Summertime — and the living is easy. Or not.
Whatever life may be serving up right now, we hope you’ll find time to grab a cold drink, plant yourself in a shady spot, and sample this week’s Roundup. Enjoy!
2021: The half-year in charts (Charlie Bilello, Compound Capital Advisors). Some of these charts are encouraging. Others are concerning.
U.S. retail sales unexpectedly rebound in boost to economic growth (Reuters via Fidelity). I wish I had a nickel for every time the word "unexpectedly" is used by the financial press.
Want to dip a toe into bitcoin? Here’s how to invest in cryptocurrency. (Wall Street Journal). An overview of the pros and cons.
Too smart (Morgan Housel, Collaborative Fund blog). In investing, and in many other areas, it’s the boring things that are the most important.
Wall Street has surrendered to the $500 billion ETF rush (Bloomberg via Yahoo). As investors continue to migrate to exchange-traded funds, even the most-storied money managers are launching ETFs.
Social Security cost-of-living adjustment looks uncertain (Morningstar). Based on current estimates, the 2022 COLA could be more than 6%. But that’ll be offset somewhat by a hike in Medicare Part B premiums.
Saving money for retirement with an HSA (Bob Lotich, Personal Finance By the Book). A good summary of the benefits of Health Savings Accounts.
Are you getting a monthly payment for your kids? Check the IRS’s Child Tax Credit portal (Kiplinger). The maximum monthly payment is $300 for each child under age 6. It’s $250 for children from 6 through 17.
When money is no object (Jason Zweig, WSJ). Cashless payment has made money increasingly intangible. What are the longer-term consequences?
Why understanding God’s ownership is essential (R. Scott Rodin via National Christian Foundation). The foundational principle for everything else.
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