‘A plan to protect any excess cash is vital.’ As inflation sits at a 40-year high, here’s who has ‘too much’ in savings right now

Inflation may be your cash’s greatest enemy. Getty Images As inflation hits a 40-year high, you may be asking yourself if you actually have too much money in your traditional savings account. The answ...

Fed’s Williams says could begin reducing balance sheet as soon as May meeting

The Federal Reserve may begin reducing its balance sheet as soon as its May 3-4 policy meeting to address the level of U.S. inflation that have become “particularly acute,” New York Fed chair John Wil...

Want to Add Crypto to Your Retirement Portfolio? Here’s How, and What to Consider.

With many cryptocurrencies surging last year as the overall market surpassed $3 trillion in value, a growing number of retirement savers are looking for ways to tap into the potential. Before joining ...

Is a yield curve inversion a foreboding sign for mortgage rates? Does it really signal a recession? Economists weigh in.

For a moment this week, the bond market flashed a signal that some associate with impending recessions. Home buyers need not worry just yet, according to economists. On Friday, the 2-year rate, which ...

What 10% inflation could look like for junk bonds: BofA

What happens to companies financed in the booming high-yield or “junk-bond” market on the off chance that U.S. inflation pegged at 7.9% in February soars to 10% and stays there? That’s a question Oleg...

Tesla Proposes a Dividend (Not Really). TJX and PNC Announce Payout Hikes (for Real).

Tesla’s proposed ‘dividend’ was really a proposed stock split. Here, a Tesla manufacturing plant near Gruenheide, Germany. Sean Gallup/Getty Images Text size Tesla was among the hand...

Mortgage delinquencies rose for the first time in 9 months. What does that mean?

More homeowners are late on their mortgage payments. What does that mean? Getty Images/iStockphoto Mortgage delinquencies are on the rise. Indeed, in February, the national delinquency rate rose for t...

Bitcoin and Ether Prices See Worst Day in Weeks. Dogecoin and Shiba Inu Tumble.

Text size Bitcoin falls but holds above the key technical level of $45,000. Dreamstime Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies fell Friday, with some of the largest digital assets recording their worst per...

Deutsche Bank Must Face Lawsuits Alleging It Enabled Ponzi Scheme

Judges in New York and Miami ruled that investor lawsuits could advance against Germany’s Deutsche Bank AG for allegedly ignoring warnings that it was helping finance a real-estate-linked Ponzi scheme...

Bitcoin could reach $1.3 million in this scenario, VanEck says

Bitcoin could reach a price of $1.3 million while gold may top $31,000 per ounce, if the assets become the sole reserve asset across the globe, respectively, according to a new report.  As the U.S. an...

I’m 67 and retired with $57,000 left on my mortgage and $600,000 saved for retirement — should I pay off my home now?

I am 67 years old, single and retired at 66. After taxes, I receive $3,100 per month from a pension. After taxes and my Part B Medicare payment, I receive $2,100 per month from Social Security. I have...

My husband and I bought a retirement condo in 2008, and he died two years later. The condo is worth $50,000 more than we paid. Should I sell it now or wait?

Dear MarketWatch, I have a condo in Palm Desert, Calif., that my husband and I were going to retire to. We also have another primary residence in nearby Riverside. We bought the condo in 2008 for $363...

My financial adviser seems deeply Republican, and I’m liberal. Does this matter?

Should you let differing political beliefs impact your choice of a financial planner? Getty Images Question: I’ve worked with the same financial adviser for about 10 years — and I feel like he’s done ...

‘We’re headed for a family feud’: My father offered his 3 kids equal monetary gifts. My siblings took cash. I took stock. It’s soared in value — now they’re crying foul

Dear Quentin, Several years before my father’s death, he offered me and my two siblings each an early “cash gift” from his estate in the amount of whatever the maximum non-taxable amount was at the ti...

Ethereum’s major upgrade is coming. Should you be more bullish on it than bitcoin?

Hello! Welcome back to Distributed Ledger, our weekly crypto newsletter that reaches your inbox every Thursday. I’m Frances Yue, crypto reporter at MarketWatch, and I’ll walk you through the latest an...

