Budget Check Up: Tax Time Is the Right Time

Every year, about 140 million households file their federal tax returns. For many, the process involves digging through shoe boxes or manila folders full of receipts; gathering mortgage, retirement, and investment account statements; and relying on computer software...

May 27, 2025 Weekly Market Insights

Stocks moved lower last week as fiscal fears and fresh tariff threats loomed over market sentiment. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 2.61 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 2.47 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 2.47 percent. The...

Countering Counterfeit Currency

Believe it or not, the agency responsible for protecting U.S. currency is the United States Secret Service. The agency was founded on July 5, 1865, as part of the Department of the Treasury to combat the widespread counterfeiting of currency happening at the end of...

Is a Variable Annuity Right for Me?

For the casual observer, it sometimes seems that variable annuities are either “terrible” or “wonderful.” Commentators in the financial media seem to occupy a polarity of opinions we might see in politics. What gets lost when these commentators collide is “the...

May 5, 2025 Weekly Market Insights

Stocks pushed higher last week as investors cheered the White House’s constructive comments on trade, upbeat Q1 corporate reports, and an encouraging jobs report. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 2.92 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 3.42...