Bill McKinney Financial Professional

According to this graphic released by Clemson, around $36,000 per year are required "all-in" to send a student to study there.

If you have kids or grandkids, it's smart to start saving early. Whether is a 529 or other savings vehicle, I can help you out.

I'm happy to announce I can now help with Medicare supplemental plans! If that's something you are in the market for, let me know!

Causes of Inflation

Inflation at 8.5%, the highest level in over 40 years!

What has caused this? While there are a number of factors, some include:
1. We have had very low interest rates since the 2008 financial crisis. Low rates lead to increased borrowing, which puts more cash in circulation. More cash means each dollar out there is a smaller "slice of the pie." So you need more slices to buy things.

2. Various state governments and business entities decided to shut down and stay shut down for a long period during the coronavirus scare. This led to lack of production all over the place, impacting production. Bottom line, our decisions to shut down led to less production, which means each item out there is more expensive.

3. Stimulus money. The government handed out cash indiscriminately during Covid. Yes, some people lost hours or jobs and needed it, but the handout was very loose and also gave it to the two-thirds of Americans who weren't financially impacted. Money in the system with no goods or services for the money will lead to inflation.

4. Going offshore for oil means higher gas prices. We had 100% domestic oil production during the Trump years. Biden's stopping of the Keystone XL pipeline and other domestic opportunities meant we imported oil again. Importing is more expensive. More expensive fuel means more expensive deliveries, which impacts the cost of everything upward.

So here we are, in a time of soaring inflation. I suppose the Ukraine war had a small impact on oil, but really this whole thing was in motion well before that happened, despite what some media outlets are trying to say.

A little bird told me we would see the return of the "Mayhem" ads starting during the New Year's Day bowl games...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/coal-fired-power-generation-on-track-to-hit-all-time-high-this-year-iea-says/ar-AARZDFj?ocid=msedgntp

Although our local energy is supplied by nuclear and hydroelectric, coal use is on the rise as electricity use is on the rise.

Coal-fired power generation on track to hit all-time high this year, IEA says Coal-fired power generation is due to hit an all-time high this year, according to a report from the International Energy Agency.

https://www.motortrend.com/features/nacero-green-gas-natural/?wc_mid=4035:21933&wc_rid=4035:1455823&_wcsid=785B6CB4FA698315126522EAB2C8C7A97CDD05EED6E976E1

Green Gasoline Promises Half the Carbon Footprint of Normal Gas Nacero green gasoline might make some conventional cars cleaner than coal-fired electric cars.

According to LIMRA, Quarter 1 of this year was the highest for life insurance sales since 1983! September is life insurance awareness month, and if it's something you have questions about, I'm happy to help!

I'm pleased to share that Allstate has been named to Newsweek's 2021 America's Best Customer Service top 5 list in the Retirement Planning Solutions category!

My phone is currently not working. Trying to fix it now. You can always email me at [email protected]

Here is a tidbit for you:
4 weeks ago (Monday 3/23/20), the S&P 500 closed at 2237. In the 18 trading days since then, the index has gained +28.7% (total return) to close at 2875 last Friday (4/17/20). (source: BTN Research).
While it's impossible to totally time the market, it is possible to look for opportunities. Let's talk!