Trade tariffs with Mexico and China are spooking consumer confidence in May particularly among women aged 60 and older. While the latest consumer confidence indices show a short-term slide or slowing, on a long-term basis consumers expect the economy to grow at a solid pace. Besides the “Trump Tariffs,” there is spreading pessimism among economists…
Navigating the money maze of life is not getting any easier for nearly all families across the U.S.A. Most working taxpayers received little or no relief under last year’s “Tax Cut & Jobs Act” except for a slight bump in weekly paychecks and maybe, if lucky, a few extra greenbacks in an annual tax refund.…
The real economy optimism was driven higher by U.S. small business owners who cite strong job creation, expectations for sales, business conditions, and credit conditions as the underlying reasons. The latest data show small business owners have largely recovered from the impact of the “Trump Shutdown,” nasty winter weather nationwide, and interest rate concerns. According…
Florida consumer confidence reached a 17 year high in April, despite a busy hurricane season forecast starting June 1st. The nation’s most southern state is also currently dealing with blue algae resurfacing, impending red tide, rising shark bites and now a menacing love bug invasion. Consumer sentiment in Florida increased 1.4 points in April to…
After a crappy economic start in the first three months of 2019, U.S. consumer confidence showed signs of rebirth in April. For the short-term, consumers see a strong economy into the summer and the fall with solid job and business growth, but 2020 is another question. Recent surveys indicate the April bump is still a…
No matter how you slice or dice it, U.S. consumer sentiment, since the current Administration has taken office, has made no statistical gains building on the robust economic growth coming out of the 2007 to 2009 “Great Recession.” The negative effect of the “GOP Tax Cuts,” with little trickle-down to U.S. workers, and severe “SALT”…
For more than two decades the nation’s largest payment networks, top banks, numerous financial firms, trade associations and tons of non-profit consumer advocacy/education have all been preaching the same sermons to teach and develop responsible money management skills. The hard work spearheaded by Visa with “Practical Money Skills for Life” in the mid-90s has paid…
The impact of last year’s tax reform legislation on consumer confidence has greatly diminished in the first four months of 2019 as the personal tax deadline looms. The slight increase in average refunds is unremarkable as well as the paltry increases in average paychecks suggests the 2018 tax cuts were overwhelmingly tilted toward the corporate…
Grandparents today share in the financial and cultural support of their grandchildren, like never before. A new survey estimates grandparents spend $179 billion dollars per year on their grandchildren. The average age of becoming a first-time grandparent is 50 and the average number of grandchildren is four to five. The AARP’s Grandparents Today National Survey…
More than half of Americans associate retirement with the words “freedom” and “enjoyment,” and a sizable portion associate retirement with the word “stress-free.” However, the reality is many are forced, out of necessity, to work during retirement, are deeply worried about their future Social Security & Medicare benefits, rising costs of medications, and other unforeseen…
