Published: Wed, 04 Aug 2021 13:33:01 +0000
Market Blog Wednesday, August 4, 2021 LPL Financial is so excited to kick off our annual Focus conference, with more than 10,000 attendees sharing ideas, learning, and having a great time over the next three days. Given the world we … Continue reading →
Published: Tue, 03 Aug 2021 15:58:25 +0000
Market Blog Tuesday, August 3, 2021 Most investors are aware that seasonal patterns exist in equities, but they may not be as familiar with the seasonal patterns in fixed income markets. As pointed out in the LPL Research Market Blog … Continue reading →
Published: Mon, 02 Aug 2021 17:00:29 +0000
Market Blog Monday, August 2, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and international equities In July, the U.S. major market indexes finished higher while international equities, as represented by the developed international markets (MSCI EAFE), and the emerging markets … Continue reading →
Published: Mon, 02 Aug 2021 15:30:06 +0000
Market Blog Monday, August 2, 2021 Hard to believe, but we are in August already! The good news is stocks are still firmly in a bull market, but the bad news is the calendar is a potential worry now. As … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 30 Jul 2021 20:11:06 +0000
Market Blog Friday, July 30, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Reverse Course This Week; Growth Names Pullback The major markets finished the week lower, reversing course from the previous week. Some disappointing corporate guidance … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:58:08 +0000
Market Blog Friday, July 30, 2021 China’s stock exchanges have been hit hard in response to several sudden regulatory actions that have dismayed investors. First came the crackdown on ride sharing service DiDi, which has about a 90% market share … Continue reading →
Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2021 16:58:48 +0000
Market Blog Thursday, July 29, 2021 In the latest edition of LPL Market Signals, the LPL Research strategists discuss some of the biggest surprises of 2021, including the strong year-to-date performance for the stock market and surprising recent drop in … Continue reading →
Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2021 15:58:41 +0000
Economic Blog Thursday, July 29, 2021 Lofty expectations for second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth were left somewhat wanting as a decent headline number fell short of expectations. Peering under the hood, though, we think this is still a … Continue reading →
Published: Wed, 28 Jul 2021 15:58:10 +0000
Market Blog Wednesday, July 28, 2021 We had some fun with our latest LPL Street View video, as Director of Research Mark Zabicki and Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick went outside to shoot some hoops and talk about our upcoming … Continue reading →
Published: Tue, 27 Jul 2021 15:58:46 +0000
Market Blog Tuesday, July 27, 2021 The Federal Reserve (Fed) meets this week to discuss its ongoing support for the U.S. economy. During its regularly scheduled two-day meeting, the nineteen-member committee is expected to discuss if and when the Fed … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 20:01:13 +0000
Market Blog Friday, July 23, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Higher as Growth Leads The major markets finished higher this week after starting the week lower, with the Dow Jones off by over 2% … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 15:58:33 +0000
Economic Blog Friday, July 23, 2021 On Thursday, July 22, the Conference Board released its June 2021 report detailing the latest reading for the Leading Economic Index (LEI), a composite of ten data series that tend to lead changes in … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 14:58:16 +0000
Friday, July 23, 2021 Top Story Buy the dip Even after Monday’s big drop for stocks in the U.S., stocks have roared back and are now looking at a nice gain for the week. Here are some of the reasons … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 13:58:08 +0000
Market Blog Friday, July 23, 2021 Inflation is soaring and Jerome Powell still isn’t overly worried about it. In fact, he was grilled by Congress last week and held his ground on his inflation views. This week in the LPL … Continue reading →
Published: Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:58:37 +0000
Economic Blog Thursday, July 22, 2021 In data we received on Tuesday, July 20, U.S. Housing Starts increased 6.3% in June to 1.64 million units, a 3-month high. By region, housing starts rose in the South and West, and in … Continue reading →
Published: Thu, 22 Jul 2021 14:58:23 +0000
Thursday, July 22, 2021 Top Story Housing Starts were higher than expected this week (Tuesday), but the lack of housing supply still remains a problem. Housing starts were up 6.3% in June; continuing a sharp post-COVID rebound. The building activity … Continue reading →
Published: Wed, 21 Jul 2021 15:58:51 +0000
