Should You Speed Up Your Retirement Plans?

 According to a March 2021 survey, an estimated 2.8 million Americans age 55 and older decided to file for Social Security benefits earlier than they expected because of COVID-19. This was about double the 1.4 million people in the same age group who said they expected to work longer, presumably due to pandemic-related financial losses.1

Many older workers were pushed into retirement after losing their jobs, and others may have had health concerns. Still, it appears that work-related stress and the emotional toll of the pandemic caused a lot of people to rethink their priorities and their retirement timelines.

Catalytic Converter Thefts Are on the Rise: Here’s Why

 According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, catalytic converter thefts began to skyrocket during the second half of 2020, and local reports indicate that the trend continued in 2021.1–2

Catalytic converters, the small muffler-like devices that help control pollution from auto emissions, have always been a target for thieves because they contain precious metals more valuable than gold and are easily accessible under the car, between the engine and the muffler. (If your car sounds like a jackhammer, your converter may be gone.)

As inflation jumps, here's a look at how much more Americans are paying for food and fuel

 Americans are paying higher prices this year than in roughly three decades. Inflation surged 6.2% in October, paced by steep increases in heating fuel, gasoline and food, labor data showed last week.

As inflation rises, here's a closer look at the rise in costs for two major household expenses — food and fuel — that have spiked compared with a year ago ...

Read more at CBS News - 3 minute read

NFTs and Blockchain: What You Should Know About the Digital Collectibles Craze

 In March 2021, a digital image by a graphic artist known as Beeple was sold in the form of a nonfungible token, or NFT, for $69.3 million, making him the third-most-valuable living artist. This was the first sale in history by a major auction house of a purely digital work of art that doesn’t exist in physical form.1

A nonfungible token is a unique digital asset authenticated by blockchain, the underlying record-keeping technology relied upon to certify its originality and ownership. NFTs first appeared in 2018, but the market took off in 2020 and early 2021 when a flurry of digital collectibles — including images, videos, music, trading cards, sports highlights, virtual real estate in online gaming worlds, tweets, gifs, and even viral memes — were minted as NFTs and traded as assets.

Women Face Challenges in a Post-Pandemic World

 The COVID-19 economic crisis tested the mettle of all Americans, particularly working mothers. Research shows that the pandemic’s impacts on women have been far-reaching and potentially long-lasting. Now that the U.S. economy is picking up steam, it may be more important than ever for women to re-examine their retirement planning strategies.

Effects of the COVID-19 Economy

The COVID-19 recession had a disproportionate impact on working women because sectors that typically employ them — including retail, hospitality, and health care — were hit harder than others.

Net Price Calculators Help Gauge College Affordability

 Fall is the time when many high school seniors narrow their college lists and start applying to colleges. One question that is often front and center on the minds of families is “how much will it cost?” To help answer that question, you can use a net price calculator, which is available on every college website.

How a net price calculator works. A net price calculator can help families measure a specific college’s true cost by providing an estimate of how much grant aid a student might expect based on his or her financial information and academic profile. A college’s sticker price minus grant aid equals a student’s net price, or out-of-pocket cost.

The numbers quoted by a college net price calculator are not a guarantee of grant aid, but the estimates are meant to be close.

Credit Scores Reach Record High

 The average FICO® credit score in the United States reached a record high of 711 in 2020, despite the financial challenges of the pandemic. In fact — contrary to what might be expected — consumer debt management improved after January 2020, with shrinking debt, decreased use of credit, and a drop in late payments.1

This may reflect more cautious spending by consumers in the face of a struggling economy, as well as support from government stimulus. Even so, credit scores have been steadily increasing for the last decade.2

An Important Number

Your credit score can influence loan approvals and terms for a variety of financial transactions, not only for major purchases such as a home or car but also for credit cards, insurance premiums, and home rentals. It may even affect a job application.

Used car buyers: How to spot flood damage

 Recent natural disasters have caused flood damage to many cars. For car owners, that can spell the end of the line for their flood damaged vehicle. For used car buyers, that can be the start of a secondhand rip-off.

Read more in MarketWatch - 5 min. read

7 Ways Men Are Living Without Working in America

 via Yahoo!finance

Almost one-third of all working-age men in America don't have a job, and they aren't looking for one.  How do they live?  What are they doing for money? 

Read more - 15 min. read

3 Tax Tips That Can Save You Thousands of Dollars in 2021

 via The Motley Fool

Since time is ticking, here are three quick tax benefits you can look into before the year closes ...

Antitrust Crackdown Aims to Increase Competition

In July, the president issued an executive order intended to "combat excessive consolidation of industry, abuses of market power, and the harmful effects of monopoly."  More than a dozen federal agencies were directed to begin working on 72 initiatives that seek to promote robust competition in the U.S. economy, in some cases through new regulations ...