Posts by FFG Team
Tax Updates and Reminders
Tax Updates and Reminders As we head toward the end of the year, consider maxing out your contributions on tax-advantaged accounts to help manage your 2019 return. While some accounts, such as an IRA or Health Savings Account (HSA), allow you to continue making contributions up until April 15, 2020, most payroll-deduction plans such as…
Read MorePharmaceutical Roundup: Lawsuits, Legislation and Growth Opportunities
Pharmaceutical Roundup: Lawsuits, Legislation and Growth Opportunities Drug manufacturers and distributors have been in the news lately. Here’s a roundup of some of the biggest headlines: The Opioid Crisis In October of this year, three of the biggest U.S. drug distributors and a drug manufacturer reached a $260 million settlement with two counties in Ohio…
Read MoreRetirement Planning During Changing Times
Retirement Planning During Changing Times According to the United Nations, across the globe, people older than 65 now outnumber children under five for the first time in history. In 1960, the average woman gave birth to five children in her lifetime; by 2017, that ratio had dropped to 2.4 children per woman. Meanwhile, our life…
Read MoreYear-End Tax Considerations
Year-End Tax Considerations Now that we’re in the fourth quarter, it’s time to think about what you can do to help minimize your liabilities for the 2019 tax season and position finances for next year. The following is a sample of the usual methods. However, if you’d like us to take a more personalized, comprehensive…
Read MoreMedicare Update
Medicare Update Some hard-working, taxpaying Americans get angry when they hear Social Security called an entitlement program, perhaps because the word “entitlement” has come to have a connotation with welfare programs. The reality is that Social Security is, by definition, an entitlement program, along with Medicare, unemployment insurance and worker’s compensation. These mandatory programs are…
Read MoreThe Economics of Immigration
The Economics of Immigration The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania has conducted extensive studies on the effects of immigration on America’s economy. In light of heightened policy debates in the U.S., some of the most critical findings are:1 Increasing the number of legal immigrants with a college degree would have little…
Read MoreWhat’s New in Indexing?
What’s New in Indexing? Index mutual funds are investment vehicles comprising stocks from a wide variety of companies and track the performance of a specific index, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Investors are able to spread their assets across many different investments with the convenience of one fund, which can help protect them…
Read MoreWhat’s New in Banking
What’s New in Banking Nearly a quarter of the adult U.S. population is “underbanked.” This means they don’t regularly use a bank (or a bank’s mobile/online capabilities) to deposit checks and pay bills. That’s about 55 million people ostensibly living from cashed paycheck to cashed paycheck.1 When these underbanked people cash their paychecks for immediate…
Read MoreFingerprint, Retina Scans Not Just for James Bond Anymore
Fingerprint, Retina Scans Not Just for James Bond Anymore Most people using the internet to shop, conduct financial transactions or read firewall-protected content are likely familiar with the aggravation of maintaining passwords. Worse yet, tech experts now say conventional password security is only a marginal defense against hacking.1 We are now entering a new age…
Read MoreWhat’s Up With the Markets?
What’s Up With the Markets? Anyone who followed the often-used investment adage, “Sell in May and go away,” is likely pleased with their decision after the markets struggled in the month of August.1 While recent market events may seem dramatic, August is historically the weakest month of the year for U.S. equities.2 By mid-August this year,…
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