Market Blog Wednesday, July 21, 2021 Monday’s big down day was a harsh reminder of how markets actually can produce volatility. It was the worst day of the year for the Dow and only the second drop of 1% or … Continue reading →
Published: Wed, 21 Jul 2021 14:58:53 +0000
Wednesday, July 21, 2021 Top Story Time for a more significant pullback or correction? Stocks have had an amazing run, but here are some things to consider. The S&P 500 Index hasn’t had a 5% pullback since last October, right … Continue reading →
Published: Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:58:56 +0000
Market Blog Tuesday, July 20, 2021 The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) announced yesterday that the COVID-19 recession is over. If things don’t feel all that different, it’s because they announced the recession ended in April 2020. Yes, that’s … Continue reading →
Published: Tue, 20 Jul 2021 14:58:17 +0000
Tuesday, July 20, 2021 Top Story The shortest recession ever is over…15 months ago The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) announced yesterday that the economy bottomed in April 2020, making the COVID-19 recession the shortest on record and the … Continue reading →
Published: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 14:58:33 +0000
Top Story Earnings season off to a great start Beat rates have been outstanding so far with 85% and 90% of S&P 500 companies beating earnings and revenue targets. Second quarter earnings growth is tracking to a nearly 70% year-over-year … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 20:00:56 +0000
Market Blog Friday, July 16, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Mostly Lower As Utilities and Real Estate Gain Ground Most major markets sold off this week as Q2 earning season kicks off. Market participants … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 15:58:58 +0000
Economic Blog Friday, July 16, 2021 This week has provided investors with a fresh batch of data carrying the potential to heavily affect the inflation debate. Tuesday brought us the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for June, while Wednesday saw the … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 14:58:30 +0000
Friday, July 16, 2021 Top Story Retail sales came in solidly above expectations Retail sales for June increased 0.6% month over month, ahead of Bloomberg’s consensus forecast for a 0.3% decline and following a 1.7% decline in May. Excluding autos … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 11:58:27 +0000
Economic Blog Friday, July 16, 2021 Sentiment on Main Street remains strong as the U.S. economy continues to move towards normalcy, but concerns about the impact of a strong but uneven recovery are rising as higher prices, supply chain bottlenecks, … Continue reading →
Published: Thu, 15 Jul 2021 15:58:50 +0000
Market Blog Thursday, July 15, 2021 What a first half of 2021! As quick as it was, the economy continues to pick up speed as well. In fact, this could be one of the better years of economic growth we’ve … Continue reading →
Published: Thu, 15 Jul 2021 14:58:43 +0000
Thursday, July 15, 2021 Top Story Street View Midyear Outlook 2021 In the latest LPL Street View video, LPL Financial Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick takes a closer look at what the LPL Research team thinks is coming in the … Continue reading →
Published: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 18:13:27 +0000
Market Blog Wednesday, July 14, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities This quarter provided positive results for all major market indexes. The top performer and standout was the growth-laden Nasdaq composite, which returned over 9% for … Continue reading →
Published: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 15:58:04 +0000
Market Blog Wednesday, July 14, 2021 To state the obvious, coal mining is a dangerous occupation. Not only do coal miners have to deal with collapsing tunnels and explosions, they also have to deal with the potential for dangerous carbon … Continue reading →
Published: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 14:58:06 +0000
Wednesday, July 14, 2021 Top Story Canary In The Coalmine? The 10-year Treasury yield’s fall of over 40 basis points (0.40%) has many investors asking if the bond market is signaling bad news about the economic recovery. The absence of … Continue reading →
Published: Tue, 13 Jul 2021 16:00:29 +0000
Market Blog Tuesday, July 13, 2021 LPL Research is proud to announce the release of Midyear Outlook 2021: Picking Up Speed. While the speed can be exhilarating as economic growth accelerates, it can also be dangerous. Our updated outlook is … Continue reading →
Published: Tue, 13 Jul 2021 14:58:24 +0000
Tuesday, July 13, 2021 Top Story Midyear Outlook 2021 launches today. While the speed can be exhilarating as economic growth accelerates, it can also be dangerous. Midyear Outlook 2021: Picking Up Speed is designed to help you navigate the risks … Continue reading →
