The Markets
Exceptional… exceeds expectations… meets
expectations… needs improvement… unsatisfactory. It’s a rating system familiar
to anyone who has ever received a performance review. Right now, the
performance of inflation is not meeting expectations – and that may be a good
thing.
Critics of loose monetary policy and rock bottom
interest rates have had high expectations for inflation. That is, they have
predicted inflation will rise. In March 2012, Martin Feldstein, a professor of
economics at Harvard and President of the National Bureau for Economic
Research, explained the massive liquidity created in the United States by the
Federal Reserve’s easy money policies created a risk of rising inflation. A
rapid increase in bank credit would boost the money supply and the rate of
inflation unless the Fed raised interest rates in a timely way and on an
adequate scale.
So far, low interest rates and unusually aggressive
monetary policies haven’t led to higher inflation in the United States or other
at-risk regions. The Conference Board’s Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices
(HICP), an inflation measure, showed prices in the United States increased by
0.8 percent in September 2013. That’s slower than the 2.1 percent increase
reported for 2012.
In the Eurozone, the inflation rate for October fell
to 0.7 percent, which was the lowest in almost four years. A recent article in The Economist explained it like this:
“So, why haven't
we had the inflation that some predicted in the wake of quantitative easing?
The reason is that central banks are not the only, nor indeed the main, money
creators. Money is usually created by the private banking system and that has
been trying to shrink. If the money supply is a bath, then the central banks
may have turned on the taps, but the commercial banks have pulled out the
plug.”
That may mean, despite stable and falling inflation
rates in some regions, we’re not out of the woods yet. As Mr. Feldstein wrote
last March, commercial banks could begin to lend funds to firms and households.
If that happens, “Loans could add to deposits and cause the money supply to
grow. They would also increase spending by the borrowers, adding directly to
inflationary pressure.”
how do your state’s taxes stack up? It all depends on
who you ask and what types of taxes you’re considering.
The
Tax Foundation’s State
Business Tax Climate Index for 2014 reported the most
tax-friendly states for business were Wyoming, South Dakota, Nevada, Alaska,
and Florida. The least tax-friendly were Rhode Island, Minnesota, California,
New Jersey, and New York. Every state has property taxes and unemployment
insurance taxes, but those in the top ranks tend not to have one or more of the
major taxes: corporate income tax, individual income tax, or sales tax. According
to the Foundation, “Wyoming, Nevada, and South Dakota have no corporate or
individual income tax; Alaska has no individual income or state-level sales
tax; Florida has no individual income tax.” It is interesting to note three of
the top states are among the least populated in the United States.
Kiplinger’s says that Delaware, Wyoming, Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Arizona are some of the most tax-friendly states for
individuals because they levy some of the lowest taxes in the country. California,
Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Hawaii are far less friendly. All have
high income tax rates and assess above-average property taxes, which puts them
at the bottom of the list of tax-friendly states for individuals. According to state
tax policy director for the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy Meg
Wiehe, who was quoted in Kiplinger’s, “Low tax revenues may give a state less
money to spend on education, transportation, public safety, and other services
important to you and your family... Low taxes don't necessarily lead to a
higher quality of life.”
If you’re retiring soon or
have already retired, then you may want to consider a move to Alaska, Wyoming,
Georgia, Arizona, or Mississippi which have some of the lowest taxes for
retirees in the United States. According to Kiplinger’s assessment of state tax
laws, retirees may want to avoid Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, Minnesota,
and Montana which are some of the least generous with retiree tax credits.
If, after reading this, you’re
considering a move to the Equality State (aka the Cowboy State), here are some
other things Wyoming has to offer: Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Jackson Hole,
and about 172 days a year with a temperature below freezing!
Weekly Focus – Think
About It
“A
lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its
pants on.”
-- Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister
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