I'm a financial planner and entrepreneur who loves to talk about finance. Subscribe and join the community!
Monthly Money Digest || Higher Education
|
Hello, BlackBird community! Market RUSSELL 2000 YTD: 6.25% S&P 500 YTD: 1.77%(quoted as of 1/13/26 ) Understanding Major Indexes and Lesser-Known Indexes. Read Here Leading Economic IndicatorsCONSUMER CONFIDENCE INDEX:Consumer confidence, as reported on December 23, dropped a couple of points since the November report. The index had peaked for the year in January. (report)
NEW CLAIMS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT:Unemployment new claims were largely flat in December, and we have seen a slight decrease in the four-week moving average so far in January. How is the rest of the job market? Job creation slowed dramatically in 2025, with only 584,000 jobs added for the year compared to 2.0 million in 2024. The unemployment rate finished the year at 4.4%, but rose as high as 4.5% in November. While this was its highest level in over four years, it is still low by historical standards. (report) What's the reason for following the leading economic indicators? Read Here Financial Quote or Tip
TIP: College Financial Aid - Parents need to start financial aid planning for college long before their child has even started applying for colleges. That is because FAFSA looks at the prior two years of finances.
This means that income information reported for the 2025 tax year will be used to assess financial aid eligibility for a student who will be enrolling as a Freshman in the fall of 2027. The latest you should start planning is the spring semester of the student's Sophomore year in high school!
Outdoor Life | Clip of the Month: You know your big mountain riding when you have an ice axe in hand-Jeremy Jones Follow Us On Sources: https://www.slickcharts.com/sp500/returns/ytd , https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/index/US/RUT?mod=hp_mds |
BlackBird Finance
I'm a financial planner and entrepreneur who loves to talk about finance. Subscribe and join the community!
Hello, BlackBird community! Market NASDAQ COMPOSITE ytd: 12.10% DOW ytd: 9.84% Sugar ytd: 17.07% Lumber ytd: -2.41% (quoted as of 10/21/26 ) Understanding Major Indexes and Lesser-Known Indexes. Read Here Leading Economic Indicators HOUSING STARTS: U.S. housing starts fell 5.2% in September to an annualized rate of 1.22 million homes, down 7.4% from a year earlier. Building permits were nearly unchanged, while completed homes increased 2.2%. The takeaway? Construction activity appears to be...
Hello, BlackBird community! Market NASDAQ COMPOSITE YTD: 16.94% RUSSELL 2000 YTD: 16.15% GOLD YTD: 0.25% BITCOIN YTD: 0.17% (quoted as of 09/21/26 ) Understanding Major Indexes and Lesser-Known Indexes. Read Here Leading Economic Indicators HOUSING STARTS: New residential construction softened in August. Total housing starts declined 2.6% from July to an annualized rate of 1.275 million, while building permits fell 2.7%. The decline was largely driven by multifamily construction;...
Hello, BlackBird community! Market S&P 500 YTD: 13.74% Canada S&P/TSX COMPOSITE YTD: 15.82% (quoted as of 8/14/26 ) Understanding Major Indexes and Lesser-Known Indexes. Read Here Leading Economic Indicators U.S. RETAIL AND FOOD SERVICE SALES: The latest Census Bureau report showed that U.S. retail and food service sales were down 0.6% from June but still 5.0% higher than July 2025. While spending slowed somewhat in July, consumers are still spending more than they were a year ago. The...