Here is SMI's weekly Roundup of interesting articles on investing, personal finance, and stewardship.
A brutal bond market (Ben Carlson, A Wealth of Common Sense). Bond returns over the past 5 and 10 years "are about as bad as they've ever been." The forward-looking upside? Yields have reached their highest levels in almost 20 years.
The aberrational century (Barry Ritholtz, The Big Picture). Angst over the bond market is partly because "we've become so terribly spoiled" by more than two decades of abnormally cheap credit.
Willpower is weak: Here's what matters more (Daniel Crosby via LinkedIn). "The financial habits you want your children to internalize need to be visible in the household, not just discussed."
Trump Accounts have auto-enrolled more than 60 million children, Treasury says (CNBC). Plus, the Treasury will allow stock donations to Trump Accounts.
You may not get to choose when you retire (Retirement Researcher). Retirement planning is less about "hitting specific numbers" than about building the flexibility to adapt when reality differs from projections.
Your HSA needs a succession plan (Christine Benz, Morningstar). If anyone other than your spouse inherits your HSA, the account's tax benefits go away.
Too much of a good thing (Douglas Boneparth, The Joint Account). Invested in your employer's stock? That's fine, up to a point.
Credit card collections? Catholic churches use tap technology to capture cashless donations (N.C. Register). "Giving kiosks" have been around for a while. Now, some churches have attached tap terminals to offering baskets passed through the pews.
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