August 2019 Short Bits

HEALTHCARE COSTS UP.

Want to know what you may spend a lot of money on in retirement? Health care. Fidelity Benefits Consulting estimates that a couple retiring in 2019, 65 years old, with average healthy life expectancies, will pay more than $280,000, not including long term care. If you can, contribute to a tax-deferred HSA while working and take tax-free contributions for qualified health expenses.

RETIREMENT CONFIDENCE UP.

Retirement confidence is higher than at any time since the early 2000s, according to the 29th Annual Retirement Confidence Survey, conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and independent research firm Greenwald & Associates. Slightly better than two of three people surveyed are confident in their ability to live comfortably in retirement. Some 59% are confident they will have enough money for medical expenses in retirement and 52% believe they will have enough for long-term care.

GDP UP IN Q1.

The economy continued to hum, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, whose initial look at real gross domestic product during the first quarter of 2019 found a 3.2% gain. The increase reflected positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures, private inventory investment, exports, state and local government spending, and nonresidential fixed investment. Real GDP is an inflation-adjusted measure showing the value of all goods and services.

EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS MOSTLY GOOD.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently analyzed labor market outcomes by college major of pecent graduates. Theology graduates and medical technicians had the lowest unemployment rates at 1.0%. Chemical, computer and electrical engineers had the highest early-career salaries at between $65,000 and $68,000, and the highest mid-career salaries at around and just over $100,000.