Market Commentary

Market Commentary: Unemployment Falls to 4.8%; U.S. Trade Deficit Hits Record

For the second consecutive month, the U.S. job market created far fewer jobs than expected. September’s report showed only 194,000 jobs were created, missing expectations by nearly 300,000. A deeper look at the data shows the report wasn’t as bad as indicated by the overall number.

Videos

Mapping Your Senior Health Care Plan

Watch this webinar hosted by Carson’s Managing Partner of Wealth Solutions, Jamie Hopkins, and Planner, Ryan Yamada, to learn more about mapping your senior health care plan.

Resources

Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) Worksheet

IRMAA, or the income-related monthly adjustment amount, is an extra amount you have to (or will have to) pay on top of your Medicare Part B and Part D premiums based on your income. Now that you know what IRMAA is, it’s never too early to start thinking about when you’ll eventually have to pay this amount. This worksheet will help you identify some IRMAA planning points, and also point out some common IRMAA planning mistakes to steer clear of.

Download the worksheet to get started.

Monthly Newsletters

Who is IRMAA and Why Is She Getting My Money?

There’s a scene in the TV show Friends where Rachel gets her very first paycheck as a waitress at Central Perk. “Who is FICA and why is he getting all my money?” she poses to the gang. Some people age 65 and older might have a similar sentiment when they get their Social Security check and see a chunk missing that’s gone to IRMAA.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: Equity Markets Have Worst Month of Year; Virus Variants, China Among Key Risks

Equity markets struggled in September as interest rates, inflation concerns, and developments in China all weighed on stock market averages. The S&P 500 surrendered 4.7% as large-cap growth companies led the market lower. Large-cap growth has been the top performing style box since the beginning of the second quarter.

Videos

Understanding Your Employee Benefits

Watch this webinar hosted by Carson’s Managing Partner of Wealth Solutions, Jamie Hopkins, and Abby Meyer, Partnership Manager at Mylo, a Lockton Company, to learn more about understanding your employee benefits.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: Fed Leaves Rates Unchanged, Could Begin Tapering of Asset Purchases this Year

The Federal Reserve met last week, and Chair Jay Powell indicated tapering this year is more likely than not. The decision on when to reduce the central bank’s purchases of government-backed bonds will likely be affected by the employment report released a week from Friday. If labor market strength resumes, the Fed appears likely to roll back its support.

Blog

Proposed Bill Includes Tax Increases for High Earners, Retirement Account Changes

Last week, Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee released a draft of their proposed tax plan, which includes changes to corporate, personal and other taxes, as well as retirement plans – though Social Security would be untouched.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: Consumer Demand Stays Strong, Continuing Trend Toward Lower Inflation

Two U.S. economic reports provided reassuring news about the economy. The inflation trend moderated in August. Consumer price inflation (CPI) rose 0.3%, down from 0.5% the previous month and below estimates of a 0.4% increase (Figure 1). Excluding food and energy, prices increased just 0.1%.

Market Commentary

Market Commentary: Amid High Worker Demand, Job Openings Rise to 10.9 Million

July job openings increased to 10.9 million, up 779,000 from June. The record number suggests weaker August job growth was partly related to a low supply of workers and demand for workers remains robust.

Insights