With 2017 almost over, what should we be focusing on in 2018?  Amid all of the holiday cheer, it is smart to take some time at the end of the year to take stock of your financial wellbeing, and review things like your retirement accounts, and your insurance needs. Just a few actions can improve […]

Why is bitcoin in the news right now?  There has been a surge in interest in bitcoin, especially over the past year, because the value of the digital currency has surged. At the beginning of 2017, a single bitcoin was worth $1,000. Now, the value is floating around $11,000. Today I want to talk about […]

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WAYS WE CAN PROTECT OURSELVES DURING THE HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON. WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT? It’s the first holiday retail season in the wake of the massive Equifax breach, and it is more important than ever to be vigilant when we are shopping for friends and family. Hackers and scammers are […]

Last week Amazon completed its purchase with Whole Foods. Why is this such a big deal?  This deal is going to shake up the grocery industry. Until now, Amazon has been a minor player in grocery, with just 1 percent of market share. Whole Foods has just under 2 percent. But this deal shows Amazon […]

What do we need to know right now about 401(k) loans?  We have seen a significant rise in 401(k) loans in recent years. Loans against retirement accounts have been taking the place of home equity loans because fewer Americans have home equity in the wake of the housing market collapse in 2008. But these loans […]

Why do we need to talk about taxes right now?  I know that taxes are a favorite topic to avoid, but as the saying goes, nothing is certain but death and taxes. Because of that, it is better to be knowledgeable about the subject. Last week, a Wall Street Journal article highlighting a rise in […]

Why we are talking about the housing recovery.  The broader housing market has been on fire lately. We have seen housing prices in cities across the country rise very rapidly, and in many cases, this trend has made housing unaffordable. Construction has not been able to keep up with demand for houses in numerous zip […]

So, how’s the economy doing these days?  Our latest peek at the state of the U.S. economy came out on Friday, and Commerce Department numbers show the economy expanded at a rate of 2.6 percent in the second quarter of the year. That is a big improvement over the 1.2 percent rate of growth we […]

Financial literacy is so important. What is the current thinking about it? There is some bad news, and there is some good news. The bad news is that the emphasis on financial literacy has been significantly lacking in this country, and we can see the results in testing. On the positive side of the ledger, […]

A new study shows women are better at saving for retirement than men. That’s right. A new study of Fidelity Investments client data found that women earned 0.4 percent higher returns and save a higher percentage of their paychecks than men do, at that is true at every salary level. According to the data, women save 9 percent […]

Why is it that auto loans may be harder to come by? In recent weeks, a number of prominent lenders, from JP Morgan Chase, to Ally Bank, to Wells Fargo, have announced their auto loan originations have dropped sharply. At Wells Fargo, new loan origination for auto purchases dropped 29% in the first quarter of 2017 […]

In this edition of Money Mondays, Mellody Hobson covers the latest news surrounding student loans. What’s the latest in the student loan front? Just over a week ago, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, rescinded some Obama-era memos aimed at reforming the way student loan borrowers interact with their servicing agents, the companies charged with collecting […]