Healthcare Expenses

Consumer discretionary spending is the major driver of the U.S. economy as household purchases make-up about 71 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).

Without growth in consumer spending, the economy would most likely go nowhere.

Since economic growth is generally considered a good thing, it stands to reason that we should be looking for things that contribute to consumer spending.

An interesting piece of research from an economist at Credit Suisse shows that health spending has been the primary...

A price index such as the consumer price index (CPI) is intended to provide a rough gauge of the general direction of prices in the economy.

An increasing consumer price index represents price inflation while a decreasing price index may provide an indication of...

Roughly 10,000 Americans will retire each day for the next nineteen years.  Many millions of these retirees will have financial profiles that are considered statistically average.  

What, exactly, does it mean to be financially average, and what might retirement look like for the average person or household?  How might the financial aspects of retirement play-out for you, your parents, or your family and friends?  

Let’s take a look at some data sources to consider the average profile and how it may apply to your situation.  For simplicity, I’ll give the average American retiree a name – I’ll call him William.

Who is William?

Let’s lend some definition to William by building a...

Walter M. Bortz II, M.D., is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and a graduate of Williams College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Recognized as one of America’s leading scientific experts on aging and longevity, Dr. Walter Bortz's research has focused on the importance of physical exercise in the promotion of robust aging....