Perspectives & News

Historically, the housing industry has led the U.S. out of a recession and many economists consider new housing starts to be a leading economic indicator versus a lagging indicator. Think of it this way:

Marvel’s gambit to propel “Avengers: Endgame” to become the top-grossing movie of all time finally paid off. The studio re-released the final film in its “Avengers” series earlier this month with extra footage and a post-credit tribute in an effort to pass James Cameron’s 2009 film “Avatar” as the world box office record holder.

The Federal Reserve is doing homeowners a big favor, keeping interest rates low. That means you should consider refinancing your old higher-rate mortgage. But how do you go about this? First of all, you should know that not everyone can qualify for a new mortgage. If some of your payments were delinquent or your home is underwater, for instance, you may have a problem.

Earnings season is under way for the second quarter. Don’t be surprised to see sudden stock price moves when companies report. But that doesn’t mean you should respond to every twitch. Each quarter, public companies open their books and disclose to the world how they performed during the past three months. It can be a time of great stress and great jubilation for shareholders. The move in the company’s share price following an earnings announcement often stems from whether the company beats or misses the expectations set by Wall Street.

When we talk about financial fitness, one of the most important measures is the value of our assets. The problem is that we often have false expectations about some asset types, and we need to break those illusions to focus on our real financial condition.