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How spending shocks can affect retirement planning

Market performance tends to dominate the conversation about risks to a retirement plan. But spending shocks can also curb a retirement portfolio’s longevity. In Morningstar’s research, we examined the implications of two major types of spending shocks: unanticipated early retirement and uninsured long-term care expenses at the end of life. The former may necessitate spending over a longer period, often with higher healthcare costs in the pre-Medicare years, while the latter can translate into an effective “balloon payment” toward the end of life. EARLY RETIREMENT Early ...

Showcasing used SUVs that hold their value

There’s a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment that comes along with buying a new or used vehicle. Less appealing is the drop in value as your vehicle gets older. Depreciation is typically unavoidable, but certain vehicles tend to hold their value better than others once they enter the used car market. The reasons can vary, but it mostly comes down to how desirable the vehicle is. Information on which vehicles hold their value best isn’t readily accessible, but savvy shoppers can use it to pick a vehicle that depreciates less than average over the long haul. The car experts at ...

War in Iran sends inflation soaring and mood of American consumers plunging

WASHINGTON (AP) — The largest monthly jump in gas prices in six decades caused a sharp spike in inflation last month, creating major challenges for the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve and heightening already substantial political hurdles for the White House. Consumer prices rose 3.3% in March from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Friday, up sharply from just 2.4% in February and the biggest yearly increase since May 2024. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.9% in March from February, the largest such increase in nearly four years. It’s the first read on inflation ...

Vallourec inks multimillion-dollar contract with geothermal business

A five-year supply agreement to support the scaled deployment of geothermal energy across the United States was announced Thursday. Steel pipe manufacturer Vallourec, with production facilities in Youngstown, and Fervo Energy, a next-generation geothermal energy business, reported the transaction in a joint email. The deal represents up to $800 million in potential revenue for Vallourec over the life of the contract, the email said. Under the agreement, Vallourec will serve as Fervo’s exclusive supplier of U.S. manufactured tubular solutions and VAM connections through its ...

Jobless numbers jump in January

Mahoning and Trumbull counties witnessed the loss of 3,400 jobs from December to January, according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. They have the highest unemployment in the state with Trumbull ranked ninth among Ohio’s 88 counties. Mahoning is 13th. Neighboring Columbiana County is 32nd (5.5%); Stark County, 43rd (5%) Portage County, 46th (4.9%); Ashtabula County, 58th (4.4%); and Geauga County, 85th (3.4%). Mahoning’s unemployment rate jumped from 4.8% to 6.5% as the number of jobless went from 5,000 to 6,700 during the period. Trumbull’s ...

Valley CEO Lamoncha earns state honor

Staff report Mark Lamoncha, president and CEO of Humtown, was recently selected as Ohio’s Small Business Person of the Year for 2026. The U.S. Small Business Administration announced this year’s Small Business Persons of the Year winners from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Awardees from across the United States will be honored May 3-4 during National Small Business Week in Washington, D.C. Humtown, with locations in Boardman and Columbiana, is a global leader of conventional and 3D printed sand cores and molds. “Small businesses are big ...