Kellen Williams examines the impact of the national credit rating downgrade and provides guidance for nurturing financial literacy.
Kellen Williams, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ hosts Episode 20 of the Plant. Harvest. Prosper. Podcast. His goal, as always, is to inspire his listeners to make wise money decisions and live their lives purposefully toward prosperity. In the process, Kellen educates and informs his audience, always discussing timely topics for everyone interested in improving their family’s or their own financial well-being. Episode 20 delivers a double bonus, addressing two important issues.
Part I. The US Credit Rating Downgrade
On August 1 of this year, credit rating agency Fitch Ratings downgraded US Treasuries from AAA to AA+. Historically, this is only the second time that the US credit rating has been downgraded. The first time was in 2011, when concerns over the debt ceiling led S&P Global Ratings (previously Standard & Poor’s) to downgrade the US from AAA to AA+.
Last month, when the US credit rating was again downgraded by Fitch, the credit rating agency stated that it took this action because of how drawn out the debt ceiling debate was this year, the growing debt and deficit, and governance concerns in general.
It’s important to acknowledge that a AA+ rating is a really good rating. And it is reassuring to know that the other two main ratings organizations, S&P and Moody’s, still rank the U.S. at the highest level. Concerns, however, arise because of the need for any downgrade at all.
What Does the US Credit Rating Downgrade Mean to Me?
Join Kellen as he explores the disconcerting topic of the credit downgrade.
- Find out what a credit downgrade means if you hold T-Bills or Treasury Bonds
- Learn more about any impact of the downgrade on the stock market
- Understand what are CDS—credit default swaps– and how they work
Part II: How To Nurture Financial Literacy for The Ones You Care About and Why It’s Important
In the second part of Episode 20 of the Plant. Harvest. Prosper podcast, Kellen deep dives into financial literacy for individuals and families from home buying to saving for education, teaching your children to make wise money decisions, and even how the concept of time changes as we grow older, influencing our financial wellness.
Episode 20 of Plant. Harvest. Prosper. is a milestone episode, You won’t want to miss it. As Kellen says, “Thanks for riding along with us on our website.”
Be sure to watch each monthly episode of Financial Harvest’s video podcast here on the Financial Harvest website. Mouse over the “News” tab in the navigation bar and then click “Plant. Harvest. Prosper. Podcast.”
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