“Layin it on the line”

Beginning in 2020, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates to multi-decade lows, dropping the rate on 10-year Treasuries from a robust 2 percent to 0.5 percent. This steep decline was a blow to savers, especially those who traditionally look to bonds as safety anchors for their retirement portfolios. Since Treasury 10-year rates determine approximately half the yield of corporate bonds, convertibles also feel the sting of near-negative interest rates.

Discouraged by a cooled-off bond market, many who count on bonds for retirement income are looking into convertible bonds as an alternative. Corporate bonds that can be swapped for common stock in the issuing...

“LAYIN’ it on the line”

“Warren Buffet once pointed out that when you do the math, it is obvious that inflation is far more destructive to wealth than any tax levied on us by the government.”— Lawrence Castillo

 

It probably hasn’t escaped your notice that consumer prices have gone rogue in 2021. Prices for goods and services are surging at the fastest pace in over ten years, threatening to squeeze households and squelch a potential post-COVID economic recovery. Economists, bankers, and pundits insist that inflation rates reflect pandemic-induced trends and are only temporary.

However, many retirees, pre-retirees, and investors are concerned that prices will keep...

ALBUQUERQUE— A reporter’s investigation that led to one senior state official’s departure and a whistleblower lawsuit, a citizen’s quest for records that forced the creation of a new youth grievance policy and actions by two New Mexico Legislators to open up state government will be recognized by the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government as the 2021 recipients of the William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Awards. The awards are annually presented to those New Mexicans who believe in government transparency at the state or local level – and who have made significant contributions to casting sunshine (transparency) in government operations in the state.

Dixon Award...

Why does it matter?

President Biden wants the federal government to subsidize preschool for all children in the U.S. at a cost of about $20 billion. “The 2020 Kids Count Databook” from the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranked New Mexico 50th in the area of childhood education, until the latest edition.  So, any rope the feds can throw us seems like a wonderful idea. High-quality early childhood education is viewed as an important and cost-effective intervention to address early-life difficulties.

And according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation high-quality preschool programs for three-to-four-year-olds helps set the stage for future skill development, learning and well-being...