According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the ongoing distribution of vaccines combined with the latest government stimulus is expected to jumpstart economic activity in the U.S. However, projections for sustainable growth are not equitable among various countries and business sectors. Faster and more effective vaccination deployment across the world is critical.…

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Spectrem Group’s recent Market Insights Report found that millionaire investors in the U.S. achieved a new record last year. The number of households with a net worth ranging between $1 million and $5 million (excluding primary residence) increased by 600,000, reaching 11.6 million in 2020.   Furthermore:1 The number of households with a net worth…

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One of the provisions included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction. It is designed as a tax break for small businesses or self-employed individuals and is comparable to the enhanced tax breaks legislated for larger companies. However, while the corporate tax changes are made permanent,…

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The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) – a trade association for the retirement income industry – advocates annuities as a vehicle that can help provide retirees income, guaranteed by the insurer. The organization has been actively educating and lobbying legislators to expand annuity access as part of employer-sponsored retirement plans.1 Under this scenario, whatever portion the…

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One of the biggest flaws in the COVID vaccine distribution plan is its heavy reliance on the internet. Meanwhile, older seniors — the first and most critical targets for the vaccine — are the least-experienced internet users.   Most state and local plans have created websites that allow people to sign up for a vaccine…

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Millions of Americans took advantage of the delayed tax-filing deadline in 2020. In fact, according to one survey, 11% of taxpayers filed their 2019 returns after the July 15 extension, and 3% still hadn’t filed as of last December. The primary reason most taxpayers file late isn’t due to procrastination, but rather because they owe…

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Amid lost jobs and a scaled-back economy in 2020, some workers may have decided to retire earlier than planned. There are a couple of Social Security strategies worth considering in this scenario.   First, if both spouses are over age 62, determine if you can make ends meet by taking only one Social Security benefit…

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First unveiled while President Joe Biden was still on the campaign trail, his “Build Back Better” infrastructure plan aims to help tackle unemployment and climate change. The plan calls for $2 trillion in spending over four years with investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, innovation, research and development, and clean energy, as well as training for displaced…

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  If there’s one thing that can move the economy and stock market forward, it’s hope. This year, that hope is being presented in the form of COVID-19 vaccines. Economists and Wall Street analysts have long proclaimed that comprehensive economic recovery is not possible until we have contained the virus. The prospect of wide distribution…

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America began 2021 experiencing the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Feb. 1, case numbers continued to rise, with recorded deaths since January 2020 ranging from 413,1961 to 441,4092, depending on sources used (CDC provisional count waits for a death certificate, which can cause up to a two-week delay). Fox News reports that…

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