Stock market

Thinking about where to invest your money can be overwhelming and confusing, especially for those who are unfamiliar with all options for investing. If you’d like to take advantage of the ease of stock trading with the diversification of mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can potentially give you the best of both worlds.

It has been an unprecedented 12 months. True, 2020 started out routinely enough with just an orderly deceleration in business activity during the winter. But a difficult close to the first quarter followed, with COVID-19 spreading across Asia, Europe, and the new world.

Some good news is starting to trickle in on the economy. Specifically, recent weeks have seen a pickup in vehicle demand, further uneven improvement in manufacturing activity, gains in the services sector, and a rise in exports.

The economy is facing some challenges. Specifically, after last year’s stellar third quarter, in which GDP surged 33.4%, growth slowed to 4.0% in the final three months.

President Biden faces daunting challenges as he begins his term. First, there is the need to address the sharp divisions that weigh on our country, spotlighted by the former President’s second impeachment trial. Second, there is the fight against COVID-19. That disease has claimed more than 400,000 U.S.