At a time when Congress can’t seem to agree on much, lawmakers are acknowledging that the main retirement savings vehicle, the 401(k), needs some fixing. Before you get too excited, the changes being considered are more like touch ups, rather than a complete renovation.
Read MorePresident Trump is not happy with the Federal Reserve. In an interview with CNBC, he said that while he put a “very good man” at the helm of the central bank (Jerome Powell), he’s “not thrilled” that interest rates are rising. The remarks got a lot of attention, because for the past twenty years or so, presidents and administration officials have abstained from commenting on the Fed’s monetary policy to preserve the central bank’s independence from partisan pressure.(For more on the complicated relationship between the Fed and Congress, check out my interview with author and Fed expert, Mark Spindel.)
Read MoreFive days after implementing tariffs on $34 billion worth of imported Chinese goods, the Trump administration released a list of an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese imports that will be subject to a 10 percent tariff. On the day of the announcement, stocks slid, but only by about a half of a percent. By the end of the week, it seemed like investors had forgotten about the announcement and instead were focusing on corporate earnings and the strength of the economy.
Read MoreMany parts of the country recently experienced a heat wave and with extreme temperatures, come the usual warnings: keep your pets indoors, don’t overdo physical activity and hydrate often. It just so happens, that the heat wave coincided with the implementation of U.S. and Chinese tariffs, which prompted some tea-leaf readers to come to a boil on the markets and exclaim “SELL EVERYTHING!” Before you take any action that would pre-empt your game plan, here’s a handy summertime hint: stay cool with your investments!
Read MoreWith the release of the Labor Department's June employment report, it’s time to assess how the economy is doing, six months into 2018.
Read MoreAs you head off to the beach, the mountains or enjoy an upcoming stay-cation this summer, here is my annual list of books that I have enjoyed in the first six months of the year. Before you say, “There’s no way that I am reading a money-related book during July or August,” I encourage you to check out these top picks—they are interesting page-turners! As a bonus, I have interviewed all of the authors on my podcast, “Better Off," so feel free to listen for a preview.
Read MoreAs the heated talk over tariffs dominated the financial news, you might have missed a notable fact: housing affordability has dropped to its lowest level in nearly a decade. That’s a shame, considering that the economy is picking up steam and incomes are finally creeping higher.
Read MoreU.S.-China trade tensions escalated, after the Trump Administration said that it would implement the previously announced 25 percent tariff on $50 billion of Chinese goods “that contain industrially significant technologies” – i.e., those that were highlighted in President Xi’s “Made in China 2025” project, which explicitly focuses on boosting China’s capabilities in sectors where the U.S. is currently a leader.
Read MoreAfter the U.S. imposed previously announced tariffs (25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum) on the European Union, Canada and Mexico last month, a number of you wrote me asking to explain the bottom line when it comes to trade deficits. I know that the rhetoric around trade has been tough to absorb, so here’s my attempt to provide a “Trade Deficit Q&A."
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