Brower Financial Group Articles

WEEKLY TIP

When your children turn 18, you lose the legal authority to make financial decisions on their behalf as well as the legal authority to examine their banking and credit card information. If you have a teenager with bad financial habits, this may be worth noting. 

COMPANIES HIRED READILY IN FEBRUARY

U.S. firms added 235,000 net new jobs last month, and the latest Department of Labor employment report showed the largest growth occurring in the construction and education/health care sectors. The DoL also revised January’s job gains upward by 11,000 to 238,000. Payroll expansion has averaged 209,000 per month since December. The headline (U-3) jobless rate ticked down 0.1% to 4.7%, and the total (U-6) jobless rate, counting the underemployed, fell 0.2% to 9.2%.¹

WEEKLY TIP

A National Council on Aging website, benefitscheckup.org, has links to many federal, state, and local programs that help retirees save money on medicines, utilities, health care services, and more. Visit the site to see if you are eligible for them. 

YELLEN: RATE MOVE MAY HAPPEN THIS MONTH

In Chicago Friday, Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen said that if hiring and inflation indicators continue to meet the central bank’s expectations, an interest rate hike “would likely be appropriate” at its March policy meeting. She also noted that, barring unforeseen events, the pace of tightening in the near term “likely will not be as slow as it was during the past couple of years.” After these statements, the Fed futures market put the chance of a March rate increase at 82%.¹

WEEKLY TIP

Becoming parents heightens the need for an emergency fund. New parents should try to save the equivalent of 3-6 months of income in either bank accounts or conservative, liquid investments

A LITTLE LESS OPTIMISM AMONG CONSUMERS

February’s final University of Michigan consumer sentiment index came in at 96.3, down from its January mark of 98.5, but well above the 91.7 reading of a year earlier. Despite the descent, the index just had its best three months since early 2004.¹ 

FED MINUTES SUGGEST RATE MOVE MAY BE NEAR

At the last Federal Reserve policy meeting, “many participants” in the Federal Open Market Committee felt it “might be appropriate to raise the federal funds rate again fairly soon” if inflation and hiring data are strong enough. Even with that language appearing in the latest FOMC minutes, the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool forecasts just a 22% chance of a quarter-point hike when the FOMC convenes in March. ^2,3

WEEKLY TIP

When a divorce settlement requires a party to keep up their life insurance, the insured should go through the underwriting process before signing the agreement. If new coverage cannot be easily obtained, trusts or other estate planning tools can be created in response.

RETAIL SALES ROSE 0.4% in JANUARY

Consumer spending on household electronics and appliances powered this gain. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a 0.1% advance. Core retail purchases also rose 0.4% last month. The Department of Commerce revised the December increase for retail sales upward to 1.0%. Across the 12 months ending in January, retail sales advanced 5.6%.¹

WEEKLY TIP

Many people stay with the same bank for decades. Online tools now make it easier to compare various banks. If you find your bank’s fees irritating or its ATM network insufficient, you can explore your options.

CONSUMER SENTIMENT SLIPS A BIT

The University of Michigan’s preliminary February index of consumer sentiment came in at a reading of 95.7 Friday, compared with a final January mark of 98.5 (which was a 13-year peak). Economists polled by Bloomberg had expected a slight decline to 98.0. While this was the index’s lowest level in three months, it still topped many of the monthly readings from 2016.¹

WEEKLY TIP

Be sure to study your potential Medicare choices in the years before you turn 65. Evaluate whether you should go with original Medicare (and Part D coverage) or a Part C plan.

POSITIVES & NEGATIVES IN JANUARY’s JOB DATA

The Department of Labor’s latest jobs report showed 227,000 net new hires last month. Unfortunately, wages grew just 0.1% in January as the headline jobless rate rose slightly to 4.8%. The U-6 rate, counting the underemployed, rose 0.2% to 9.4%.¹

STRONG CONSUMER CONFIDENCE & SPENDING

While the Conference Board’s monthly consumer confidence index declined 1.5 points in January, it remained at a high level with a 111.8 reading. Personal spending improved 0.5% in December, with personal incomes up 0.3%. ²

WEEKLY TIP

If you want to retire to another area, think about whether it makes sense for you financially as well as socially. Will you be able to find part-time work there, if needed? Could local economic factors make the area less affordable for you someday?

HOUSEHOLD SENTIMENT GAUGE RISES AGAIN

The University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment gained 0.4 points from its preliminary reading this month to reach a final January mark of 98.5. That represents a 12-year peak for the index, which stood at 92.0 in January 2016.^1,2

HOME SALES FELL IN DECEMBER

Given costlier mortgages, rising prices, and tight inventory, the December retreat for resales was not surprising. The National Association of Realtors said that existing home sales slipped by 2.8% last month. New home sales dropped 10.4%, but the Census Bureau stated that they increased 12.2% for 2016, marking the best year for new home buying since 2007. ³

WEEKLY TIP

If you think you will receive a federal tax refund this year, why not file electronically and arrange a direct deposit to your checking or savings account? Alternately, you can use IRS Direct Pay to make individual and estimated tax payments from your bank accounts.

LARGEST INFLATION ADVANCE IN 5 YEARS

The Consumer Price Index rose 2.1% in 2016, marking its greatest annual gain since 2011. During 2015, consumer prices only increased by 0.7%. December saw a 0.3% rise for the headline CPI and a 0.2% gain for the core CPI (which excludes food and energy costs). The core CPI gained 2.2% last year.¹

WEEKLY TIP

In a two-parent household, both parents should have life insurance coverage, even if one of them does not work. If one spouse dies, the money from the life insurance policy can help the surviving spouse pay for child care and education expenses.

WEEKLY TIP

Child care costs for working parents can be steep. Fortunately, some employee benefit plans offer dependent care flexible spending accounts. Parents can pay for qualified child care expenses and get a tax break at the same time by using these FSAs, which can be funded with pre-tax dollars.

RISING WAGES, MODERATE HIRING IN DECEMBER

The Department of Labor’s latest employment report shows the average hourly wage at $26.00 last month, up 2.9% in a year. That is the largest annualized wage increase seen since June 2009. Payrolls expanded by 156,000 additional hires in December, leaving total 2016 job growth at a 5-year low of 2.2 million. (This could be a sign of the labor market reaching full employment.) The headline jobless rate ticked up to 4.7%, while the U-6 rate encompassing the underemployed was at 9.2%.¹