Here’s our latest collection of interesting reads on investing, personal finances, and stewardship.
Grab a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy!
The secret way seniors can keep deducting gifts to charity (The Wall Street Journal). An explanation of how to make a "qualified charitable distribution."
(↑ Note: The Journal has temporarily relaxed its paywall. You may see a pop-up encouraging you to subscribe; click the "X" to read the article.)Does the yield curve really forecast recession? (St. Louis Fed). The answer is a definite "maybe."
Most young workers are using retirement accounts like an ATM (CNBC). 59 percent of investors ages 18 to 34 have taken an early withdrawal from a retirement account. (They should read our current newsletter article, It’s Your Retirement Account, Not a Piggy Bank!)
We went to a steak dinner annuity pitch. The salesman wasn’t pleased. (Ron Lieber, The New York Times). "Read any and all fine print.... [and] ask lots of questions."
Evangelical churches, ministry groups see highest increase in giving since 2014, ECFA reports (Christian Post). The latest numbers show a notable increase in overall donations to members of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. (The ECFA has 2,300 members, including Christian ministries, denominations, local churches, and educational institutions.)
And from the pundits and bloggers...
What to do when gains are hard to come by (Charles Rotblut, American Association of Individual Investors). When frustration and/or concern is rising, it’s not easy to stay the course.
Your household CFO (Ben Carlson, A Wealth of Common Sense). Check out this job description for handling your personal finances.
Why does the early-retirement movement have so many haters? (Jonathan Clements, MarketWatch). "Haters" is too strong a word. "Critics" is more apt. Anyway, Mr. Clements thinks there is much to admire among the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) folks.
ACA premiums drop in many states (Squared Away Blog). After three years of stinging price hikes for "Obamacare" coverage, a wee bit of relief — for some.
5 reasons a man should still carry cash (The Art of Manliness). My favorite: "Cash allows you to buy a gift for your wife without it appearing as a transaction on your shared bank account!"
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