Step forward, California and Illinois! Your state and local pension funds are so badly funded that you two states, alone, account for about a third of the entire pension fund crisis of the entire coun...
Tag: Commentary/Opinion
These money and investing tips give you tools for the stock market’s ‘January Defect’
Don’t miss these top money and investing features: Sign up here to get MarketWatch’s best mutual funds and ETF stories emailed to you weekly! INVESTING NEWS & TRENDS These top athletes are investi...
Inflation has fallen. Is it time to buy inflation protected bonds?
Good news, especially for retirees: Inflation has fallen. The official rate has just tumbled to 6.5% — down from 9.1% last June. And while 6.5% is still a hefty hike in prices, that’s just the annual ...
The ‘best job in America’ pays over $120,000 a year — and offers a low-stress, healthy work-life balance
We’ve had the great resignation, quiet quitting, resistance to going back to the office — and now? It turns out people are looking for happiness, stability, flexibility and a good salary. In 2023, in ...
These money and investing tips can keep you afloat if stocks circle the drain
Sign up here to get MarketWatch’s best mutual funds and ETF stories emailed to you weekly! INVESTING NEWS & TRENDS How the Dow’s start to the new year affects the stock market’s 2023 return Many r...
6 value stock picks for 2023 from successful money managers
Following a down year for the stock market, there is no shortage of recession predictions for 2023, especially as the Federal Reserve has signaled it will continue to raise interest rates to fight inf...
Opinion: Roth IRA conversions: Take advantage of this limited-time offer to save on taxes
No one likes taxes, but everyone loves a sale. So the idea of a major blowout on Roth conversions in 2023 — a limited time offer, no less — might make it enticing to pay taxes now to avoid them in the...
Opinion: Three value-stock investors favor these six picks for a rocky 2023
Analysts expect value stocks to maintain outperformance over growth stocks as interest rates rise and the economy falters. To find some of the best value names to consider, I recently checked in with ...
Opinion: Here are the chip companies that should benefit the most from the government’s massive incentives
The pandemic created enormous challenges for semiconductor companies. Unprecedented demand drove up prices and backlogs for chips and equipment as supply chains faltered. At the same time, concerns gr...
Investors who did this one thing survived the markets in 2022
Forget inflation. Forget oil prices. Forget Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Forget layoffs in the tech sector. Forget the yield curve. When I sat down to write about what worked for investors in...
Opinion: It’s time to buy I-bonds again. Here are 3 ways to maximize your $10,000 inflation-fighting investment.
The once-obscure Treasury investment soared in popularity last year because of its enticing inflation-adjusted rate, which peaked at 9.62%. That leapfrogged bank deposit accounts and completely trounc...
Opinion: Crypto insurance is nearly nonexistent, so you’ll have to rely on common sense
If only your bitcoin could catch on fire — literally — then it might have a chance of being covered by insurance. For property, fire is a straightforward hazard. But it’s probably the one big thing th...
Opinion: 11 predictions for money, technology, stocks and crypto for 2023
Here are some 2023 predictions for financial markets, the economy and stocks. I’ve spent the last year and a half being cautious in the wake of the Bubble-Blowing Bull Market that finally ended early ...
‘I dug myself out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle’: Should I use my bonus to pay off my mortgage, put it in a savings account or Vanguard?
Dear Quentin, Over the last couple years I dug myself out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, and I am making good money. I never learned about stocks, investing, etc. I do not have a 401(k) at work. M...
Democrats release six years of Trump’s tax returns, and CPAs have questions: ‘The personal tax return is just the tip of the iceberg.’
The nonpartisan committee’s findings also raised several red flags related to the filings, namely Trump’s carryover losses, loans to his children that may or may not also be considered taxable gifts, ...
Opinion: The stock market is range-bound over the short term. Don’t expect that to last long.
The U.S. stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 Index SPX, +1.75%, has struggled this week overall, during what is typically a seasonally bullish period. That is what Yale Hirsch termed “the San...
ChatGPT is called ‘an iPhone moment in AI,’ but will it make money like the iPhone?
ChatGPT is the latest product of artificial intelligence to take away Silicon Valley’s breath (and venture-capital investments), but it is also yet another AI advancement that has not proved its abili...
5 things not to buy in 2023
It’s been a year of contradictions. The recession drum beats on, interest rates are rising, and the stock market has taken a tumble, and yet retail sales have risen 6.5% in the last 12 months, trailin...
‘Auto makers are building more expensive vehicles’: Why you should not buy a new car in 2023
There are always good reasons for most people not to buy a new car. Such a purchase can set you back for years, as high monthly payments delay the buildup of savings and investments that will be neede...
Are high-deductible health plans worth it? Here’s who can benefit the most.
Hello and welcome to Financial Face-off, a MarketWatch column where we help you weigh financial decisions. Our columnist will give her verdict. Tell us whether you think she’s right in the comments. A...
10 simple investments that can turn your portfolio into an income dynamo
Many people are good at saving up money for retirement. They manage expenses and build up their nest eggs steadily. But when it comes time to begin drawing income from an investment portfolio, they mi...