Here's how much Valentine's Day will cost you this year
Valentine's Day is expensive (Bankrate)
Bankrate's Be My Valentine Index says celebrating the holiday this year will set you back an average of $512.02. "For most couples, the expectation is there regardless of what the economic situation is," Ron Hill, Naclerio Chair at the Villanova University School of Business, told Bankrate. On average, be prepared to spend $41.66 on flowers, $80.46 on dinner, $15.11 on chocolate, $323.26 on gifts and $51.54 on champagne.
$6 trillion worth of government debt has a negative yield (Business Insider)
Two years ago, none of the global sovereign debt market had a negative yield. Today, more than $6 trillion worth of sovereign debt has a negative yield, according to data from JPMorgan that tracks 27 major issuers. The total amount of sovereign debt yielding less than zero has doubled in just more than a month.
Guggenheim has a new active fixed income ETF (Wealth Management)
On Wednesday, Guggenheim Partners launched its Guggenheim Total Return Bond ETF, which invests mostly in investment grade bonds across several sectors. According to Wealth Management, the ETF has an expense ratio of 50 basis points, which is less than competitors SPDR DoubleLine Total Return Tactical ETF (55 bps) and PIMCO Total Return ETF (57 bps). The ETF will track Guggenheim's Total Return Bond Fund (GIBIX) and trade under the ticker 'GTO.'
Advisors give themselves a 'B-' in business planning (Financial Planning Association)
The Financial Planning Association's "FPA 3C Index" found advisors scored an 82.9 out of 100 on six questions about confidence, control and clarity. "The overall rating appears high, which is obviously positive for those in the profession; however, we can also see through the 'FPA 3C Index' that our biggest challenge is our confidence in the future." 2016 FPA President Pamela Sandy, CFP, said in the release. Of the six questions, advisors were most confident in the clarity of their short-term business goals and least confident they would reach their long-term goals.
Obama wants to increase SEC funding for advisor oversight (Investment News)
President Obama's 2017 fiscal budget proposal calls for the Securities and Exchange Commission to receive an 11% budget increase to $1.8 billion. Investment News reports, the SEC says the increase would allow the hiring of 127 additional examiners, 102 of which would give advisor exams. Over the next five years, Obama wants to double SEC funding. The initiatives could be paid for by raising the capital gains tax and by taxing on high-frequency trading.