Bob's Journal
Found 587 Articles.
Get access to our full article archive by subscribing to Retirement Watch and Retirement Watch Spotlight Series.
The Coronavirus Pandemic Will Wield Serious Effects on Social Security
The coronavirus pandemic is going to have some serious, long-term effects on Social Security’s solvency. The U.S. trust fund that helps pay benefits to non-disabled Social Security beneficiaries is scheduled to run out of money in 2034, according to the latest Annual Report from the Trustees of Social Security released April 22. The date the […]
The Negative Pricing of May Crude Oil Futures Is Worth Analyzing
The price of oil plunged to a negative number yesterday, and that requires more explanation than it’s receiving in the general media. It is the price of a particular oil futures contract that fell as low as negative $37.11 on Monday, not the price of a barrel of oil. The futures markets can be complicated […]
Bob’s Journal for 4/16/20
Market-Related Events Grabbed My Attention This Week Markets seem to be faster-moving and more volatile than ever. Unlike in most crises, the volatility has been moving in both directions. From the peak on Feb. 19 through the bottom on March 23, the average stock in the S&P 500 declined 39%, but since, that pivotal date […]
Bob’s Journal for 4/9
People who have tried to predict and bet on the stock indexes lately have been whipsawed. After a lot of economic activity began grinding to a halt, the stock indexes tumbled. Since most of the world’s market indexes moved in lockstep, it doesn’t matter much which index we view. At the lows of March 23, […]
Bob’s Journal for 4/2/20
Sharing Notable Events That Grabbed My Attention This Week The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stimulus (CARES) Act rolled through Congress last week, and the President signed it on Friday. The law contains many provisions. I want to cover a few that are of most interest to my readers and that seem to raise a […]
Highlighting Notable Events That Grabbed My Attention This Week
Is It Enough? As I write, Congress is striving to pass the legislation designed to provide relief for individuals and businesses adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Senate passed the bill, and the House is expected to pass it soon, though there’s no commitment on the timing. The bill provides cash payments to many […]
Bob’s Journal for 3/19/20
Some Notable Events That Grabbed My Attention This Week In the last week, we moved from concerns about economic growth to concerns about liquidity for businesses and individuals. The first sign of the change was the Federal Reserve’s emergency move to reduce the interest rates it controls down to zero and institute other measures. The […]
Bob’s Journal for 3/12
Many of you have seen and asked about promotions for Retirement Watch that offer a book, “The New American Retirement Plan.” This book and the promotion are a way to introduce new readers to the newsletter. You’ve seen all the material in the book, because it was taken from past issues of the newsletter. That […]
