Posts by W.A. Smith Financial
How Inflation Risk Can Affect You
Inflation is a steady rise in the price of goods and services over time and actually signals both good and bad economic conditions. On one hand, as prices rise, someone living on a fixed income cannot purchase the same amount of goods, so they tend to reduce spending or buy cheaper alternatives. On the other…
Read MoreSustainably Investing in Our Future
While extreme weather events typically affect only certain parts of the country, there is increasing concern that climate change will affect the overall economy – including our investment portfolios. For this reason, the federal government is making composition changes to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the retirement plan for federal employees. The TSP currently holds…
Read MoreStatus Update: Young Adults in America
Over the past 20 years, America’s young adults have experienced significant unemployment, massive student debt, extreme weather events, a global pandemic, a contentious political environment and dramatic socio-economic turmoil. Not that these things didn’t happen in previous generations, but today’s young adult is far more involved and aware due to the 24-hour news cycle and…
Read MoreReshoring: What’s the Future for Products and Services Made in America?
According to a recent survey of supply chain professionals, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted 98% of global supply chains. Among the most disruptive supply challenges was the procurement of personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. Companies that had outsourced manufacturing to other countries experienced firsthand the types of risks associated with offshoring. The previous administration placed…
Read MoreMidyear Market Outlooks
In its midyear review, market analysts at Charles Schwab say that economic growth in the United States may have peaked in the second quarter of this year, and it believes China experienced its peak in the fourth quarter of 2020. However, Schwab is bullish on Europe’s prospects for the rest of this year. It notes…
Read MoreThe Future of Transportation
The United States is a very large, land-mass country. Yet, it offers few options in terms of coast-to-coast mass public transit, particularly compared to other developed countries. Europe’s countries tend to be smaller and their cities more dense, making them more transit-friendly. Asian countries made enormous government investments in urban rail networks just as their…
Read MoreWhere Is Dad’s Money?
Imagine if, sadly, Dad dies or becomes incapacitated. You’re in charge of handling all his financial affairs, from managing his investments to putting income sources in place for Mom. There’s just one problem: He was an old-school guy who never consolidated his assets or set up online accounts. Also, it appears he worked with…
Read MorePros and Cons of Legislative Inertia
While the 2020 presidential election gains steam, it seems that the passion for new legislation has taken a backseat. As of July 1, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives had passed 169 bills this year1 while the Republican-dominated Senate had passed 61.2 Unfortunately, as of the same date, this divided impasse had produced only 24 enacted…
Read More2019 Midyear Outlook
Kiplinger recently noted that the U.S. stock market appeared more resilient than ever, having bounced back from a devastating end of 2018. Employment remains relatively steady, inflation flat and the Fed has indicated reticence to increasing interest rates through the end of the year. In fact, the only headwinds for the rest of the year…
Read MoreTech Talk: Energy Innovation, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
Technology is the largest single segment of the stock market — bigger than the industrial and financial sectors. It’s also an industry of constant innovation and unlimited potential, presenting enormous investment opportunities for both institutional and Main Street investors. This is great for tech companies needing substantial capital to fund research and development for new…
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