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Investors have a lot to ponder as the year begins to wind down:

As of December 2018, more than 43.7 million retired Americans collected Social Security, with more than 8 million disabled workers collecting benefits as well. But Social Security is much more than retirement income. Along with providing a small income to millions of seniors, Social Security also provides life insurance as well as survivor benefits.

Drama on the trade front had been the dominant theme on Wall Street during the third quarter, with the ebb and flow of news stories at times producing sharp swings in equity prices. This is understandable, given the positive impact on U.S. economic activity that measurable progress on this front would bring. Conversely, failure to reach a détente would hamper growth.

Creating a financial plan may seem overwhelming to those that have never completed one, but taking the first steps to creating a plan is much easier than you may think.

The trade dispute between the United States and China remains on the front burner, with stocks moving up on any new hints of a thaw in the contentious relationship between the two economic powers, or down upon signs of escalating tensions. So when the current month began, and new tariffs were implemented, stocks sold off.

More than 60 million Americans had their identities stolen in 2018, a significant increase from 2015, where more than 15 million consumers were affected. With identity theft numbers on the rise, it certainly doesn’t appear likely that scammers are going away anytime soon.

The stock market remains on a rollercoaster, headlined by dramatic selloffs followed by impressive comebacks. Through it all, the indexes remain fairly near their all-time highs.

More than 60 million Americans had their identities stolen in 2018, a significant increase from 2015, where more than 15 million consumers were affected. With identity theft numbers on the rise, it certainly doesn’t appear likely that scammers are going away anytime soon.

The long-running bull market has been historic, having taken the Dow Jones Industrial Average from just above 6,000 a decade ago to just over 27,000 earlier this year.

The long-running bull market has been historic, having taken the Dow Jones Industrial Average from just above 6,000 a decade ago to just over 27,000 earlier this year.