“By failing to adequately explain how inflation, compounded over time, significantly reduces spending power, we leave people vulnerable to the false assumption that the income they have today will still be adequate in 10 or 20 years. This is especially dangerous for people living on fixed incomes.” Sarah Newcomb, behavioral economist at Morningstar, “Explaining inflation […]
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Does Gold Really Hedge Inflation?
It’s not your imagination. Prices are going up. You may have heard that inflation numbers came in hotter than expected last month. The Federal Reserve maintains that inflation is “transitory,” meaning it concedes that prices are going up as the economy rebounds after COVID, but does not believe that those price hikes will be repeated […]
Inflation Just Hit 4.2%. Should You Be Worried?
Recently released year-over-year inflation readings were red-hot, with the consumer price index rising 4.2% over the past 12 months. Should you be worried, or is inflation just a transitory phenomenon, as the Federal Reserve claims? Tune in to hear Mercer Advisors Chief Investment Officer Donald Calcagni break down the inflation results and provide context into […]
Bottoms Up: Investing In Rare Whiskey, Designer Handbags, And Classic Cars
You already know that residential real estate and the stock market have racked up solid price gains over the past year, but they are far from topping the investment charts. Luxury goods like art, classic cars, and fine wine have set even more ambitious price records, despite the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. In 2020, […]
Pandemic Silver Lining: Consumers Pay Down Credit Card Debt
The COVID pandemic has created financial distress for many consumers who have lost their jobs, business income, or seen their work hours reduced due to service shutdowns and childcare challenges. But other consumers who have remained unaffected by the pandemic are experiencing a surge in savings. More “consumers are paying down debt and saving more […]
Quote Of The Week: How COVID Taught Us To Stay Invested
The Wall Street Journal compiled 15 personal finance lessons we can learn from 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s one about the importance of staying invested, even when the market gets rocky. That is advice worth reviewing now as many market indexes are reaching new highs. While that needn’t mean a pullback is imminent (if […]
The Blue Ripple: What’s Next After The Georgia Senate Races
Guest Post By Donald Calcagni, CFP®, MST Chief Investment Officer, Mercer Advisors The blue ripple With Georgia’s senate races now behind us, Democrats now control both chambers of Congress and the White House. The new Senate will be evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats but, by the narrowest possible majority, Democrats will have control given Vice President-elect […]
After COVID, How Much Of An Emergency Fund Do You Think You Really Need?
There’s nothing like an honest-to-goodness crisis to to give your emergency preparations a test run. And there’s no doubt that the 2020 COVID pandemic qualifies as one of the most profound crises ever to affect our nation. So now that we’ve lived through almost ten months of the pandemic and we start to see […]
Santa’s Reindeer Beat U.S. Congressmen In Stock Picking Contest
They may have their fingers on the pulse of a nation. But just how well do our elected representatives in the nation’s capital pick winning stocks compared with Santa’s finest? Economists at Dartmouth College and their undergraduate elves compared publicly disclosed stock trades by House and Senate members from January through December 2020. “Members’ picks […]
About Mari Adam, CFP®
Mari Adam, Certified Financial Planner™ has helped hundreds of individuals and families build wealth and plan for a more secure financial future for over 30 years. Her advice has appeared in publications such as Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Money Magazine, Business Week, and CBS MarketWatch.
2020 – A Year to Remember: Resilient Markets Overcome Pandemic Panic
Still trying to make sense of 2020? Here’s a quick wrap-up of what happened in the investment markets. A year ago, no one could have foreseen the global pandemic poised to plunge the world into the worst crisis in decades, sickening millions, crushing entire industries, and panicking financial markets. To date, almost two million have […]