The Currency - Money

Love don’t cost a thing, at least to the 67% of Americans who prioritize love over money, according to new Empower research. The National Retail Federation, on the other hand, says Americans are making Valentine’s Day sweeter by spending a record-breaking $14.2 billion.

Recently the S&P 500 Index® closed above the 5,000 mark for the first time ever. Behaviorists may chalk it up to “anchoring bias,” suggesting an importance to when broad market indices reach big, round milestones. 

Super Bowl spending is expected to score a record of $17.3 billion this year. As 200 million Americans gear up for game day, some fans are spending an average of $12,082 per ticket to watch their team live in Las Vegas.  

At the start of the New Year, Federal Reserve officials began vocalizing their lack of urgency in cutting interest rates. Investors finally started to believe them.

The Federal Reserve’s decision to keep rates unchanged for a third consecutive meeting was itself a non-item, but midway through the subsequent press conference, when Fed Chair Jerome Powell suggested that March probably would not be the right time to signal rate cuts, it was immediately clear that his pivot that took place after December's rate-setting meeting was really more of a swivel.  

Get insights from the Empower Personal Wealth Chief Investment Officer on recent happenings in finance, on everything from inflation to AI. 

It’s been a lifetime of twists and turns for the Rubik’s Cube, which holds 42% market share in the brain teaser category after 50 years. Outside the box (or cube), people are puzzling together what it means to “make it” in America. More money headlines ahead – one piece at a time.

The star of last week's GDP report? The U.S. consumer, whose personal consumption expenditures represented 1.9% of that 3.3% growth, or just under 60%. 

“In and out” lists have been popping up all over in recent weeks, and along with aims like getting more sleep, financial goals are topping people’s lists. Here’s a look at some other ins, outs, and here-to-stays making headlines. 

Managing financial risk is important, and diversification is one of the most efficient risk-management tools available to investors.