Most markets began drifting lower mid-month but end-of-month news from the Federal Reserve and COVID variants caused a major pullback.
Social Security benefits are rising 5.9% in 2022. Headline CPI was up 6.2% year-over-year. The Fed says it is transitory. Here are some pictures to help put in context
We escaped the scary month of October on the equity front but inflation concerns took away the treats.
Enjoy the raise! With the release of CPI today, the SS benefit increase is now known. If still working the maximum earnings subject to the 6.2% portion of FICA went up by 2.9%.
Social Security and Medicare are important programs providing income and health coverage during retirement. Will the programs be around when you retire? The answer is yes, but benefits may be reduced. Here is an overview in Q&A format.
As the weather starts to cool in September, so too did the markets – except for commodities.
Get ready for a nice raise!
After a mid-month dip, most risky assets resumed their strong run higher. Continued low rates are a good thing… until they aren’t.
The freeze on student loan payments and 0% interest has been extended until early next year. Be sure your budget is ready for next February because the debt is still there.
The riskier parts of the risky markets – small caps and emerging – saw negative monthly returns for July. And have you looked at real yields recently? Low discount rates for all my friends! … for now…
Compare the current PE Ratio vs. historic average for a given asset class to help frame expected returns.
A relatively flat month with intra-month volatility. Also worth noting the last row in the table at bottom of post – CPI Inflation YTD through end of May is 2.67%!