Here is some interesting economic news… The Port of Los Angeles moved more cargo in 2017 than in any time in the Port’s 110-year history, racking up 9,343,192 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), a 5.5 percent increase over 2016’s record-breaking year. It’s the most cargo moved annually by a Western Hemisphere port. “We are powering […]
Author: Danny
Tax Cuts Are Important In More Than One Way
The market has had a very good year – in my opinion it is partly due to the expectation that we will see tax cuts this year. But what happens to those expectations if tax cuts are not passed? This, from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin… “There is no question that the rally in the stock […]
Location, Location, Location
This has to be the perfect example of the adage that three things are important in real estate: location, location, location. Posting from www.361capital.com
IRS Relaxes Hardship Withdrawals Due to Hurricane Harvey
There’s good and bad in the announcement below about the IRS relaxing the loan and hardship withdrawal rules from company-sponsored 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans. The relief is available to those who live or work in the Hurricane Harvey disaster area, and extends to some family members. The provisions even extends to IRA’s. That’s the […]
State & Local Government Pension Funds Troubles
Researchers at Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research analyzed the current status of State and Local government defined-benefit (i.e., “traditional”) pension plans across the nation. What they found was a bit disturbing. Despite an assumption that the plans would earn an average return of 7.6% per year, the 170 plans reviewed by analysts actually had […]
Whoa! Not So Fast on those College Tuition Increases
For anyone who has funded college costs, you know that the costs have soared for years. In fact, over the past 30 years, college tuition has risen a whopping 400%, with annual growth rates far exceeding the rate of inflation.It seems as though market forces have caused colleges to become more competitive in their pricing […]
Decrease in Loans and the Correlation to Recessions
As the stock market continues to grind higher and investors become more complacent, we are reminded by this “stubbornly fail-safe marker” of economic contraction since 1960. Every time Commercial & Industrial (C&I) loan balances have declined or stagnated—a recession was already in progress or was imminent. This can be seen in the following graphic, from […]
Thanks To And Remembrance Of Those Who Gave
All gave some, some gave all. As we honor our fallen heroes today, let’s remember their sacrifice that allowed us to live a life in the greatest nation there has ever been.
Opinions & Reality
Everyone has heard the term “Put your money where your mouth is”, often times in bar room banter when coaxing someone to back up their statements or opinions by putting some cash on the line. Schwab Chief Investment Strategist Liz Ann Sonders released a note this week with research showing that consumers are “saying” they […]
America’s Patent Lead
We often hear talk about the U.S. falling behind in this or that area. But one measure of forward progress is innovation, which can be concretely measured by the number of patents filed per country. On that score, the U.S. is the indisputable leader, and no other country is even close. This infographic shows that […]