Current Events

Authored by: Jack Brkich III, CFP

The recent scuffles between the United States government and our trade partners from Canada, China, Mexico and the European Union have drawn plenty of drama from the news media, with sensationalized headlines and considerable consternation.

We ended 2017 with big news from Congress, a tax reform unlike any seen since the 80's passed. As the new year gets underway, so does the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As a taxpayer, I want to know how this will affect me, and you should too.

With Christmas approaching in just a matter of weeks, you might find yourself wondering what to get your loved ones this holiday season. Luckily, I’ve got a few ideas for you.

Cybersecurity is always a hot topic, especially in the financial industry, but the recent Equifax data breach has brought it into the limelight once more. The recent breach of 143 million individual's sensitive information is just one of many that clouds headlines on a regular basis.

It is very popular right now to blame the worldwide stock market declines on China. Some analysts picked China's recent economic developments; others focused on their stock market decline; others chose to focus on the devaluation of the Yuan. I believe this is an easy, convenient excuse, rather than the core issue at hand. Consider:

On Tuesday, the People's Bank of China (PBC), the country’s central bank, announced a cut in its currency reference rate relative to the U.S. Dollar (USD) by 1.9%, down to 6.23 yuan/USD. This cut was followed by an announcement on Wednesday of another 1.6% decrease to 6.33 yuan/USD.