Posts by Robert Pagliarini

RETAIL SALES RISE IN JANUARY The increase was minimal – just 0.1% after the 0.5% advance in December – but still welcome in the face of the 2013 payroll tax hike and higher gas prices. Commerce Department data showed core retail sales (which exclude auto, gas and home improvement purchases) up 0.1% for January; they…

A SOLID EARNINGS SEASON By Friday, nearly 70% of the firms in the S&P 500 had announced quarterly results – and so far, so good. Thomson Reuters data shows that 66% of these companies have beaten revenue projections, and nearly 70% have surpassed earnings forecasts compared to 65% over the previous four quarters. As it…

You might be surprised how many people have financial documents scattered all over the house – on the kitchen table, underneath old newspapers, in the hall closet, in the basement. If this describes your financial “filing system”, you may have a tough time keeping tabs on your financial life. Organization will help you, your advisors…

Robert Pagliarini, an expert in wealth management, inheritance planning, financial planning, and sudden wealth™, writes a financial column for CBS News MoneyWatch that is also syndicated in newspapers across the country. The following is a column Robert wrote for CBS: Last year I wrote Financial Help for Women, and provided five strategies for women. Some thought…

The importance of budgeting. You won’t be able to withdraw an unlimited amount of money in retirement, so a retirement budget is a necessity. Some retirees forego one, only to regret it later. Run the numbers before you retire. Years before you leave work, sit down for an hour or so and take a look…

MORE HIRING … AND YET, MORE UNEMPLOYMENT In January, the jobless rate ticked up to 7.9%. The Labor Department countered that with some good news: 127,000 more workers were hired across November and December than previously thought. Last month, 157,000 new jobs were created. EXAMINING CONSUMER BAROMETERS According to the Commerce Department, personal spending rose…

Here’s the scenario … you get a card in the mail, one of those little reminders that tells you it’s time for your annual financial checkup. Your reaction: I’ll take care of that later. Here’s why you should look forward to it. Why do I need an annual review? Because things change, and during the…

You have an estate. It doesn’t matter how limited (or unlimited) your means may be, and it doesn’t matter if you own a mansion or a motor home. Rich or poor, when you die, you leave behind an estate. For some, this can mean real property, cash, an investment portfolio and more. For others, it…

How long can it last? The Federal Reserve has said that it will do what it can to keep interest rates low, but these efforts cannot stem the tide forever; it’s inevitable, at some point, that interest rates will rise and diminish bond prices. The only question is: when and how much? A fifth year…

Mortgage rates are still low. The earliest numbers from 2013 have remained lower than they were this time last year, leading a number of homeowners to consider (and re-consider) their options. On January 17, interest rates on 30-year FRMs dropped to 3.38%. This is down 0.5%  from a year ago at this time. Many have…