Courage

RoxAnna Sway

Retail: One Piece in the U.S.-China Trade War Puzzle

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Retailers are battening down the hatches, preparing for a tsunami of tariff-related price increases that are threatening their businesses and consumers' pocketbooks. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, $250 billion in goods have already been taxed with a 25 percent tariff, $107 billion in goods are set for September 1st tariffs of 10 percent, and additional tariffs on $156 billion in "certain goods"-electronics and clothing, including cell phones, footwear and toys-have now been delayed until December 15th (giving customers a …

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Recalibrating Salaries: The Raises Americans Have Been Waiting For

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Boost salaries and you boost the whole economy. Armed with more money for spending, consumers can increase purchases of homes, consumer goods, leisure activities and much more. Most Americans-working-class and middle-class Americans-have been waiting many years for pay raises that would lift incomes that have been stagnant for several decades (according to the Federal Reserve, the average annual wage growth was only 0.3 percent between January 1989 and January 2016). News headlines boast of a booming economy, with the unemployment rate at …

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On the Edge of the New Era

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I am going to put on my futurist hat and project 100 years into the future and make a really far-out prediction. I predict that within a hundred years, or perhaps even fewer, the timeline of history is going to be turned on its head and will be rewritten. Right now, we are living through the second of the two biggest macro-changes in recording the history of mankind on this planet. The first great change was signified by the establishment of our current historical dating system: BC and AD (Before Christ and Anno Domini-year of the Lord), …

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Home Sales: Weakness in 2018, But a Bounce This Spring

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After the slowdown in home sales in late 2018, real estate professionals have been holding their breath, waiting to see if a real estate downturn is in the cards, or if this market dip was a temporary speed-bump. The real-estate market has begun to put on the brakes for home price escalation. In 2017, we saw the first published list of cities with falling real estate prices-the first price reductions since prices started climbing after the recession-mostly, at that point, in secondary markets and smaller towns. But by early 2018, some big …

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Today’s Retirees Face Unprecedented Challenges: Part Two

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This is part two of a two-part series that explores the unique challenges facing today's retirees that earlier retiree generations did not have to worry about. Part One delineated six new challenges: The rising numbers of retirees burdened with mortgage and rent payments The inability to earn interest on low-risk savings, such as savings accounts, CDs, and Treasury bills More dependence on Social Security as company-sponsored defined-benefit pensions become obsolete, and most 401(k) accounts fall short of financial goals Loss of …

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Today’s Retirees Face Unprecedented Challenges: Part One

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Those retiring today face many challenges that earlier retiree generations did not have to think about. While Social Security and Medicare provide some critical benefits, newly emerging financial challenges will strain retirees' budgets. As recently as the 1990s, financial advisors said that retirement savings of between $100,000 and $150,000 per couple would be sufficient to last the average retirement lifetime. Today, most financial advisors recommend minimum retirement saving for a couple in a range of just under $1 million to $1.73 …

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The Gen X Factor

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We can gain some perspective on economic and retail success over the coming years by looking at how the generations have weathered the Great Recession and how they are recovering. Gen X, those born between 1965 and 1980, often gets ignored, sandwiched between the massive influence of the Boomers and the emerging power of the younger millennials. While Gen X may be smaller in numbers than either Boomers or millennials - they number at around 66 million, compared to 70-plus million Boomers and millennials-they may be in a better position to be …

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The [Coming] Millennial Home Buying Spree

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Historically, real estate has been a significant driver of the U.S. economy, accounting for 17 to 18 percent of GDP. Most economic booms in this country have gained energy from rapidly growing real estate markets and when home buying increases, it pumps money into ancillary businesses as well, including sales of appliances, furniture, decorative home goods, electronics, and even outdoor and gardening merchandise. So, retailers are holding their breath, looking forward to a full-blown millennial home buying spree. After all, how much longer …

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