How Credit Unions Can Capture Revenue from the Growth of Online Gambling
The online gambling market is growing as its activity has become more mainstream, and more states have passed laws allowing it. Although it was relatively common for credit unions to enable and accept transactions made in casinos before the pandemic, the restrictions that followed changed gambling behavior, resulting in a…
Weekly Bottom Line
Highlights The consumer price index (CPI) report showed that both overall and core price pressures eased a touch in year-over-year terms in April. Overall inflation fell to 8.3% y/y from 8.5% in the month prior, while core inflation fell to 6.2% from 6.5%. The producer price index (PPI) report echoed…
Corporate America Delivers, Market Attention Focused Elsewhere
First quarter earnings season was solid by just about any measure, but based on recent market behavior it’s obvious that in general market participants paid little attention. This is a macro-driven market, so it will likely take positive macro developments, i.e., better news on the inflation front, to turn stocks…
Capital Markets and How Credit Unions Can Issue Subordinated Debt
Historically, credit unions have accessed capital through CDs, short- and long-term loans, and other investment funds to help them expand, generate income, and pursue strategic initiatives. However, as credit unions have grown over the years and offered more complex services, there is a demand to meet capital needs in creative…
Why Target Date Funds are the Wrong Investment Vehicle for Many Credit Union Executives
Target date funds are popular for many 401(k) plan participants because they offer an investment strategy that automatically reduces risk as one approaches retirement. They’re especially effective for investors who don’t want to self-manage their retirement assets and younger investors under 50. Further, target date funds align with the needs…
The Flaws of Target-Date Funds in Optimizing a Credit Union Executive’s Retirement Income
Both of these statements are accurate: Almost 80% of credit union 401(k) plan participants have all or some of their retirement savings in a target-date fund (TDF), and they’re only gaining more popularity since they were first introduced in 1994. Target-date funds are the wrong investment vehicle for most credit…
Yield Curve Inversion
At ACT Advisors, we pay a lot of attention to the indicators of a recession. Recently, the press has talked a lot about one such indicator, the two-year and ten-year Treasury Yield Curve Inversion. Currently, we do not think a recession will happen in the near future. Learn why in…
Risk Factors for Credit Unions to Consider When Designing a Split-Dollar Plan
When deciding which executive benefits to provide to your leadership team, your board may have landed on the benefits afforded by choosing a collateral assignment split-dollar plan. This benefit type is a legal agreement between the credit union and executive that incorporates retirement distributions with life insurance coverage. While split-dollar…
