African-American consumers spend $1.1 trillion a year. And as a consumer group, if it were a nation, would rank as the 16th wealthiest in the world. As consumers you can check the box. We have to unlock the economic and entrepreneurial power of black America.

What is your earliest memory of being happy? Do you remember that feeling being a kid on a warm summer night, the grass under your bare feet, and the freeing feeling of not having to go to school the next day? For me, being happy is being free like on those summer nights. We all want to be happy. It’s a full feeling. A feeling that connects us with others and deep into ourselves. Physiologically it’s pretty easy to understand – a chemical reaction happens in our brain, serotonin is released, and boom we feel great. Emotionally and spiritually it’s more complex. But how does money impact your happiness? Studies show that the correlation between your salary’s impact on your happiness up to $75,000, and then it peaks at $125,000. Meaning that people are increasingly happy until they make $125,000 and then they plateau. Join us for our discussion with Stacey Tisdale on Are You Happy?. Stacey Tisdale, a more than 20-year veteran TV broadcast financial journalist, and financial behavior expert, is one of the first women, and the first African-American to report from the New York Stock Exchange, in her role as a reporter/anchor for Dow Jones’ Emmy Award winning, Wall Street Journal Television.She then went on to become one of the first on-air reporters for CBS MarketWatch and business/personal finance correspondent for CBS News, The Early Show, CBS Evening News, and CBS Radio. Her latest book is The True Cost of Happiness: The Real Story Behind Managing Your Money Welcome to Mastering Your Money, Stacey Tisdale

In Raleigh-Durham NC area, people do the simple maneuver of converting your personal residence to a rental property. This maneuver brings with it many tax rules, mostly good when you know how they work

Senior tax strategies, Durham NC,Retirement Savings

Can You Spot The Hidden Trend? Can you spot the hidden trend? A major demographic trend that is driving the U.S. economy and financial markets is right here in front of your eyes, but it’s not so easy to see without a trained eye. If you knew what to look for, you’d see that China, Japan, Germany, and other major economies are grappling with a decline in their working-age population in the decades ahead, while the U.S. working-age population is expected to grow. Since growth in the size of the labor force is one of the two determinants in economic growth, it’s a key fundamental factor that will shape the future of financial markets. With the working age population stalling, Europe’s economic growth is sluggish. To stimulate the economy, Germany’s central bank has pushed lending rates into negative territory, which is unprecedented. Germany is the world’s second largest issuer of government-backed bonds and its action has depressed interest rates on U.S. Treasury Bonds. While the demographic trend is hidden in plain sight, it’s set to shape growth in major economies across the globe for the decades ahead, and it means low interest rate conditions could persist for years. No one can predict the next move in the stock market, but demographics are fairly stable and predictable. This is an important trend. Be sure your strategic investment plan — especially, your portfolio’s allocation to bonds — is in sync with this key fundamental. Please contact us with any questions fulbrightteam@moneyful.com or to set up a meeting, and don't hesitate to share this video with people who might benefit from our work.

Vision proves that all things are possible. Thousands of concepts that are common today were once considered utterly impossible, completely absurd, and unattainable. Imagine the laughter and mockery that you would have experienced 150 years ago if you discussed the idea of carrying multitudes of people across the globe in a metal shell with wings, traveling thousands of miles in only hours, or talking to someone from a great distance with a handheld wireless device. There are so many great discoveries and inventions that are not that impressive today, because we have learned to look beyond. Those are just glimpses of what vision is capable of achieving. Clearly the successes that are going to exist tomorrow are not seen today, but someone’s vision will bring them into play. Why not yours? Joining us for our discussion You Can Achieve Anything is Thomas W. Jones who is calling in from his Stamford, CT office. Thomas W. Jones is founder and senior partner of venture capital investment firm TWJ Capital LLC. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Global Investment Management at Citigroup; Vice Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer at TIAA-CREF; and Senior Vice President and Treasurer at John Hancock Insurance Company. Jones received masters degrees from Cornell University and Boston University, and holds honorary doctoral degrees from Howard University, Pepperdine University, and College of New Rochelle. His latest book is From Willard Straight to Wall Street: A Memoir Welcome to Mastering Your Money, is Thomas W. Jones

Many people are drowning in debt. They must deal with this debt issue in order to move forward in quest to find financial freedom or to be able to have the choice of working or not. Consumer debt including mortgages, auto loans, credit cards & student loans has increased to over $13.51 trillion dollars in the US. You have to make tough decisions about your spending and possibly your income. The most important step is to take action vs hoping your debt will go away. Taking action will forward to financial freedom and avoid you having to experience the pain of hitting rock bottom. You may have to file bankruptcy in order to have the chance at financial freedom. In order to avoid bankruptcy, you must control your spending.

With stocks hovering around an all-time record high, a growing likelihood of a Federal income tax rate hike by 2021, and the deadline for end-of-year tax tactics closing in fast, this is a timely reminder to run a reality check on your retirement income plan. An unusual confluence of tax, financial-market and political factors make this a particularly good time for high-income and high net worth individuals to check their retirement income plan. Let’s get specific about current conditions: In 2019, the federal government is spending a trillion dollars more than it collected in revenue, and at the end of 2018, the national debt totaled $22 trillion Meanwhile, changing political winds could sweep in higher federal tax rates. Managing your tax bracket now — in case of a hike in federal income tax brackets — could lower your tax bill, not just for 2019 but in the year or two ahead, as well. Proactive tax planning before the end of 2019 may be especially timely for business owners with an interest in a pass-through entity, like an LLC, S corp, or sole proprietorship.