Salient to Investors: Larry Levitt at the Kaiser Family Foundation said for the most part insurers are finding the market for Obamacare attractive and are pricing accordingly. Levitt said it is surprising how inexpensive some of the Bronze plans will be: they carry high deductibles and significant out-of-pocket costs, but for
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Fareed Zakaria said: Both the American left and right are concerned about the declining mobility of the American dream. Countries that invest more heavily in children’s health care, nutrition, and education, well-being more generally end up with a much stronger ladder of opportunity and access than America.
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Megan McArdle writes: The Department of Labor is reported to be moving toward making brokers et al “fiduciaries” to their clients, so they would have to offer advice in your best interest, and avoid conflicts of interest such as accepting fees to put you into low-return, high-fee
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: The maxim “Don’t take a mortgage into retirement with you”’ is no longer true given mortgage rates close to historic lows and lower than on any other loan now or in the future. Better to invest surplus money dollars in a retirement investment account which should return more
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: ARM applications in late June rose to the highest level since 2008. loan pay Cameron Findlay at Discover Financial Service said we’ve seen a shift in the way people look at adjustable-rate mortgages: they are still skeptical but the sticker shock of fixed rates is making them
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: A. Gary Shilling at A. Gary Shilling & Co writes: The total labor-force participation rates tend was 63.5 percent in June 2013 versus 67.4 percent in early 2000. The participation rates of 16-to 24-year-olds has declined sharply since 2000 as slow economic growth, limited jobs and rising unemployment rates have encouraged
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Matthew C. Klein writes: Bernanke suggested that the CPI probably overstates inflation. He is right if all we talking about is things we buy in stores and services. The problem is that most people also have to spend money on assets that they hope will provide for
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: A growing number of companies are offering financing to consumers with irregular incomes, damaged credit or past foreclosures as the housing market recovers and rising interest rates drive down demand for refinancing. Keith Gumbinger at HSH.com said at least a few lenders are starting to dig into the nooks and
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Jonathan Weil writes: The reason it’s a good idea to separate securities firms from commercial banks is to protect consumers from brokers selling schlock investments. There are countless tales of banks cross-selling unsuitable investments to unsophisticated customers. Many people trust the advice they get from their local
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Baby boomers are retiring at the worst time in a generation or more, as bond yields and stock dividends have tumbled to 2 percent, and the cohort never saved like their parents and grandparents. Pension plans have largely disappeared from the private sector, home values are the
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