Posts by FFG Team
What’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,…
Read MoreSmall-Business Growth Has Economic Benefits
Small-Business Growth Has Economic Benefits A promising way to jumpstart the U.S. economy is by helping more entrepreneurs establish their own businesses. The 30.2 million U.S. small businesses represent 99.9 percent of all businesses in this country. They employ nearly half (47.5 percent) of America’s total workforce.1 If you need further proof that small businesses…
Read MoreWhat Is The Beige Book?
What Is The Beige Book? The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) evaluates a plethora of factors before making any monetary policy decisions at meetings, which generally take place eight times a year. One source that helps inform their policy decisions is the “Beige Book,” which is the informal name for the FOMC’s “Summary…
Read MoreWhy Retirement Portfolio Design Should Be Flexible
Why Retirement Portfolio Design Should Be Flexible even more flexible than the giraffe in this picture! –> There is one predominant reason why retirement portfolio design must be approached differently today than in previous years: There is an infant alive in this world, right now, who is expected to reach age 200.1 That’s the prediction…
Read MoreCommon Investing Mistakes
Common Investing Mistakes In our personal lives, we have a conscience that keeps us from doing not-so-nice things. Sometimes we even get a creepy-crawly feeling when we think someone may be up to no good. Fortunately, there also are some common red flags that warn us about things we should avoid when investing. For example,…
Read MoreExamining the work/life balancing act
Examining the work/life balancing act Researchers have estimated how much of our lifetime is spent on various activities. For example, based on a lifespan of 80 years, the average person will spend:1 26 years sleeping 7 years trying to get to sleep 13 years at work 8 years watching TV 5 years eating 3 years…
Read MoreThe Growing Popularity of Annuities
The Growing Popularity of Annuities Annuities are nothing new; in fact, they’ve been around since Roman times, and maybe even before that.1 But they’re seeing a modern-day surge in popularity, fueled by pre-retirees and retirees concerned about stock market volatility and outliving their retirement income. The fixed annuity market experienced significant growth between 2017 and 2018,…
Read MoreWhere is Dad’s Money?
Where is Dad’s Money? Imagine if, sadly, Dad dies or becomes incapacitated. You’re in charge of handling all his financial affairs, from managing his investments to putting income sources in place for Mom. There’s just one problem: He was an old-school guy who never consolidated his assets or set up online accounts. Also, it appears…
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