Bob's Journal
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Bob’s Journal for 11/19/20
Some Notable Events That Grabbed My Attention This Week Earlier today, I taped an interesting and well-attended teleconference with my readers. These teleconferences are a bonus feature of your Retirement Watch membership. One highlight of the teleconferences is that participants submit questions for me to answer. A number of good questions were submitted, more than […]
Bob’s Journal for 11/12/20
Medicare Premiums Will Increase in 2021 Along with Other Costs Medicare premiums will increase in 2021 along with other costs, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced. The monthly premium for Part B, which covers most doctor’s services and similar non-hospital care, will rise to $148.50. The Part B premium is $144.60 […]
Bob’s Journal for 11/5/20
What Are the Basics About Retirement Planning? What are the basics of retirement planning, and do you know them? Most older Americans describe themselves as at least “moderately knowledgeable” about retirement income planning, according to a study recently released by the American College of Financial Services. Yet, when the same people were asked about basic […]
Bob’s Journal for 10/29/20
We received the first official estimate of the state of the Social Security trust fund, and it is not good news. The trustees of Social Security issue an annual report of the financial condition of Social Security and Medicare. The latest report, issued in April and based on data as of the end of 2019, […]
Bob’s Journal for 10/22/20
This Pandemic Recession has Been Different Than any Other This pandemic recession has been different than any other, and it shows in some anomalies in the data. The combination of monetary and fiscal stimulus has been unprecedented, especially in the United States. That has caused an unusual response among households. Income declined dramatically in the […]
Interesting Things Have Been Happening in Emerging Market Stocks
Interesting things have been happening in emerging market stocks lately. It has been a while since emerging market stocks have had a period of sustained gains. At Retirement Watch, we had a few profitable trades in Latin American stocks in recent years. But generally, emerging market stocks have been stuck in a trading range for […]
Bob’s Journal for 10/8/20
Long-Term Treasury Bonds Grabbed My Attention This Week Long-term treasury bonds could be near a turning point. Let’s look at the exchange-traded fund (ETF) iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT). The fund moved higher the last several years, even outperforming stocks for periods of time. But it started to stumble with the liquidity crash in […]
Bob’s Journal for 10/1/20
Notable News That Grabbed My Attention This Week It’s official. The first half of 2020 was ugly for U.S. retailers. A record number of retail stores closed in the first half of the year, according to a report by BDO USA LLP. The entire year is likely to set records for closings, as well as […]
