With just one trading session left in the year, it’s time to take a deep breath, look back and learn eight important lessons from 2018.
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Every year, millions of Americans resolve to “do better” with their money and 2019 will be no different. According to Fidelity Investments’ New Year Financial Resolutions Study, for the tenth consecutive year the top three financial resolutions among Americans considering one are: save more (48 percent), pay down debt (29 percent) and spend less (15 percent).
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Welcome to the third government shutdown of 2018! Did you forget about the first two? In January, there was a three-day closure, and then in February, there was the one-day sequel. In both of those instances, investors shrugged off the news and stocks actually edged up during those days-long shutdowns.
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The news cycle can teach us important economic and personal finance lessons. Here are my picks for 2018. Happy New Year!
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2018 year-end financial planning is a lot different than in previous years, because it is the first full year after the implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The good news is that for millions of Americans, the new code should make filing easier. That’s because nearly 90 percent of taxpayers are likely to claim the standard deduction this year, up from 70 percent last year.
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It was an exhausting week for investors, even though there were only four trading sessions. Monday’s U.S.-China 90-day trade “time out” stock bounce was dwarfed by big sell-offs throughout the rest of the week. The drubbing began after the President’s tweet that he is a “tariff man,” shortly followed by another, which questioned whether a “real deal” with Beijing is actually possible.
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Two words from Fed Chair Jerome Powell moved markets last week: “JUST BELOW.” He was talking about short-term interest rates, which are just below neutral, a Goldilocks level that is designed to neither speed up-nor slow down-economic growth. Powell’s assessment was a change from a comment he made in early October, when he said rates were a “long way” from neutral.
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Just when you were getting complacent about your data and privacy, hotel chain Marriott announced a massive data breach of its Starwood reservation system. Up to 500 million people could be impacted, going as far back as 2014.
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A rising stock market, a strengthening economy and a change in the tax code propelled charitable giving by American individuals, bequests, foundations and corporations to just over $410 billion in 2017, according to Giving USA 2018: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2017. It was the first time that giving exceeded $400 billion in a single year.
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