Blog - North Light Financial Services

The Big Economic Mystery of 2015: Flat Retail Sales

The Big Economic Mystery of 2015 If the economy is healthy, why are retail sales so poor? Retail sales have been flat or negative for four out of the past five months. Even though households are saving an average of $50 a month on gasoline compared to a year ago, that savings has not inspired consumers to increase their spending.1 Commerce Department data released last week showed no retail sales growth in April; even core retail sales (which exclude car [...]

By info@northlightfinancialservices.com|2017-03-28T08:17:19-04:00May 29th, 2015|Business/Economic News, Saving & Budgeting|Comments Off

Reining in Your Debt

Reining in Your Debt Americans are spending freely again. That has a downside. As the Great Recession faded, American household debt gradually decreased. In fact, it declined by $1 trillion between mid-2008 and mid-2014, according to the Federal Reserve.1 Now household debt is increasing once more. The Fed found it climbing by $78 billion (0.7%) during Q3 2014.1 On the macroeconomic level, that can be interpreted as a positive: it hints at greater consumer spending, easier credit, and more [...]

By info@northlightfinancialservices.com|2017-03-28T08:17:19-04:00May 15th, 2015|Financial Fitness, Personal Finance, Saving & Budgeting|Comments Off

The Top 12 Tax Frauds

The Top 12 Tax Frauds A look at the IRS “dirty dozen” list. Have you heard of the “dirty dozen?” Each year, the IRS lists the top 12 recurring federal tax offenses – frauds, cheats, feints and schemes that ethically challenged taxpayers, tax preparers and crooks try to perpetrate. Watch for these scams in all seasons, not just tax season. Identity theft. Casually discarded or displayed personal information is an open invitation to criminals. Even when we are vigilant, multiple [...]

By info@northlightfinancialservices.com|2017-03-28T08:17:19-04:00April 24th, 2015|Business/Economic News, Income Taxes, Personal Finance|Comments Off

Tax Efficiency in Retirement

Tax Efficiency in Retirement How much attention do you pay to this factor? Will you pay higher taxes in retirement? Do you have a lot of money in a 401(k) or a traditional IRA? If so, you may receive significant retirement income. Those income distributions, however, will be taxed at the usual rate. If you have saved and invested well, you may end up retiring at your current marginal tax rate or even a higher one. The jump in [...]

By info@northlightfinancialservices.com|2017-03-28T08:17:19-04:00March 27th, 2015|Income Taxes, Investing, Retirement|Comments Off

The Strong Dollar: Good or Bad?

The Strong Dollar: Good or Bad? What is dollar strength & who invests in it? You may have heard that the dollar is “strong” right now. You may have also heard that a strong dollar amounts to a headwind against commodities and stocks. While there is some truth to that, there is more to the story. A strong dollar does not necessarily rein in the bulls, and dollar strength can work for the economy and the markets. The U.S. [...]

By info@northlightfinancialservices.com|2017-03-28T08:17:20-04:00March 13th, 2015|Business/Economic News, Investing|Comments Off