Financial World Relies on Key Groups to Track the Economy



Over the years, the closely watched “yield curve” has been fairly adept at signaling the onset of U.S. economic recessions. When short-term Treasury yields exceed long-term yields, an economic slowdown often results. When such a yield “inversion” occurred in late 2005, some economists pointed to it as an indication that a recession was approaching. Some two years later, the economy indeed fell into recession.



A yield curve inversion would seem to be a fairly straightforward method for ascertaining the direction of the economy, but more often than not, matters are not so simple. This is evidenced by the committees and teams who join forces to study the economy and weigh in with predictions and forecasts. Here’s a look at some of the key organizations that bring together the world’s most powerful and influential economists.



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Thanks to a popular 2007 motion picture, many Americans now have a “bucket list” — an inventory of accomplishments they hope to achieve in their lifetimes. Although many bucket list endeavors require courage or tenacity, such as traveling to faraway places or writing a book, there’s at least one task you can resolve to accomplish that is fairly simple but could have lasting benefits for your family, friends, and possibly a favorite charity.



Designate Your Beneficiaries When you set up an IRA or participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you are typically asked to fill out a beneficiary designation form. Although many people postpone the naming of a beneficiary, this can be a big mistake. IRAs and most retirement accounts are not subject to probate, and the assets will convey directly to your designated beneficiaries, regardless of different instructions in your will.



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Social media has become an inescapable force, but many in the financial services industry are still holding back from using it.





The fastest demographic on Facebook, Stern said, is women aged 55-65 – a huge chunk of many advisors client base. Currently, there is the biggest wealth transfer from the older generation to the younger generation, which leaves a huge opportunity for advisors to show their attributes to these newer clients and meet them where they are at: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.



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Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are just one of the many types of investment funds available, but they have some qualities that are unique and set them apart from other vehicles. ETFs are securities that attempt to track all types of indexes, industries, or commodities. For example, an ETF might be made up of securities representative of the technological industry or of the S&P 500.*



When ETFs were first created in the 1990s, the aim was to mimic the movements of an index of a specific financial benchmark. Today, ETFs also follow industries and commodities, not just indexes. The investment vehicle with the sole purpose of mirroring a specific index is called an index fund.



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Growth Stocks vs. Value Stocks



Investors are often confused about the differences between growth stocks and value stocks. The main way in which they differ is not in how they are bought and sold, nor is it how much ownership they represent in a company. Rather, the difference lies mainly in the way in which they are perceived by the market and, ultimately, the investor.



Growth stocks are associated with high-quality, successful companies whose earnings are expected to continue growing at an above-average rate relative to the market. Growth stocks generally have high price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios and high price-to-book ratios. The P/E ratio is the market value per share divided by the current year’s earnings per share.





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The good news for women: they live longer, so they will have longer to enjoy their retirement. The bad news: they live longer, and so their retirement will be much more expensive than for their male counterparts.



Women tend to outlive their husbands. Only one-third of women over sixty-five are married, and on average women will survive their husbands by fifteen years.



The combination of being on their own and living longer means that women need far more retirement income than do most men.



Unfortunately, women's pension plans just don't measure up. A study by the Older Women's League says that women only receive 54% as much private pension income as do men, and they are falling further and further behind. There is a simple reason for this. The pension you receive depends on whether you stay on the job.



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Earlier this week, we asked you to think about what your retirement will look like. Does it include continuing to work, at least part-time? For many boomers, it does.



Recent research from Investor's Group shows that many boomers plan to continue working beyond age 65. In a recent poll, 42% of boomers said they plan to retire gradually.



"That's what they're saying," said David Ablett, a financial planning expert with Investors Group. With the oldest boomers set to turn 65 in five years, "It will be interesting to see what actually happens."



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