Published: Mon, 12 Jul 2021 14:58:28 +0000
Monday, July 12, 2021 Top Story What will companies do for an encore? After a stunning first quarter earnings season, we expect more good news this quarter. At the same time, we acknowledge the second quarter will almost certainly be … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 20:07:36 +0000
Market Blog Friday, July 9, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Most of the U.S. and international markets were fractionally higher this week as traders were concerned about a potential peak in the global recovery, declining … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 16:00:05 +0000
Market Blog Friday, July 9, 2021 The S&P 500 Index closed at a record high on Wednesday, yet investors seem increasingly on edge with the VIX Index, a measure of implied volatility on the S&P 500, spiking nearly 40% week-to-date. … Continue reading →
Published: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 14:58:17 +0000
Friday, July 9, 2021 Top Story Is This the Start of a Correction? Despite the S&P 500 Index making a record high earlier this week, investors are clearly on edge with the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) briefly spiking more than … Continue reading →
Published: Thu, 08 Jul 2021 17:00:51 +0000
Market Blog Thursday, July 8, 2021 We mix it up this week on the LPL Market Signals podcast and bring on LPL Research’s Director of Research Marc Zabicki to discuss what he has learned about investing and working with Advisors … Continue reading →
Published: Thu, 08 Jul 2021 16:18:22 +0000
Economic Blog Thursday, July 8, 2021 The June Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Services Index was a bit softer than expected (60.1 vs. the Bloomberg consensus estimate of 63.5), although the overall reading remained near multi-year highs. The June figure … Continue reading →
Published: Thu, 08 Jul 2021 14:58:28 +0000
Thursday, July 8, 2021 Top Story Yesterday’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes showed Committee is split on tapering Some members pulled forward their expectations for the appropriate timing of tapering while others noted that the “further substantial progress” … Continue reading →
Published: Wed, 07 Jul 2021 15:58:14 +0000
Market Blog Wednesday, July 7, 2021 To quote the great Frank the Tank from Old School, “We’re going streaking!” Although Frank had another idea, stocks have been streaking in some historic ways, both near-term and longer-term. Let’s start with the … Continue reading →
It depends on how much you’ve earned and how long you have worked under the Social Security system. Your retirement benefit will be based on your average lifetime earnings. Don't worry if you started out as a busboy and worked your way up to executive chef—only your highest 35 years of earnings will count.
The amount you receive will also be affected by whether you start collecting benefits early (you'll get less), whether you collect benefits late (you'll get more), whether you work after you retire, whether other family members receive benefits based on your earnings record, whether you collect certain other government benefits, and whether the cost of living rises.
You can also sign up for a my Social Security account so that you can view your online Social Security Statement. Your statement contains a detailed record of your earnings, as well as estimates of retirement, survivor's, and disability benefits. It also includes other information about Social Security that will be very useful when planning for retirement.
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The size of the Social Security check you’ll receive is the result of your earnings record and age when you start taking benefits. Your “full retirement age,” when you’ve earned 100% of those benefits, is 66 or 67, depending on when you were born. Collect early, before full retirement age, and you’ll pay a penalty—you’ll receive a smaller check.
The choice of your start date locks in the size of your checks. Some Americans grab Social Security as soon as they can. For widows and widowers, that’s age 60. For everyone else, it’s 62, which has been and still is the most popular age to start benefits, according to U.S. News & World Report.
If you hold off filing until after full retirement, your checks earn a bonus of 8% per year. The longer you wait, the bigger your benefit becomes, until age 70. After 70, there’s no benefit to waiting longer.
Waiting makes sense if you’re healthy and members of your family tend to live longer. A $2,000 benefit, for example, becomes $2,640 if your full retirement age is 66 and you wait four more years.
A quarter of today’s 65-year-olds will live past 90, according to the Social Security Administration. You may need those checks for a long time.
Here’s a hypothetical example of the pros and cons for someone eligible for $750 per month at 62 who waits and claims benefits at 70: