The Van Wie Financial Hour radio program and blog are devoted to the furtherance of financial literacy. Every week we present current events and news to the audience, but we also explain concepts and practices in personal financial topics. We like to believe that our small contribution to literacy makes a difference.
We envisioned the Van Wie Financial Hour radio show over four years ago. The format for the Van Wie Financial Hour had to be a live, call-in show encouraging listeners to participate. Content had to be current, and it had to be educational. Over the years we have taken calls on a wide variety of topics. The most memorable calls were those which could never be reproduced by doing a pre-recorded radio monologue.
Trillion Dollar annual deficits and the rising national debt have become commonplace, but elected officials in Washington, D.C. don’t seem to care. Spending is a nonpartisan problem, as Republicans and Democrats are equally guilty.
Our recent economic upturn has caused the FED to gradually tighten monetary policy. Mortgage rates rose back up to the (once-desirable) 5% range. Then, a strange thing happened. When the calendar turned over to 2019 rates began to fall, even in the absence of any easing FED policy. Suddenly, we again find ourselves in an era of (nearly-forgotten) low mortgage rates.
Selecting a financial adviser who will ultimately become a good fit for you and your family does not have to be difficult and time-consuming. You should not be afraid to consult an adviser, but you’d better know how to arm yourself with facts.
Today, there are some factions making their case for another reduction in the Federal voting age. Politics seem to be driving the voting age reduction push. On balance, younger people tend to be more liberal, and many have fallen for the sales pitch of today’s “Democratic Socialists.”
Some degree of political discourse will be required to sustain the system as we know it. That leaves the American public in a quandary, wondering if they will receive promised benefits, either in whole or in part. What role will Social Security play in retirement planning?
Starting before birth, we are cared for by others. At some point we begin to contribute to our own maintenance. Over time, lost or diminished physical abilities directly affect our ability to sustain life as we know it.
The primary funding problem with Social Security began when Congress decided to spend the money that was supposed to be held in a Social Security Trust Fund for a later time. As Congress spent the Trust Fund, they replaced the actual money with “IOUs”.