Here’s our Roundup for a midsummer’s day. We hope you find these articles interesting and helpful!
Republican plan would send more $1,200 stimulus checks in August (Bloomberg Tax). "Using the same parameters as the last round of stimulus payments would mean the Internal Revenue Service could quickly deliver the money to people’s bank accounts and mailboxes," the story reports. (Related: The federal budget has overspent by $2.7 trillion so far this fiscal year.)
Money market yields are lousy. The pluses and minuses of the alternatives (Barron’s via Yahoo). The best-paying easily accessible options right now? Online savings accounts. (Note: The link opens a Yahoo page, then click "Story Continues" to get the past the Barron’s paywall.)
Here’s what a Biden presidency might mean for your taxes (CNBC). Among other things, Mr. Biden wants to hike the rate investors pay on capital gains.
10 things you should know about bonds (Kiplinger). Bonds are more difficult to understand than stocks. This article covers "key concepts bond investors should know."
Take this Social Security quiz and see if you are smarter than the average American (CNBC). "...more knowledgeable than the average American" would be a more accurate title. Take the quiz. See what you know. (I missed two, but I think one of the questions has fuzzy wording!)
And from bloggers and pundits...
Good things taken too far (Morgan Housel, Collaborative Fund Blog). Want to be a wise investor? Be humble and teachable.
The S&P 500 grows ever more concentrated (John Rekenthaler, Morningstar – free registration required). If history is a reliable guide, we could see "a prolonged small-value rally" when the winds finally change, Rekenthaler says.
You can’t take a financial mulligan (Tim Mullooly, Living With Money). Here’s one for you golfers out there.
Should you pay off your mortgage? (Mark Miller, Morningstar). Meager interest rates on savings combined with the increase in the standard deduction have made speeding up a mortgage pay-down more attractive.
Is it wrong to earn less? (Jim Dahle, The White Coat Investor). An interesting post about "moral reasons" for continuing to work even if you’ve reached financial independence. (Note: The White Coat Investor is targeted to physicians, but the content is sometimes of general interest.)
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