Good news — sort of. If you’re retired or just about to retire, next year’s Social Security checks are likely to see one of the biggest bumps on record as a result of surging consumer prices. The aver...
Tag: Commentary/Opinion
3 big problems with Congress’ new retirement reforms
A new set of reforms to America’s retirement tax and savings plans passed a key hurdle in Congress last week. Variously known as the SECURE Act 2.0, the EARN Act and the RISE & SHINE Act, the meas...
Opinion: Jerome Powell is the worst Federal Reserve policy maker in my lifetime
In the history of the Federal Reserve, the most revered chairmen are William McChesney Martin, Paul Volcker and Alan Greenspan. All gained their reputation by decisive monetary policy action at times ...
These dividend stocks yield at least 5% and have plenty of room to raise payouts
This year’s stock price declines make for an increasing number of stocks with high dividend yields of at least 5%. Below is a screen that highlights 29 that appear to be able to raise their payouts co...
Meet the ‘unluckiest’ stock market investor of modern times
If you’re thinking of pulling your 401(k) out of the stock market, or you’re too terrified to invest more, you need to meet my friend Betty Badluck. Poor old Betty has had the worst luck of any stock ...
Why retiring this year could be a ‘worst-case’ scenario
This is an urgent update for anyone who has recently retired, or who is hoping to retire shortly, and who was expecting to follow one of those simple, time-tested rules for spending down their money d...
‘I feel bad that I’ll be taking most of his income’: I make twice what my boyfriend does. He pays me $300 in rent, but I want him to pay $800. Is that fair?
Dear Quentin, My boyfriend and I have been together seven years, and in that time I bought a house. I used my own savings and spent about $10,000 on renovations. My house is a three-bedroom family hom...
Opinion: ‘The stock market is not going to zero’: How this individual investor with 70 years of experience is trading the bear market
Not many investors can claim a lifetime of stock-market success. Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway BRK.A, -1.94% BRK.B, -1.39% comes to mind, of course, but what about Warren Kaplan? Who? Kaplan is...
3 moves retirement savers can make now to profit from the stock market turmoil
Every crisis is an opportunity. The massive turmoil on financial markets so far this year is no exception. Here are three things that every middle-class American can do with their 401(k), IRA or other...
Opinion: Those who buy stocks the day the S&P 500 enters a bear market have made an average of 22.7% in 12 months
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Good news, investors: Wall Street is holding a sale, offering stocks at 20% off! You’re not interested? That just means you only talk the talk about being a contrarian investor, bu...
Opinion: ‘Liquidation panic’ has taken over the stock, bond and crypto markets — and this may be the beginning of the end
The U.S. stock market is experiencing a liquidation panic where everything is getting sold. The good news is such panics usually don’t last long. Analysis from Rob Hanna of Quantifiable Edges suggests...
Opinion: As tech melts down, a truth remains: Semiconductors are eating the world
Everyone’s favorite trade in the stock market, technology, has gone the way of the dodo. Oil and value stocks are all the rage. But one part of technology — semiconductors — is vital not only to the t...
Crypto crash FOMO? ‘I missed the bus on Bitcoin, but now feel like my time has come. Is it time to go big or go home? I have another 25 years of a boring 9-to-5 job, and I just want out.’
I read a letter from a reader last year who was suffering from crypto FOMO, and I have been following the crypto markets ever since. I felt like I missed the bus on Bitcoin, but now feel like my time ...
‘The goal is never to seek the top’: The wild, hair-raising ride of a 30-something investor who battled against NFT hackers and dodged the crypto crash
Vinny Zane has a taste for life — and an appetite for risk. The 38-year-old teacher and father of a 2-year-old son on Brooklyn’s Coney Island got into crypto in 2017 with $4,000 worth of Bitcoin, and ...
‘I respect every profession equally, but I feel like so many people look down on me for being a waitress’: Americans are tipping less. Should we step up to the plate?
I read your article about tipping. I’ve been serving and bartending for almost 16 years now, since I was 18. Waiting tables is so hard on your body, and a lot of people don’t appreciate all of the wor...
‘I’m being taken advantage of by my own husband’: I pay all the bills and gave the down payment for our home, and all he does is buy stuff and contribute to his 401(k)
I’m being taken advantage of by my own husband. I have been married for almost 10 years. When my husband and I were first married, he convinced me to stop working after the first year or so, which I r...
Opinion: Inflation is making everything we buy more expensive, and once stagflation hits things could get even worse
Last month I examined the culprits that are causing global inflation, including rising interest rates, persistent supply chain issues (China locking down cities), and climbing energy and fertilizer pr...
I put $200K toward a down payment for a condo unit with my boyfriend. He is on the title, but not on the mortgage. How do I protect my equity investment now?
Dear Quentin, I recently sold my apartment and put the equity earned (over $200,000) toward a new condo unit I own with my partner. My partner — we are not married — is on title, but not on the mortga...
My parents-in-law sold their home and bought an RV. They have $200K in the bank. How can they protect their assets from being used for nursing-home costs?
My father-in-law has health issues. While he is not quite ready for a nursing home, that may be a necessity in the near future. He has state retirement benefits and a very small Social Security check....
Opinion: The Federal Reserve is shrinking its balance sheet under duress, which makes a soft landing nearly impossible
The Federal Reserve has begun to downsize its balance sheet. What does that mean for you? First, you must understand where the balance sheet’s expansion came from and why that policy was pursued. Then...
Small-cap growth stocks are at their lowest P/E valuation in at least 24 years.
Growth stocks typically trade at premium prices. But in this market, rising interest rates have turned small-cap growth stocks into a bargain group. This may be a beautiful setup for long-term investo...
Opinion: Early retirement in 3 steps: Follow the ‘Cashing Out’ couple’s road map to financial freedom
A couple of months ago, our five-year-old son was relieved to find out that he could have two best friends. For weeks he’d been stuck in an innocent adolescent triangle where both kids wanted him to b...