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Adding a Financial Advisor is Always a Bad Idea, But Especially Now Image Copyright: BestCashCow

Adding a Financial Advisor is Always a Bad Idea, But Especially Now

Unless you are ultra-wealthy, the idea that you or anyone needs a financial advisor is completely obsolete. It is so Twentieth Century. Online banks make both equity and debt markets complete accessible, usually enabling you to trade for... Read →
Interest Rates Are Headed Down Later in 2024, But Your Savings Account Interest Rate Should Not Have Fallen Yet Image Copyright: BestCashCow

Interest Rates Are Headed Down Later in 2024, But Your Savings Account Interest Rate Should Not Have Fallen Yet

At the Fed’s March 2024 meeting Jerome Powell reaffirmed that the Fed is not cutting interest rates until it has further information and continued to guide towards three quarter-point cuts in the Fed Funds rate before the end of... Read →
The Federal Reserve End March 2024 Meeting Again Holds Interest Rates at 5.25-5.50% Target Image Copyright: BestCashCow

The Federal Reserve End March 2024 Meeting Again Holds Interest Rates at 5.25-5.50% Target

The Federal Reserve ended its March meeting leaving interest rates at their current target. The members unanimously indicated that they anticipate three quarter-point rate cuts before the end of 2024. Given that January and February... Read →
Federal Reserve Maintains Rates at 5.25% to 5.50% Target, Refuses to Guide When It May Cut Image Copyright: BestCashCow

Federal Reserve Maintains Rates at 5.25% to 5.50% Target, Refuses to Guide When It May Cut

The Fed ended its January 2024 FOMC meeting by declining to specify when it may begin lowering the Fed Funds target rate.

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3 Simple Reasons to Never Ever Buy a Brokered Certificate of Deposit

On and off from February to May of 2023, US financial markets witnessed something that they ordinarily do not experience. We saw 1-year and 18-month brokered CDs rise to levels that were competitive with 1-year or 18-month online CDs, as... Read →
Do US Treasury Bonds Serve a Purpose For Depositors? Image Copyright: BestCashCow

Do US Treasury Bonds Serve a Purpose For Depositors?

With the recent and pronounced move in the Treasury curve, there has been a lot of discussion in the mainstream financial media suggesting that depositors look to US Treasury bonds. The simple reality is that short-term US Treasury bonds... Read →
Federal Reserve Holds At 5.25% to 5.50% Target and Says Inflation has Eased Image Copyright: BestCashCow

Federal Reserve Holds At 5.25% to 5.50% Target and Says Inflation has Eased

Today's Fed announcement and Chairman Jerome Powell’s press conference marked the Fed’s first acknowledgement that inflation is more contained. After having been on hold for four of the last five meetings, the Federal... Read →
Dimon on Crypto: "If I was the Government, I'd Close it Down" Image Copyright: JP Morgan Chase

Dimon on Crypto: "If I was the Government, I'd Close it Down"

Chase CEO and Tufts alumnus Jamie Dimon has been skeptical of bitcoin and crypto for some time. While other major banks have made forays into what Charlie Munger termed "trading turds", Dimon has kept his bank out of it. The... Read →
Forbright Bank’s Latest Deal Shows Just How Broad Climate Funding Can Be Image Copyright: BestCashCow

Forbright Bank’s Latest Deal Shows Just How Broad Climate Funding Can Be

I have been a keen observer, advisor and investor in the climate space for many years. I am a believer that the lowest hanging fruit in our decarbonization efforts revolve around investments related to energy generation through the... Read →
You Have Not Missed Your Chance to Lock in Long-Term Cash At Higher Rates Image Copyright: BestCashCow

You Have Not Missed Your Chance to Lock in Long-Term Cash At Higher Rates

US Treasury rates came down dramatically last week, with the 1-year falling from 5.32% to as low as 5.01%, with still more pronounced declines along the longer end of the curve (the 10-year, for example, crashed from 4.55% to... Read →
Certificates of Deposit Are Now More Attractive than US Treasurys Across All Maturities for All Tax Brackets Image Copyright: BestCashCow

Certificates of Deposit Are Now More Attractive than US Treasurys Across All Maturities for All Tax Brackets

Interest rate moves over the last 23 months have been so pronounced that most banks - including online banks - have struggled to offer their customers certificate of deposit rates that compete with what those same customers can get in US... Read →
CapitalOne Sued for Deception Over 360 Savings Rate versus 360 Performance Savings Rate Image Copyright: BestCashCow

CapitalOne Sued for Deception Over 360 Savings Rate versus 360 Performance Savings Rate

A lawsuit has been filed by customers of CapitalOne Bank alleging that the bank engaged in deceptive tactics with its 360 Savings customer base in 2022 and 2023. The plaintiffs assert that when CapitalOne began offering the 360 Performance... Read →
Forbright Bank’s Funding of Renew Projects Is A Template for the Type of Deals that We Need to See In the Renewable Space Image Copyright: BestCashCow

Forbright Bank’s Funding of Renew Projects Is A Template for the Type of Deals that We Need to See In the Renewable Space

The climate crisis is continuing, even while other global crises and risks capture all of the media's attention. It is just as incumbent today as it was two months ago that banks fund wind and solar projects in order to expedite the... Read →
Federal Reserve Holds Fed Funds at a 5.25% to 5.50% Target; Still May Not Be Done Image Copyright: BestCashCow

Federal Reserve Holds Fed Funds at a 5.25% to 5.50% Target; Still May Not Be Done

The Federal Reserve Open Markets Committee has concluded its October 31 - November 1 meeting, and it voted unanimously to hold interest rate unchanged at 5.25% to 5.50%. The Fed's statement indicates that, while this is its second... Read →

Jerome Powell's Speech at Economic Club of New York Indicated Fed May Not Be Done

Jerome Powell gave an interesting speech in front of the Economic Club of New York earlier today. I think that there are at least three main takeaways from this speech that depositors need to consider. First, the Fed may not be done... Read →