January 23, 2025

Market Recap The year wrapped up nicely for US stocks with the S&P 500 rallying 25.02%. It was another year of high double-digit gains. International markets, however, lagged tremendously relative to the US, up only 3.82%. Bonds, as measured by...

January 16, 2025
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If you’ve ever stared down IRS tax brackets trying to figure out where you fit, you’ll notice filing status has an outsized impact on your federal income tax. Your filing status determines not only which tax forms you fill out...

January 14, 2025
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For many employees, what to do with a 401(k) plan at retirement has been a foregone conclusion: Roll it over. The opportunity to hang on to assets after employees retire — and in turn keep costs down for the whole...

January 9, 2025
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The past year saw significant expansion in the economy: Inflation fell, as did interest rates. Unemployment rates remained low, and the S&P 500 rose by more than 20%. But with a new incoming administration, shifting financial policies, and continued recovery...

January 7, 2025
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One of the biggest questions among market participants is how many times the Federal Reserve will cut rates in 2025. Some have even floated the possibility of a rate hike during the year. The Fed and its decisions on monetary...

January 2, 2025
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Heading into the holidays, many Americans were already saddled with record-breaking credit card debt. And yet, consumer spending is set to reach a fresh high this season. The National Retail Federation reported last week that spending between Nov. 1 and...

December 31, 2024
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Diversification is the lifeblood of investing, but investors might not be as diversified as they think. That’s the warning from Apollo’s Torsten Sløk, who tells investors not to mistake owning the S&P 500 with having a diversified portfolio. The problem...

December 19, 2024
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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday the U.S. central bank has no desire to be involved in any government effort to stockpile large amounts of bitcoin. “We’re not allowed to own bitcoin,” Powell said at a press conference...

December 17, 2024
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The Federal Reserve reduced interest rates by a quarter percentage point Wednesday and scaled back the number of cuts it expects to make next year. In a split vote, the central bank voted to reduce its benchmark interest rate by...

December 12, 2024
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November’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) will serve as the latest test of whether an inflation resurgence is a risk to the US economy as the Federal Reserve debates its final interest rate decision of the year after cutting rates by...

December 10, 2024
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The U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Dec. 18, according to 90% of economists polled by Reuters, with most expecting a pause in late January amid concerns about rising inflation risks. President-elect Donald Trump’s...

December 5, 2024
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The tech job market is in a tough spot right now. People like Jon Bach, a former director at eBay, are feeling the squeeze. Bach worked at eBay for 13 years, but after getting laid off in January, his job...

December 3, 2024
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A tariff is a tax on imported goods usually aimed at protecting local jobs and industries from foreign competition. The idea is that if foreign materials and products are more expensive, you’ll buy more domestic goods. Suppose, for example, that...

November 28, 2024
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If you’re in your 50s and hear that the “average” net worth for people in your age group is over $1 million, you might be tempted to pop a bottle of champagne or stress about why you’re not feeling like...

November 26, 2024
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Several Federal Reserve officials have signaled they’re open to cutting interest rates at a more deliberate pace next year as they grapple with the uncertainties of a Republican takeover in Washington, a pickup in productivity and slower improvement on inflation....