Government Shutdown Interrupts Various Federal Services In early October, the US government shut down due to partisan disagreements over the Affordable Care Act. So far twenty-two days have passed with no solution, making this the second-longest government shutdown in history. Thousands of federal workers have been furloughed and thousands more are being asked to work without pay. As the shutdown continues, federal programs are beginning to struggle to find the funds they need to keep...

Fed Cuts Rates Federal Reserve Approves Quarter Point Rate Cut On September 17, the Federal Reserve approved the first rate cut of 2025. Stocks initially moved higher from the news, but later reversed. The cut comes after a jobs report that suggested a weakening labor market . Jobs growth has slowed sharply in the last few months, and the rate cut indicates that “concerns about a slowing labor market now outweigh ongoing worries about inflation.” (NBC) It is expected that the Fed will...

By Michael J. Bennicelli, II, CFA Maybe it’s because the algorithms know that I work in the financial services industry, but lately I’ve noticed my social media feeds littered with videos about the “average net worth by age." Watching these, I’m sure of a few things: 1) the numbers can be inaccurate or purposely misleading, 2) the posts are designed for likes and shares, so the “data” is either presented to make me feel better, or worse about myself, and 3) someone is probably trying to sell...