The beginning of the end

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We've been keeping up with the latest headlines...
here are two of our favorites worth sharing.

Your Money

The Federal Reserve closed a chapter on its aggressive, pandemic-driven stimulus when it approved plans last Wednesday to begin scaling back its bond-buying program this month amid concerns that inflationary pressures could last longer than officials expected earlier this year.

Fed officials agreed to wind down their $120-billion-a-month asset-purchase program by $15 billion each in November and December, a pace that could phase out the purchases entirely by next June.

At PWM, we don't believe the Fed will even think about raising interest rates until after the tapering is complete circa June 2022. And maybe not even then because the Fed may be reluctant to start hiking a few months before the mid-term elections. Also, personnel changes at the Fed will likely give the Fed a more dovish tilt in 2022. There’s already a vacancy on the Fed Board, two openings to fill for bank presidents in Dallas and Boston, and we think two Trump-era appointees will be gone by mid-2022, due to the expiration of their terms.

With the Fed late to raise rates and inflation hotter-than-expected, keep an eye out for headlines touting negative real rates, that is, interest rates minus inflation.

Fed Dials Back Bond Purchases, Plots End to Stimulus by June
by Nick Timiraos

Your Life

It’s the age of technology which means you can never remind people enough on how they can be safer online. Cyber hacking is alive and well and continues to wreak havoc in our lives through seemingly powerful and invincible organizations such as credit companies, banks, government entities, gas companies, etc. Here, PCMag discusses simple ways to make your devices, online identity, and activities more secure.

12 Simple Things You Can Do to Be More Secure Online
by Neil J. Rubenking & Jill Duffy

Complexity Simplified

Fall means cooler temperatures leading to winter. You need not prepare to start staying indoors more. Instead, invest in an outdoor heat lamp to extend your outdoor time as long as possible. Here are 7 of the best, as researched by Good Housekeeping.

7 Best Patio Heaters of 2021
by Jamie Kim

Trivia

A: Squirrels
Q: What celebrity has had their dog cloned– twice?

Back in 1985, this song reached #1