Financial PLanning Advisors LLC

12/13/2022

In that Florida is a bit behind in accepting new NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) standards in annuity sales, its ironic that their meeting to discuss this is being held in Tampa at the J. W. Marriott Water Street. Note the importance of December 14th afternoon meeting.

The list of states without updates includes Florida and Indiana as well as California and Oregon.

11/01/2022

The Fed and Inflation
October 31, 2022
Robert Eisenbeis, Ph.D.
Vice Chairman & Chief Monetary Economist at Cumberland Advisors
On Friday, Oct 28, the Fed got a reading on its target inflation number when the Bureau of Economic Analysis released the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index for September. While this reading is over a month old, it is still the most current index the FOMC will have access to in its meeting on November 1–2. Unlike the CPI, which came in at 8.2%, the PCE held steady at 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. The core PCE did increase from 4.9% to 5.1%. There was considerable movement of prices within the index. For example, durable goods increased from 5.3% to 5.7%, but non-durables decreased from 10.6% to 9.5%, reflecting declines in gasoline and other energy-related products. Prices increased for services from 5.0% to 5.3%, driven by rising housing and transportation services costs. High food prices, which are widely cited in the news media, actually decreased slightly, from 12.3% to 11.9%. But on a year-over-year basis, energy-related goods and services and food are the major sources of inflation at this time.

The Fed will likely conclude that an unchanged PCE that is significantly above its target, combined with continued strength in the labor market, will justify another 75-basis-point increase in its target range for the federal funds rate. New claims for unemployment insurance released on Thursday, Oct 17, for the week of October 22 increased 3,000 from the previous week, to 217,000, and the four-week moving average increased 6,750 to 219,000. These numbers are low and at pre-pandemic levels, indicating a strong labor market and showing little sign of a recession.
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MZ Quick Comment: if you eat food Wink and you received no raise in income or less than the 8.7% social security bump, your purchasing power has decreased and is decreasing every day. For low incomers, one research study of grocery stores reported that 44% of shoppers are cutting back on food choices because they couldn't afford them. For savers, since Average money market rates fall between 0.08% APY and 0.11% APY, depending on your balance, you are dramatically losing purchasing power every day and the Feds interest rate increase of 75 bps will hurt you, too.

06/23/2022

New deans and an interim dean are named at the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee campuses.

06/22/2022

Take a close look at costs for long-term care by using the code "Lincoln."

Lincoln Financial uses the data to help advisors show clients what they're up against.

06/16/2022

When eHealth surveyed 2,848 consumers who bought Medicare Advantage plans through eHealth’s website in late May, it found that 88% were very or somewhat satisfied with their Medicare Advantage coverage. With proper research of the various advantage plans, I am a fan. There are definite advanages over traditional Medicare even with supplements.

Deft and eHealth have new numbers about what consumers are thinking.

05/16/2022

Time for more understanding about pensions, annuitization and provisions for protected ifetime income in annuities for retirement.

The Alliance for Lifetime Income held a summit to try to get people to warm up to annuitization.

05/16/2022

My deepest thanks to Dean Moez Limayem for supporting the Personal Financial Planning Baccalaureate Degree program at the University of South Florida. Our "Financial Planning Asssociation of Tampa Bay USF PFP Student Chapter" exists in great part to his efforts.
Congratulations, Moez.

The Muma College of Business dean will head to Jacksonville to serve as president of UNF, after raising almost $100 million in Tampa Bay.

05/16/2022

If you care about your money and your financial future, then you’ll want to learn about the most significant new investment opportunity of a lifetime.

He discusses how much Bitcoin to own, Fidelity's 401(k) move and what he thinks of the recent rout.

05/15/2022

For some nearing retirement, alternatives may be a better investment choice now than fixed income because alts have less of a correlation to the market. Multi-year guaranteed fixed (no market risk of loss) annuities offer 3.5% for 3 year

Advisors must try to stop clients from fleeing risk or freezing and doing nothing, Morningstar's CIO says.