The US Fertility Rate Hit Another Record Low
.The US Fertility Rate Hit Another Record Low
Notes From The Field By Simon Black
February 17, 2020 Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico
Last month the US government’s National Vital Statistics System released data showing that the birth rate in the Land of the Free has dropped to -yet another- ALL TIME LOW.
It’s the FOURTH year in a row that the fertility rate has reached a record low in the US, meaning that the issue just keeps getting worse.
And it’s one that has enormous, long-term economic consequences.
9 Millionaire Success Habits That Will Inspire Your Life
9 Millionaire Success Habits That Will Inspire Your Life
Leon Ho Founder & CEO of Lifehack
As technology evolves and information becomes more accessible, it has also become more challenging to define success. A lot of people are trapped in the rat race while trying to discover the actual formula for success.
You could become overwhelmed with what tools, techniques or philosophies to imbibe while trying to get tips over the internet. At every click and turn, there are ‘how-tos and quick-fix’ on how to become successful overnight. You will find several courses, articles, videos and books on how to achieve financial success.
But what if I tell you it doesn’t have to be complicated as people made it out to be? What if you could achieve success by merely following these 9 millionaire success habits?
The Global War on Cash
.The Global War on Cash
By Jeff Desjardins
Presented by: Texas Precious Metals
The Global War on Cash
The Money Project is an ongoing collaboration between Visual Capitalist and Texas Precious Metals that seeks to use intuitive visualizations to explore the origins, nature, and use of money.
There is a global push by lawmakers to eliminate the use of physical cash around the world. This movement is often referred to as “The War on Cash”, and there are three major players involved:
1. The Initiators
Who? Governments, central banks.
Why? The elimination of cash will make it easier to track all types of transactions – including those made by criminals.
Got Gold?
Got Gold?
Sanjib Saha February 7, 2020
YEARS AGO, I spent a few days in Bangkok touring the city. A highlight of my short stopover was the temple of Wat Traimit, which houses a five-and-a-half metric ton Golden Buddha, made of approximately $250 million of gold.
Cast more than 700 years ago, the statue symbolized the prosperity and cultural heritage of Sukhothai, the first Thai kingdom. Sometime in the 18th century, the statue was completely plastered over to conceal its value from Burmese invaders.
The significance of the statue was forgotten for some 200 years, until the plaster accidentally chipped off to reveal the gold underneath. The miraculous 1955 discovery made headlines and the statue was restored to its former glory. I was mesmerized by its brilliance and beauty.
ABCs of Wealth
.ABCs of Wealth: Guest Post
By Vicki Robin
The multiple forms of capital have become a foundational concept in my thinking about the pursuit of financial independence and living a truly rich and resilient life. That’s why I was overjoyed when Vicki Robin, prolific social innovator, writer, speaker, and coauthor with Joe Dominguez of the life-changing book Your Money or Your Life, offered to pen a guest post demonstrating the overlap of what she has come to think of as Natural Wealth with these multiple forms of capital.
It seems like the perfect way to release the free worksheets (which you’ll find at the end of this post) I created so you can take inventory of all of the Natural Wealth and other forms of capital in your own life.
In the 2018 update of Your Money or Your Life, after years of observing how real people creatively use the tools to have a “high joy to stuff ratio” life, I challenged the whole idea of “financial independence (FI).” Money is a small part of our wealth portfolio.
The Wealth Gap: How Changing Fortunes Tear Close Friends Apart
.The Wealth Gap: How Changing Fortunes Tear Close Friends Apart
Sirin Kale
It’s not uncommon for friendships to end because of finances – whether a sudden salary rise or fall. But with care and forethought it is often possible to prevent the rupture
When David Matcham and his wife adopted a baby boy in 2013, their financial situation promptly hit rock bottom. Matcham, 44, from Norfolk, had just completed a PhD, and was looking for work. They were broke; poorer than either of them had been at any point in their lives, even when they were students.
For more than a year, Matcham became a social recluse. In part, this was out of necessity – he had no money for socialising – but it was more than that. His sense of self-worth was in the red. “I felt as if I didn’t matter any more, I had made such a mess of things,” he remembers.
What Is A Power Of Attorney?
.What Is A Power Of Attorney?
By Cameron Huddleston
If there’s one thing I think no adult should be without, it’s a power of attorney.
You were probably thinking I was going to say something more essential to a happy life – such as love and affection or a sense of purpose. Of course those things are important, but I’m a financial journalist and this is a blog about money (mostly). So that’s why I want to highlight how essential having a power of attorney is for everyone.
Unfortunately, most Americans don’t have this legal document. Only one-third of adults 55 and older have a durable power of attorney, according to a survey by Merrill Lynch and Age Wave. The percentage among younger generations is likely even lower.
If so many Americans don’t have a power of attorney, it can’t be that necessary, right? Wrong. If you want to have a say in who gets to make financial decisions for you if you can’t on your own, you need a power of attorney.
What Is A Living Trust?
.What Is A Living Trust?
By Cameron Huddleston
Chances are, you know what a will is. This legal document spells out who gets your assets when you die. It also allows you to name an executor to oversee the distribution of your assets and guardians for your children.
If you don’t have a will, your state’s laws will dictate who gets what. That means your home, car, investments or any money in your bank account could go to someone you don’t want to get it. Even your children could end up with someone you wouldn’t have chosen.
Some people go a step beyond a will by creating a living trust. You’re probably thinking those people are the rich and famous. However, trusts aren’t just for the super wealthy. There are benefits of a living trust that make this estate planning tool ideal even for the not-so rich and famous.
5 Signs Your Parents Need Help With Their Finances
.5 Signs Your Parents Need Help With Their Finances
By Cameron Huddleston
November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. When my mother started exhibiting the early signs of Alzheimer’s, I wasn’t aware that her lapses in memory were the beginning stages of a disease that has gripped her for more than 10 years now.
In fact, I initially thought that she was asking the same questions over and over because of hearing loss from a tumor that she had behind her left ear. I didn’t want to believe that my mom was starting to lose her memory in her early 60s. That was something that happened to people who were much older, I told myself.
But one night while I was at her house, it became painfully obvious that her hearing loss wasn’t the problem.
Everything You Need to Know About Recessions
.Everything You Need to Know About Recessions
January 9, 2020 By Nicholas LePan
Just like in life, markets go through peaks and valleys. The good news for investors is that often the peaks ascend to far greater heights than the depths of the valleys.
Today’s post helps to put recessions into perspective. It draws information from Capital Group to break down the frequency of economic expansions and recessions in modern U.S. history, while also showing their typical impact.
What is a Recession?
Not all recessions are the same. Some can last long while others are short. Some create lasting effects, while others are quickly forgotten. Some cripple entire economies, while others are much more targeted, impacting specific sectors within the economy.
Fed Official: “If there’s a recession, don’t worry”
.Fed Official: “If there’s a recession, don’t worry”
Notes From The Field By Simon Black
January 29, 2020 San Juan, Puerto Rico
Earlier this week I sent one of my team members to a banking conference here in Puerto Rico hosted by the Federal Reserve.
It might strike you as strange that the Fed would be holding an event in Puerto Rico, but it’s not that unusual.
Puerto Rico is a US territory and hence part of the US banking system. So just like the rest of the United States, banks in Puerto Rico (including my own) fall under the umbrella of the Federal Reserve.
The whole point of the event was to help showcase large-scale investments in Puerto Rico that local banks can help finance.