What Does the Job Market Really Look Like Now?

In this episode of the Planned Solutions podcast, with the reopening of the federal government, the Department of Labor is once again publishing jobs data. The most recent reports show that the job market remains reasonably strong and may be accelerating after a brief period of weakness earlier in the year. The US economy added 119,000 jobs in September, the unemployment rate ticked up but remains fairly low, and initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits, the forward-looking indicator, remain at low levels. The IRS increased the standard deduction that taxpayers are allowed to use to shelter income from taxation for 2026. In addition, the limitation on the amount of State and Local Taxes (SALT) that can be claimed as an itemized deduction was increased. So, going forward, taxpayers will need to pay closer attention to whether they will benefit from claiming the standard deduction or should itemize their deductions. Retirement plan contribution limits will increase in 2026 in most cases. Therefore, those who seek to contribute the maximum amount allowable under the law should make sure to adjust their contributions to ensure that they will contribute the maximum amount by the end of the 2026 tax year. In addition, some new rules for taxpayers age 60-63 will be implemented, which may impact the amount that those taxpayers may contribute for 2026. Plus, a look at the Planned Solutions Incorporated Office Bulletin Board - A client recently used Planned Solutions tickets to take his son to the Kings game. His son was excited to see one of his favorite players, Domantas Sabonis, play live. They got there early and were fortunate enough to run into Sabonis coming out of the tunnel. The Kings’ star was gracious enough to take a picture and sign the young man’s hat. What a great heart-warming moment. Go Kings! Carter and Matt both sat for the Certified Financial Planner ® exam recently. After years of studying and hours of preparing for the exam, we are excited to announce that they both passed. Now they just need to complete the required number of hours working in financial planning to fulfill the requirements to hold the Certified Financial Planner ® designation. Great jobguys! To subscribe to the Personal Finance Review (the written form of all the content we discuss on the podcast), please e-mail ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠ Planned Solutions, Inc.ADDRESS: 1130 Iron Point Road, Suite 170 Folsom, CA 95630 PHONE: (916) 361-0100 or (800) 750-2111E-MAIL: ⁠[email protected]⁠ FAX: (916) 361-0191WEBSITE:www.PlannedSolutions.com