unhindered by taxes. If you can wait and pay Uncle Sam later, why pay him now? As the… Read More »Deferring Taxes Until Retirement? You May Want to Rethink That
The government is threatening a shutdown this week, leaving many to wonder how Social Security would be affected, one of the many questions of how a government shutdown could affect you. One answer is simple: You will continue to receive your Social Security checks even if the U.S. government shuts down on Saturday, the Social Security… Read More »How Social Security Would Be Affected By A Government Shutdown
The special per diem rates that a taxpayer uses in substantiating the amount of ordinary and necessary business expenses incurred while traveling away from home under the per diem substantiation method (set out in Rev. Proc. 2019-48) will be higher starting Oct. 1, as provided by the IRS in Notice 2023-68. In general, under the per diem… Read More »Special per diem rate for business travel rises
Credit rating firm Moody’s warned that a shutdown of the U.S. federal government would be “credit negative” for the U.S. Why it matters: Moody’s is the last of the big three credit rating firms that still bestows the cherished “triple-A” rating on the U.S., which indicates U.S. government bonds are among the safest investments on earth.… Read More »Government shutdown could hurt U.S. credit rating, Moody’s warns
Last year, we witnessed a significant year-over-year increase in CPI inflation, reaching a high of 9.1% in June — the highest in four decades. Since then, we have observed a consistent decline in inflation for the past 12 months. Although it’s improving, inflation remains a common phenomenon in most economies. That it’s prevalent — even… Read More »Inflation and Retirement: Five Ways to Soothe Your Worries
The IRS is developing a contingency plan for a probable government shutdown, the union that represents the Service’s workers said in a statement Friday. One potential concern of a partial or full IRS shutdown is how taxpayers who received an extension in April would file their returns before the Oct. 16 deadline. In addition to… Read More »IRS developing contingency plan as government shutdown looms
In today’s rapidly changing business environment, marked by technological advancements and global market shifts, many companies seek innovative ways to remain agile and cost-effective. One of the surprising answers to this call is the emergence of the fractional executive. As companies big and small grapple with the uncertainties of fluctuating economies and market conditions, the… Read More »Why smart businesses are embracing fractional executives
About the Leading Economic Index and the Coincident Economic Index: The Leading Economic Index provides an early indication of significant turning points in the business cycle and where the economy is heading in the near term. The Coincident Economic Index provides an indication of the current state of the economy. Additional details are below. The Conference… Read More »LEI for the U.S. Fell Again in August
The US Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged while signalling borrowing costs will likely stay higher for longer after one more hike this year. The US central bank’s policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), in a post-meeting statement published Wednesday in Washington, repeated language saying officials will determine the “extent of additional policy… Read More »Fed Leaves Rates Unchanged, Signals Another Hike This Year