Insights

The challenge of higher prices is starting to weigh on home sales. New and existing home sales both dipped last month while the median price of existing homes sold topped $350,000 for the first time. Vacation home sales jumped 57.2% over the last year.

From the family tea set to the most complex estate, transferring wealth – of whatever size and definition – couldn’t be more common. What’s less common but just as important is outlining a specific plan and updating it as circumstances change.

The Federal Reserve raised its inflation forecast 1.0% for this year to 3.4% and indicated inflation will stay near its target of 2.0% in coming years. Based on a more rapid recovery and higher-than-expected inflation in recent months, Fed officials estimate the Fed will raise interest rate …

Editor’s Note: This article was updated in June 2021. In the late 1920s, an enterprising Bostonian started selling subdivisions in the sunny ‘burbs of Florida. Promising orange trees in the backyard and rolling waves out the front door, he sold plots – sometimes 23 an acre! – near bustling …

BY BOB HUNTLEY, CFP®, CHFC®, CKA® FOUNDER & WEALTH ADVISOR   Proverbs 22:29 Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men. Everyone believes doing something well is a good idea. 

U.S. consumer prices continued to go up faster than normal. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) jumped 0.6% last month and has now increased 5.0% over last year (Figure 1). Used car and truck prices rose 7.3% last month and are 29.7% higher over the last year. New car prices increased 1.6%, and …

Watch this webinar hosted by Carson’s Vice President of Trust Services, Sarah Duey, to learn more about why you might need to update your estate plan.

U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose 559,000 last month (Figure 1). This is much better than last month’s 278,000, but much lower than March’s 785,000 gain. Workers are returning to the labor force more slowly than expected. Businesses are reporting challenges in finding workers. Leisure and hospital …

Savvy investors keep one eye on Wall Street and one eye on Washington. One of the main topics of Capitol Hill conversations is estate taxes, specifically annual and lifetime exemption amounts. Estate taxes often take aim specifically at the high net worth crowd, who have more to pass on.

U.S. home prices continued to march higher. As Figure 1 shows, they have surged 13.2%. The 20-city index has increased slightly more as cities just out of the top 10, such as Phoenix, San Diego, and Seattle have experienced very rapid price appreciation. The annualized gains are in line wit …