Being let go from a job is hard, especially at a moment when the cost of living is rising and a recession is looming. This Thanksgiving, tens of thousands of recently laid-off tech workers will be ask...
Tag: commentary
Opinion: Fidelity sticks with bitcoin 401(k) offerings despite crypto turmoil — but why?
I have to hand it to Fidelity. For their nerves of steel, at least. The company that runs America’s biggest 401(k) platform is sticking with its plans to offer bitcoin in retirement plans. This is des...
Opinion: These five technology stocks give investors more reward for their risk
Earnings season for the technology sector is just about over. It’s been a mixed bag. Slower economic growth and higher interest rates put a damper on revenue. Some of the biggest names in tech have co...
Opinion: How a ‘529 solution’ can give gig workers health care and retirement benefits and boost the U.S. economy
U.S. workers are increasingly combining multiple income streams, moving from job to job, starting businesses, and craving more independence and control over their time. Changes to worker benefits must...
Opinion: Bonds aren’t more attractive than stocks even as yields register a 15-year high
How much competition do stocks face from bonds? For the first time in years, investors are beginning to ask this question, given the dramatic rise in bond yields to a 15-year high. For nearly a decade...
History says inflation could persist for a decade
If you are a retiree, or even near to retirement, you are probably more vulnerable to inflation than most. Your cost of living is probably rising faster than your income. You’re lucky if any pension o...
FTX victims are setting up GoFundMe fundraisers to try to get their money back
People who say they have lost money in the collapse of crypto exchange FTX are turning to strangers to cover their losses by setting up GoFundMe fundraising pages. They include a man who says that he ...
Opinion: This record number in Nvidia earnings is a scary sight
Nvidia Corp.’s financial results had a bit of a surprise for investors, and not on the good side — product inventories doubled to a record high as the chip company gears up for a questionable holiday ...
Opinion: The new bull market will be led by stocks in these three industries.
We don’t know yet if the recent rally kicks off a new bull market in stocks. But here’s a safe bet: Once the new bull market is here, entirely different groups will lead. It’ll be out with the old — t...
Why do people invest in crypto? ‘It’s partly fraud and partly delusion’: Charlie Munger
““The country did not need a currency that’s good for kidnappers.”” — Charlie Munger Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway BRK.A, +0.35%, is not a big fan of crypto, and he shared some f...
Opinion: The floodgates are open for grandparents to super-size college savings for grandkids
If you’re a grandparent looking to save the day by helping your grandchildren pay for college, take a second look at a tax-advantaged 529 college savings plan before the end of the year. Rule changes ...
Opinion: Pain and losses in crypto will clear out the losers and strengthen the case for bitcoin
Cryptocurrency is a mess right now. And rightly so. I wrote about buying bitcoin for MarketWatch in 2013 when it was trading for $100, but I’ve spent the past year or so warning that most newer crypto...
One reason the rich get richer
Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald disagreed about the rich. Fitzgerald, who had stars in his eyes, supposedly said, “The rich are different from the rest of us.” “Yes,” repli...
‘It’s a touchy subject’: My in-laws live in our basement. They gave us our 20% down payment. Should we charge them for renovations?
Last year, my husband and I approached my in-laws to see if they wanted to live with us. We had learned that my father-in-law had terminal cancer but could still live five to seven years in remission,...
Opinion: A switch to ‘premium’ can keep you invested amid the tech wreck in stocks
It seems as if the stock market is punishing all technology companies regardless of performance. That underlines a set of opportunities for long-term investors. There were many eyes on this cycle of t...
If I sell my rental I can pay off my primary mortgage and be debt-free. Is that a good idea in this housing market?
Dear MarketWatch, I have a rental property that’s worth $175,000, and I owe $53,000. My primary home is worth $265,000 and has $108,000 left on the mortgage. My question is this: Should I sell my ren...
‘This has gone on too long’: The bank paid itself $18,000 in fees. My late father’s trust has not been distributed. What recourse do I have?
My father’s father set up a trust at a major bank with my father and the bank’s trust department as co-trustees. My father died at the end of last year; upon his death, the trust was supposed to be di...
‘Am I being ripped off?’ I moved into my husband’s home. I pay for groceries. The rental income from my apartment goes into our joint savings.
I read one of your previous columns regarding the boyfriend who wants the letter writer to move in. My case is similar, but we have already made a decision on how to structure our finances as they rel...
U.S. Treasury sweetens the pot on I-bonds by adding a fixed rate
After record-breaking sales of I-bonds in October, the U.S. Treasury is dangling another good deal in front of savers for the next six months. Starting Nov. 2, when I-bonds will be available again af...
Opinion: Oil companies can’t just ‘drill baby drill’ at will. Here’s what it really takes to ramp up energy production.
As energy prices rage, President Biden and Republicans have urged companies to increase drilling to lower oil and gasoline prices from 14-year highs. But it’s not that simple. Even after permits are a...
Stocks will lag behind bonds and even decline over the next 10 years, says a valuation model based on eight indicators
For the first time in years, valuation-focused advisers have something to brag about as they approach the end of year. This end-of-year period is when it’s traditional to review prior-year forecasts, ...