These 10 S&P 500 Stocks Have Solid Dividends, Not Just Big Buybacks

Last week’s Income Investing column focused on shareholder yield, which combines dividends with stock buybacks, by sector. This week, Barron’s decided to drill down and look at the shareholder yields ...

Kremlin demands rubles for gas, leaves currency loophole

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree Thursday demanding payment for natural gas in rubles but appeared to temper the order by allowing dollar and euro payments through a designated bank, t...

These 10 stocks have fallen at least 20% this year, but are expected to soar up to 66% from here

It sure has been a wild ride for investors over the past few weeks, with the benchmark S&P 500 rising 10% from March 8 through March 30. But the broader stock market is still down for 2022. Below ...

Mortgage rates zoom past 4.5% — here’s what home buyers need to know

Mortgages rates keep climbing, and that poses a major challenge for families looking to score a deal during the busy spring home-buying season. The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.67%...

Bitcoin Prices Steady After Crypto Heist. A Prominent Whale Is Getting Bigger.

Text size Bitcoin prices have held onto recent gains. Rutmer Visser/Dreamstime Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were mostly steady on Wednesday, holding onto recent gains and shaking off pressure on...

Here’s who might not need 6-9 months in their emergency fund, pros say

Does everyone need emergency expenses in a savings account? Getty Images/iStockphoto Traditional advice suggests you need 6-9 months of expenses in an accessible savings account in case of emergency. ...

Apple reportedly wants to handle its own financial services, and partners’ stocks paid the price

Apple Inc. has increasing ambitions in financial technology as it explores ways to participate in the financial-services industry more directly, according to a Wednesday report. The company is develop...

MicroStrategy to borrow against its bitcoin holdings to buy more of the cryptocurrency

MicroStrategy has been conducting a strategy for some time of using its data analytics business to fund the purchase of bitcoin. Now it’s taking that strategy one step further — it’s borrowing, agains...

I have $80K in student loans and work 60 hours a week. How can I deal?

How to get out of student loan debt. Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I’m strapped but want to be free.  I have $80,000 in student loan debt. I work 60 hours a week in 12-hour shifts just to make en...

Russia Built Parallel Payments System That Escaped Western Sanctions

Western sanctions have disrupted nearly every part of Russia’s financial system, but there is one big exception. The domestic-payments system continued to work smoothly after Visa Inc. and Mastercard ...

Robinhood extends trading hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. — 3 rookie mistakes when trading stocks after hours

At 7 a.m., it can be the time for a morning coffee while 8 p.m. can be time to have supper, watch your favorite television shows, or even enjoy a glass of wine. If you have a Robinhood account, it’s a...

‘Is this a good deal, or should I run for the hills?’ My boyfriend of five years wants me to give him a $165,000 loan using his house as collateral

Dear Quentin, I would like your advice on giving a hard-money loan to the man I’ve been dating for five years. He pressed me on this issue three years ago. I didn’t do the loan then, and it was a seri...

Bank Earnings Are Coming. One Stock Analysts Like—and Another They Say to Sell.

Text size Analysts say Bank of America is positioned to do well in the current economy. Stephen Chernin/Getty Images With bank earnings coming in a few weeks, Bank of America is looking like a winner ...

You could be getting the wrong Social Security benefit check – here’s how to fix it

Want to get the most out of your Social Security retirement benefits? Make sure your work history and statements are correct.  Retirement Tip of the Week: Look over your Social Security statements to ...

This ‘potentially poisonous mix’ means forget about buying the dip in stocks, says Neuberger CIO

The threat of high inflation, climbing rates and sputtering growth could turn into a “potentially poisonous mix” for stocks, prompting a new underweight call for equities by Erik Knutzen, chief invest...

Coinbase Stock Is Popping. What a Rally in Bitcoin Means.

Stock in the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase surged on Monday, rallying alongside Bitcoin, ether, and other digital assets. Analysts see more room for gains. Coinbase (ticker: COIN) shares jumped 7% ...