It’s That Time Again! A Quarterly Summary of Webinar Takeaways

 

We are three-quarters of the way through 2025 and it’s time for another summary of takeaways from webinars that I have recently attended. Below are seven nuggets that stood out to me as I reviewed notes taken in my personal learning journal:

 

“Financial Winter” Analogy- What do you do when winter is coming? You prepare by getting a coat! When a “financial winter” occurs (e.g., unemployment or unexpected events that cost money), and it eventually will, your “coat” includes emergency savings and adequate insurance.

 

Index Fund Advantage- Over 20 years, only about 7% of investment professionals “beat the market” (i.e., outperform market indices) and the remaining 93% underperformed. Since most investment pros can’t get this right, there is clearly an advantage to “buying the market” with index funds that are well diversified and generally have low expense ratios.

 

Fraud Statistics- Losses to fraud in 2024 totaled about $12.5 billion and 2.6 million consumers complained to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The most common type of fraud was imposter scams and the second most common was online shopping scams. E-mail was the most common way that consumers reported being contacted by scammers. People age 20-29 reported losing money more often than those age 70+ but older adults lost the most money.

 

Financial Literacy Education- As of July 2025, a total of 29 states passed laws guaranteeing a standalone personal finance course for high school students. In 2011, there were only 11 states. A standalone class is like a “five course meal” of financial education and personal finance embedded in another class (like social studies, economics, or business) is like an appetizer.

 

Long-Term Care (LTC)- There are different types and levels of LTC. The greatest assistance is provided in nursing homes and the least for LTC at home. Most LTC takes place as in-home care. Ways to cover the cost of LTC include LTC insurance and self-insurance. The speaker from New York City noted that, if a nursing home costs $12,000 per month, someone would need $144,000 a year to cover the cost ($720,000 for five years). Obviously, doing this requires some planning.

 

Social Security- Nearly all (94%) of older adults claim Social Security benefits. FICA tax is 7.65% of employees’ pay or 15.3% of net business income for self-employed individuals who pay double for the employee and employer portions. Workers’ highest 35 years of earnings are used to calculate two numbers called AIME and PIA from which benefits are calculated.

 

Economic Uncertainty- The first half of 2025 was chaotic and very fast paced for the U.S. economy. The longer that uncertainty remains in place, the more likely a recession will occur. If inflation numbers go higher as a result of tariffs or other factors, it will be uncomfortable for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates.

This post provides general personal finance or consumer decision-making information and does not address all the variables that apply to an individual’s unique situation. It does not endorse specific products or services and should not be construed as legal or financial advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.