Economics

• Have real home prices entered a cyclical downturn? What does that mean? (Bloomberg)
• What impact is the limitation on SALT (State and Local Property Tax) deductions having on the housing market, especially in the Northeast? I’ll give you one guess. (Bloomberg)
• The New York Times "Upshot" takes a look the mystery of today’s low wage growth in spite of very low unemployment.
• NBC News examines whether people are better off economically since 2016.
• Unemployment is low, but employment statistics have room for growth, especially for those aged 35-44.

Investing/Retirement

• Amazon and Apple report revenue misses and the market continues to drop. The S&P 500 is now in “correction” territory. (Yahoo Finance)
• Worried about the recent market declines? Is this a correction (-10%) or will it get worse? A Wealth of Common Sense takes a look at past declines for a potential clue.
• The Stanford Center for Longevity reports that Americans are only saving half of what they need to for retirement. How much should you be saving and when should you start? (CNBC)
• Over fifty percent of millennials aren’t contributing to retirement accounts, according to a Money Under 30. (USA Today/Motley Fool)

Managing Credit

• Fair Isaac Company (FICO) announced earlier this week the introduction of a new way to calculate credit scores. (Market Place)
• For more on the Ultra FICO, read the NGPF blog What Is All This Buzz About The Ultra FICO Score?
• Lenders are looking to expand their customer base by sharing how they make their credit decisions with Credit Karma so potential borrowers can check to see if they can get credit without dinging their credit score. (WSJ)

Technology

•  The latest info on fraud in the tech world: cloned apps for Android phones that track user behavior. (Buzzfeed)

Monday’s Wall Street Journal special section “Wealth Management Journal” had many useful articles. It may be worth getting a hold of it if you can. Here are a few of the most relevant.

• "The High Financial Price of our Short Attention Span"
• "A Better Way to Pay Off Credit Card Debt"
• "Can't Save Money? Blame Your Brain"
• "The Problem When One Spouse Handles the Finances"
• "Early Admissions Effect on Financial Aid"
• "Two Teachers Look to Take Control of Their Credit Card Debt"

About the Author