- Where Seniors Are Most and Least Financially Secure – 2022 Edition
American seniors have many financial considerations to take into account as they navigate their golden years. Retirement income, savings, tax burdens and inflation are a few common examples. The Global Retirement Index from the French investment manager Natixis says that 41% of American respondents believe a miracle would need to happen in order to be… read more…
- Best Places for Outdoor Enthusiasts to Live and Work – 2022 Edition
Outdoor activities can add up quickly when you consider equipment, gear and apparel. For instance, the average bicycle costs upwards of $300, with some bikes costing thousands of dollars, depending on make and model. Similarly, skiing is a particularly expensive outdoor activity, with most annual ski passes costing nearly $1,000. Other outdoor activities, such as… read more…
- Hours of Work Needed to Pay Rent in the 25 Largest Cities – 2022 Edition
When it comes to housing costs, a general financial rule says not to spend more than 30% of your pre-tax income on this inevitable expense. But though the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that Americans paid roughly 25% of their income on housing expenses in 2020, residents in larger cities generally have to put in… read more…
- Cities With the Most Female Six-Figure Earners – 2022 Edition
Many Americans agree that amid rising prices and economic uncertainty today, it takes a six-figure salary to get by. However, women continue to be underrepresented in higher-paying jobs. According to 2020 Census data, women make up less than 30% of six-figure earners in the U.S. And while this figure marks progress from a decade prior… read more…
- Best Cities for an Affordable Wedding – 2022 Edition
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many betrothed couples delayed their nuptials out of caution or in adherence to safety guidelines. Because of this, the wedding industry saw a dramatic fall in revenue (-35.7%) from 2019 to 2020, and average wedding costs fell 21.6% simultaneously. However, spending has since normalized. In fact, average wedding costs are on the rise… read more…
- Top 10 Rising Housing Markets – 2022 Edition
Even though the median home price in the U.S. has soared to new heights, some housing markets are rising faster than others. The temperature of a housing market can heat up and cool down based on a variety of factors. Places where the population is growing faster than the development of new housing units are… read more…
- Cities With the Best Work-Life Balance – 2022 Edition
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new stressors into daily life as employees try to balance potentially longer hours, increased demands at home and continued uncertainty regarding work culture looking forward. As a result, a healthy work-life balance has become increasingly difficult to achieve. A 2021 survey from Indeed says that 52% of workers report feeling… read more…
- Best Cities for an Early Retirement – 2022 Study
Fewer Americans plan to work past the age of 62. In a March 2022 survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 49.2% of Americans plan to work past the age of 62, a figure that is 6.2%… read more…
- Best Cities for New College Grads – 2022 Edition
The time that follows college graduation can be an exciting period in the life of a recent graduate. This is when they enter the workforce, take on new responsibilities, and perhaps, move to a new city. A college diploma can also start to pay off almost immediately. In 2021, full-time workers between 22 and 27… read more…
- Price-to-Rent Ratio in the 50 Largest U.S. Cities – 2022 Edition
Transitioning from renting to buying a home is a major financial milestone. But rising prices have made home buying more challenging for millions of Americans. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis says that the median home sales price increased 30% between the first quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2022, reaching $428,700. And rents are shooting upward… read more…
- Most Affordable Beach Towns – 2022 Edition
Buying a home in 2022 has become very expensive. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US National Home Price Index, which tracks the purchase prices of single family homes, says that prices rose 19.2% in the one-year period ending in January 2022. When you add in proximity to the water, prices can be even more discouraging. However, there… read more…
- Best Places for Asian American Entrepreneurs – 2022 Study
Asian Americans make up just under 5% of the total adult population in the U.S., but own roughly 10% of all U.S. businesses. And as the Asian American population is expected to more than double from roughly 22 million in 2019 to over 46 million in 2060, many more Asian American entrepreneurs across the country… read more…
- Survey: Financial Advisor and Client Communications in 2022
