Bob's Journal

Bob’s Journal for 8/4/22

How Inflation Rate Varies by Age Group The Department of Labor publishes the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as a measure of inflation nationwide, but the inflation rate for each of us is likely to be different. To compute the CPI, the Labor Department surveys the economy to determine the change in prices of various goods […]

Bob’s Journal for 7/28/22

Some Notable Events That Grabbed My Attention This Week I recorded a “Fun with Annuities” podcast this week with Stan Haithcock (Stan the Annuity Man). We discussed Social Security, the SECURE Act 2.0, inflation, a little about annuities and more. Watch or listen here. Sequence of Returns Risk Upends Some Retirement Plans The recent decline […]

Inflation is Deeper and Broader Than Many Believe A close look at last week’s report on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicates inflation is well-embedded in the economy and will take some time and effort to reduce. Market prices, especially the breakeven inflation rate on Treasury bonds, indicate most investors believe inflation will be tamed […]

Bob’s Journal for 7/14/22

Buyers of ESG Funds Should Beware Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) stocks and funds are one of the hottest trends in investing. But as with most investment trends of the past, investors should look past the hype to the facts. To some people, the “S” stands for sustainability. An ESG investor buys stocks of […]

Bob’s Journal for 7/7/22

Mark your calendar now and join us for Eagle Financial’s FREE Online Trading Event: “How the World’s Most Trusted Experts are Trading the Second Half of 2022.”  (July 27, from Noon to 5 p.m. Eastern). The event is 100% FREE, and you’ll get to hear firsthand how our five Expert Analysts (plus one special guest) […]

Bob’s Journal for 6/30/22

Did You See How the Indexes Changed? A number of popular stock market indexes were changed, and the updates will surprise some investors. Many index investors believe they’re investing in “the market” and that their investments aren’t actively managed. That’s not really the case. The indexes are portfolios of stocks that are selected by committees, […]

Bob’s Journal for 6/23/22

Behind the Headlines of the Social Security Report The annual report from the trustees of Social Security was released in early June. The headline of most media stories was that the trust fund was estimated to last a year longer, until 2035, than was estimated last year. But the details of the report are what […]

Bob’s Journal for 6/16/22

Medicare Premiums Might Decline in 2023 Medicare beneficiaries were surprised in late 2021 by the announcement that the Part B premium would increase by 14.5% for 2022 from 2021’s level. They might receive another, but a very different, surprise in late 2022. The Part B premium for 2023 might be lower than 2022’s premium. Part […]