Happy February! Here’s our latest Roundup of interesting articles on investing, personal finance, and stewardship.
Thanks for the memories: The bull market hits 10-year mark (Kiplinger). Check this one out for a nifty graphic showing all the ups and downs of the past decade, as measured by the S&P 500. (Note: This piece assumes we’re still in a bull market. Perhaps we are.)
It’s tax season — 10 tax-law changes that will most affect your 2018 personal return (MarketWatch). Lower rates and larger standard deductions are only two of the changes this time around.
What’s new for Medicare in 2019? (NextAvenue). A rundown of the changes in Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coverage.
Consolidate your retirement accounts carefully (Kiplinger). Before you make any moves, understand the rollover rules and what options are available to you.
Walmart nation: Mapping America’s biggest employers (Visual Capitalist): Did you know that Walmart is the largest private employer in 21 of the 50 states? I didn’t.
And from opinion columnists and bloggers...
Why denial might be a smart investment strategy (Mark Hulbert, MarketWatch). In times of market fear (or euphoria), take a lesson from Ulysses, who told his men to tie him to the mast so that he could resist the Sirens’ songs.
A 7-point risk drill for your portfolio (Christine Benz, Morningstar). Key questions to ask yourself about liquidity, asset allocation, and more. (Been a while since you checked your asset allocation? We’ve got you covered! SMI Basic members go here, Premium-level members here.)
One shutdown lesson is that Americans need to save more (Tyler Cowen, Bloomberg). Cowen thinks the government shutdown was "flat-out stupid," but he says it nonetheless highlighted a serious national issue: most households aren’t saving enough.
Personal finance 101: How tax brackets actually work (Trent Hamm, The Simple Dollar). The tax rate for your income bracket isn’t the same as the rate you actually pay.
Visa offers new Dave Ramsey credit card with credit limit of zero (The Babylon Bee). A little humor.
We can all use some of that these days.
Have a reaction to any of the articles above? Chime in below!