During times of economic instability, financial advice is often in high demand. As increased inflation and the Russia-Ukraine War continue to shake financial markets, many individuals working with financial professionals may rely more heavily on them for advice and planning.… read more…
- Most Livable Small Cities in the U.S. – 2022 Edition
Despite the perception that the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a mass migration out of cities, the data simply does not support that narrative. According to Pew Research, fewer people moved out of cities in 2020 compared with the years leading up… read more…
- Best Community Colleges in America – 2022 Edition
No sector of higher education has been hit harder by the COVID-19 pandemic than community colleges. While enrollment across all higher education institutions fell 5.1% between fall 2019 and fall 2021, public two-year colleges have suffered the steepest drop in enrollment during that time, falling by 13.1%, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse… read more…
- Best States for the Middle Class – 2022 Edition
Historically, the middle class has been the largest economic group in the U.S. and currently remains so. However, it is an economic group whose numbers have steadily declined year-over-year. More families are renting than buying homes in recent years and the number of families considered cost-burdened (paying more than 30% of their income for housing)… read more…
- Where Retirees Rely Most (and Least) on Social Security – 2022 Edition
Retirement can often be daunting because it means a shift from traditional income to a reliance on savings, investments and government programs such as Social Security. However, for most Americans, the government safety net is not enough to live on. While the Social Security program in 2022 has seen the largest cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase… read more…
- States Most Dependent on the Federal Government – 2022 Edition
Billions of dollars are at stake each year for individual states when lawmakers in Washington D.C. negotiate the following year’s federal budget. For 2023, President Biden is calling for a 7% increase in federal spending as part of his $5.8 trillion budget proposal. While this money will ultimately play a major role in how states… read more…
- How the Russia-Ukraine War Is Impacting U.S. Food Prices – 2022 Study
While the U.S. is not directly involved in the Russia-Ukraine war, Americans are seeing an impact at home. The prices of commodities and products in the U.S., and worldwide, have increased above the norm. While spending on some commodities such as gasoline can be greatly minimized or avoided, depending on lifestyle, food spending is unavoidable. Consumers… read more…
- Best-Paying Places for Financial Advisors – 2022 Edition
Most financial advisors fall in the 90th percentile of U.S. workers according to average annual earnings. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the average financial advisor made about $120,000 in 2021, more than double the income of the average worker who earned $58,300 in the same year. Though the advisory career sets many individuals up… read more…
- States Leading the Charge on Renewable Energy – 2022 Edition
Renewable energy will play a pivotal role in the world’s attempt to curb the effects of climate change. The landmark Paris Agreement signed by 196 countries seeks to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. To do this, global emissions of carbon dioxide must fall 45% by 2030 and be virtually… read more…
- Safest Cities in America – 2022 Edition
For the first time in four years, violent crime in the U.S. increased in 2020. A steep rise in murders fueled this overall uptick in violent crime, as homicides surged 22% from a year earlier, according to FBI crime data. Unfortunately, that trend continued in 2022, as major cities recorded an additional 5% increase in… read more…
- Where Residents Face the Most Financial Scams – 2022 Study
Between 2020 and 2021, the number of fraud reports filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) increased by 27.3%, from 2.2 million to 2.8 million. Total reported monetary losses saw a bigger spike over the same time period (78%), jumping from $3.3 billion to $5.9 billion. Over the past 10 years, there was a 154.5%… read more…
- This Simple Strategy Can Save You Thousands on Your 30-Year Mortgage
While most borrowers get a 30-year mortgage and methodically pay off the loan by making regularly-scheduled monthly payments, there is another repayment option. Rather than making 12 monthly payments per year, some borrowers arrange with their mortgage lender to pay half of their monthly bill every other week. As a result, they make the equivalent… read more…
- Best States for Cryptocurrency Enthusiasts – 2022 Study
The cryptocurrency industry is currently worth more than $1.8 trillion globally, compared to its value of roughly $200 billion two years ago. In the U.S., consumers and businesses are latching onto virtual currency and blockchain technology in droves; however, federal guidelines are only beginning to take shape. Most recently, President Biden signed an executive order to… read more…