Suze’s Blog & News

You know I believe there is no substitute for keeping an emergency fund in a federally insured bank or credit union account. That is the best—the only way—to ensure your “what if” money is always safe and will always be there for you. Yet I know how frustrating it has been to follow my safe—not—sorry advice since late 2008. That’s when the Federal Reserve pushed safe savings rates down to zero. The Fed’s move was focused to help the economy pull out of recession and then regain some positive momentum. But that was done at the cost of savers earning pretty much nothing.

More than nine in 10 Americans think it is important for financial advisors who dispense retirement advice to act in the clients’ best interest. And more than half of Americans think this logical assumption is in fact legally required within the financial service industry.

A recent Gallup poll found that Americans are the most positive about their financial situation in a long time. Fifty two percent reported that they feel good about their finances. That’s a big jump from the 41 percent who felt the same five years ago.

Look, I love a good party as much as anyone else, especially when there is a great celebration, such as a wedding. But if you’re attending a few weddings a year—and god forbid if one or more is a destination wedding—then I am also worried you may be celebrating your way into a costly situation.

If you have been invested in U.S. stocks the past few years you have no doubt made some serious money. The U.S. markets are up more than 300% since this bull market began in 2009. But I want you to understand that great returns are in no way a guarantee going forward. Yes, stocks are always the smart investment if you are a long-term investor, but I hope you realize that over the next 10 years we might not see such robust U.S. stocks returns, simply because they have had such an incredible run.