As the holidays approach, the giving spirit is in full force. As you shop for gifts, you may purchase an extra toy or two for children in need or donate some of your extra change to the food pantry in the grocery store check-out line.

Although 2021’s sharp uptick in inflation will not last forever, many of its side effects could. For example, certain goods and services rarely experience prolonged periods of outright deflation and will therefore likely now have a new price floor in place, i.e. pre-COVID levels potentially may never be seen again.

As the holiday season approaches, it’s important to remember that joy doesn’t have to come with an expensive price tag.

In the recently released monthly job report from the U.S. Labor Department we learned that nonfarm payrolls growth picked up in October, with 531,000 jobs added back to the economy. This is in line with the acceleration we expected would occur as the headwinds from the Delta variant continue to fade.

The fourth quarter is a busy time for everyone. As people are wrapping up their end-of-year finances, the holidays quickly approach, and before you know it, you’re ringing in a new year.

An old stock market adage is “nothing changes sentiment like price,” with fluctuations in investor optimism often being more closely linked to how much one’s portfolio has risen or fallen in value recently than any actual changes in the underlying fundamentals.

Whether you’re close to retirement or decades away, chances are you’ve had the opportunity to contribute to an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan such as a 401(k), IRA, or something similar.

Stocks rebounded in October, enough so to more than offset the September drawdown and even return major indices to fresh all-time highs.

Digitization has shaped the way people operate in the world, and as more apps become available and tasks like grocery shopping, making doctor’s appointments, and booking vacations are moved to a digital space, society is more connected than ever before.

In the previous blog post, we pointed out how 2021’s sharp uptick in inflation has been predominately driven by rising goods prices. One thing often overlooked about this is that it is not only supply constraints leading to higher goods prices but also very strong consumer demand.