Changes in Social Security could mean more money in your pocket
Many of you have likely heard rumblings about changes that were made to Social Security in the final days of the Biden Administration. The Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law on January 5, 2025, eliminates two provisions—the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO)—that previously disqualified millions [...]
Eat better and save money by cooking at home
Last week while meeting with a couple who were looking to get serious about their finances, one of them asked me for advice on how to cut spending from their budget without feeling it. I had to think about that for a little while because the reality is reducing expenses [...]
Looking Backward and Forward
Harry Truman said, There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know. (brainyquote.com) Therefore we first look at some of the financial big picture occurring in 2024. Regarding stocks, the top three sectors were technology, consumer cyclical, and financials. No surprise about technology with the [...]
Excluding medical debt reporting increases risk for both lenders and borrowers
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced a new rule that will exclude all medical debt from credit reports. According to the CFPB, this change will erase nearly $50 billion in unpaid medical bills from roughly 15 million Americans' credit reports and boost their credit scores by an [...]
New Year, Same Washington
Hopefully you all had a wonderful holiday season filled with many of the traditions you and your family enjoy. One new holiday tradition that I can do without however, is the threat of a government shutdown that seems to come back every December as Washington struggles to pass an annual [...]
Transitions
Since we do not know the ending numbers for 2024 while I am writing this column, I thought we would visit the statistical probabilities for 2025 and perhaps recall some amazing financial market performances of yesteryears. Remember that there are lies, damnable lies, and statistics! For years I have consulted [...]
Don’t let fear do to you what it did to Scrooge
After joining Stewardship Capital about 10 years ago, one of the first columns I ever wrote for the Examiner was a character study of Ebenezer Scrooge from the Charles Dickens holiday classic A Christmas Carol. In the column, I really analyzed Scrooge as the tragic hero he was, and not [...]
Business of Generosity
Last week we had Giving Tuesday. According to its official website of www.givingtuesday.org, Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 within the 92nd Street Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in NYC. It now is an independent nonprofit inspiring millions to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity. According [...]
Not everything is at it seems
Have you ever been on the phone with a customer service representative for several minutes before realizing the “person” you are conversing with is actually just a machine? I recently had that experience, and it surprised me how authentic and genuine this robot was in mimicking actual human behavior and [...]
Smooth Sailing
I hope you and yours enjoyed a blessed Thanksgiving Day last week. Yesterday was Giving Tuesday. If you have not participated yet, please join me and many others who give all year long. There is no end to the good that our contributions can do for those who have [...]