There’s been such a rush to buy “I-bonds,” inflation-protected bonds from the U.S. government, that the TreasuryDirect website crashed. I-bonds have been one of the hottest investments of the year. Pe...
Tag: commentary
‘When we dated for 5 years, he implied he was financially secure’: My husband was always hesitant about his finances. Now I know why.
Dear Quentin, My husband and I make about the same salary, and live modestly. Six months after we married, I found out my husband’s net worth is virtually zero. He owes more money than he has assets (...
Opinion: There’s a rush to buy I-bonds to lock in a high yield, but there may be an even better deal next week
It’s hard to imagine that there could be a better deal for parking up to $10,000 in savings than Series I bonds, at this very moment. The 9.62% yield is top-notch, and you can count the hours before i...
Millions of working Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck — and running out of cash as another recession looms
Inflation is taking its toll on people’s emergency funds. The share of workers who say they are living paycheck-to-paycheck has surged among middle- to high-income earners — 63% and 49%, respectively ...
Young investors can retire rich—or super rich — by following these steps
Real life provides us with literally millions of individual financial scenarios, making it hard to dish out blanket investment advice. But if you’re in your early or mid 20s, you have a golden opportu...
My boyfriend has a nicer house, and says I should live with him. My mortgage is paid off. He believes I should pay half of his monthly costs. Is that fair?
Dear Quentin, My boyfriend owns a house with a 30-year mortgage balance of $150,000 on a 4% interest rate. He has $275,000 in cash and retirement accounts. He is retired. My house is paid off. I have ...
Personal savings have plunged — how to boost your savings in case of a recession
As red flags go, this is a big one. The personal savings of Americans have plunged this year, hitting $629 billion in the second quarter of 2022, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St....
How bad could it get for your 401(k)?
Probably the best argument for investing some more of our 401(k)s in the stock market right now is all the people telling us not to. As a general rule, it’s been a good time to be bullish when so many...
Opinion: The limit for 401(k) contributions will jump nearly 10% in 2023, but it’s not always a good idea to max out retirement investing
The federal government will allow you to save nearly 10% more for retirement in 2023. But it’s not likely that many will take advantage of the tax break. The simple reason: Most people don’t make enou...
‘From Bambi to Godzilla.’ Strategist David Rosenberg skewers the Federal Reserve as he sees a 30% hit to home prices and the S&P 500 returning to an early 2020 low
The last time David Rosenberg shared his outlook for the U.S. stock market and the economy with MarketWatch, in late May, it was depressing enough. Rosenberg is the widely followed president and chief...
Opinion: Liz Truss is out — why that might be good for your 401(k)
The British pound rose on the news that Liz Truss was standing down. (It’s now the best performing currency of the last month, if you can believe). The interest rate on British government bonds fell. ...
Do you have problems with the IRS — or does the IRS have a problem with you? Read this before you act.
How do you deal with a problem like the Internal Revenue Service? And how do you deal with your own tax problems as they pertain to the IRS? To be clear, I’m not talking about major problems like righ...
These 27 stocks can give you a more diversified portfolio than the S&P 500 — and that’s a key advantage right now
You probably already know that because of market-capitalization weighting, a broad index such as the S&P 500 SPX, -0.80% can be concentrated in a handful of stocks. Index funds are popular for goo...
Black Monday’s Anniversary Is a Reminder to Think Seriously About Risk
Text size A trader on the New York Stock Exchange looks at stock rates October 19, 1987 as stocks were devastated during one of the most frantic days in the exchange’s history. Maria Bastone/AFP...
Opinion: This musician retired after making $170 million in the stock market. Now he’s sharing his secrets.
When a retired Boston Pops clarinetist gave $100 million to Boston University’s medical school last month, everyone focused on his unusual backstory. Edward Avedisian ended his career as an accomplish...
Opinion: Don’t have $13 million? The lifetime estate- and gift-tax exemptions for 2023 still matter to you.
The wealthiest families in the U.S. will get a bit of inflation-adjusted relief from the IRS in 2023, with the lifetime estate-tax exemption increasing to $12.9 million for individuals, up from $12.06...
How to save a bundle on your tax return
This is Part Two of our list of suggested year-end strategies. Part 1 discusses gaming the federal standard deduction, and managing capital gains and losses. The tax environment is getting friendlier ...
Opinion: Bernanke’s Nobel prize is harmful because it rewards faulty thinking on how banks actually work
The Nobel Memorial Prize awarded to Ben Bernanke, Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig is controversial, to say the least. Mainstream economists are generally delighted that the Nobel Committee has at la...
This is how high interest rates might rise, and what could scare the Federal Reserve into a policy pivot
The stock market’s reaction to the latest inflation report Thursday underlined just how confused and fearful investors are. The S&P 500 SPX, +2.60% plunged as much as 3% shortly after the open as ...
Opinion: $22 billion in I-bond sales can’t be wrong. Why you may want to buy them even when their rate resets soon
I-bonds’ sky-high interest rate is poised to fall to 6.48% when they reset next month, according to industry experts. Still, that would be the third-highest level since they were sold in 1998. Though ...
Opinion: Five sentiment indicators are telling us it’s time to buy stocks, especially this one group
If you are positive on the direction of the stock market and feeling lonely about it, that’s actually a good sign. Historically, whenever most investors are extremely negative, the market is a buy. I’...
Opinion: The stock market is in trouble. That’s because the the bond market is ‘very close to a crash.’
Don’t assume the worst is over, says investor Larry McDonald. There’s talk of a policy pivot by the Federal Reserve as interest rates rise quickly and stocks keep falling. Both may continue. McDonald,...
Opinion: A seasonal stock market trade that tends to be reliable begins Thursday
The stock market has broken through technical resistance, and as a result the rally is trying to extend itself. Specifically, the S&P 500’s SPX, +2.46% close above 3800 points was a strong technic...