12 Things to do before buying stocks

There is an abundance of activity going on right now, but today’s show is all about taking it back to basics. How can you make the right personal finance decision today that will set you up for the next 10 years? Are you in the position to make investment choices based on your current finances? What will we do if the coronavirus returns? All of these questions are answered with these 12 tips that can be used a model for your stock market investing practices.Why doesn't inflation feel like the official 3%?Because inflation is the rate at which prices rise, while affordability is the level of prices you have to live with — and that level never resets. Retirees also buy a different basket than the CPI emphasizes: shelter costs, insurance, property taxes, healthcare, prescriptions, food, and fuel, several of which run far hotter than headline inflation. Oil compounds it, touching every leg of the delivery chain. A resilient retirement plan stress-tests income needs well above the Fed's target and fights back with pricing-power equities, reasonable bond yields, guaranteed lifetime income for core expenses, and tax mitigation that lets you keep more of every distribution.