KBW recommends buying these 11 financial stocks, including First Republic, following federal backstop for banks

On a Monday following high-profile bank failures on Friday and Sunday, it may seem to be a strange time to recommend buying stocks of banks and other financial services companies, but Keefe, Bruyette ...

Medicare and HSAs don’t mix — what near-retirees need to know

Dear Ms. MoneyPeace, I am retiring this year and trying to understand Medicare. At this point I am covered fully by a company plan. I turned 65 last fall and plan to retire in August or September.  Wh...

20 income-building stocks that numbers say may become elite Dividend Aristocrats

Back in January, we took a deep look into three groups of Dividend Aristocrat stocks to show which ones had increased their payouts most significantly over the past five years. Now it is time for a fo...

As interest rates rise, Biden administration will reduce the cost of some mortgages by $800 per year

The federal government said Wednesday that it’s lowering the cost of certain federal mortgages by an average of $800 per year, lowering housing costs for an estimated 850,000 homebuyers and homeowners...

14 dividend stocks that rose 100% or more in 5 years as the payouts doubled

In basketball, a double-double is a combination of at least 10 or more of the following in a game: points scored, rebounds, assists, blocked shots or steals. For dividend stocks, you might find a scre...

The hunt for stocks with rising dividends: These fund managers have a strategy to keep your payouts growing

The broad stock-market rally so far in 2023 might make it easy to forget what a rough ride investors faced last year. It was a time when some active strategies focused on dividends, good cash-flow tre...

‘We expect rates to continue to rise.’ Car insurance already costs nearly 14% more than last year. Here’s the best thing to do now to combat that.

How to save money on car insurance Getty Images/iStockphoto Like eggs, postage and dining out, auto insurance costs are on the rise in 2023. According to data from Bankrate’s annual True Cost of Auto ...

These 15 Dividend Aristocrat stocks have been the best income builders

The S&P Dividend Aristocrats deserve more coverage. Those are companies that have raised their dividend payouts consistently over the years — they’re dividend royalty, as it were. As a group, they...

‘Am I crazy?’ I’ve paid my fiancée rent for 9 years and spent $10,000 improving her home. She’s also listed on my health insurance. What would you do?

I have a situation that is causing a lot of issues in my relationship. We have been dating for 17 years, have lived together for close to nine years and have been engaged for six.  When I moved into h...

The 12 Best Income Investments for 2023, According to Barron’s

While it might not be a feast now for income-oriented investors, it’s a lot better than the famine that prevailed for much of the past decade. Yields on a range of bond and bond-related investments ro...

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...

Buy Berkshire Hathaway Stock. Warren Buffett’s Company Remains the Ultimate Defensive Megacap.

This article is an excerpt from “Here Are Barron’s 10 Top Stocks for the New Year,” published on Dec. 16, 2022. To see the full list, click here. Warren Buffett’s company Berkshire Hathaway remains th...

The Best Income Investing Ideas for 2023

While it might not be a feast now for income-oriented investors, it’s a lot better than the famine that prevailed for much of the past decade. Yields on a range of bond and bond-related investments ro...

Tesla is not alone: 18 (and a half) other big stocks are headed for their worst year on record

In the worst year for stocks since the Great Recession, several big names are headed for their worst year on record with just one trading day left in 2022. The S&P 500 index SPX, +1.75% and Dow Jo...

Warren Buffett jumps into local politics to fight Omaha streetcar project

OMAHA, Neb. — Billionaire investor Warren Buffett broke with his practice of staying out of local politics to urge his hometown of Omaha to abandon its planned streetcar project because he says it’s t...

Buy shares of only the strongest companies to make money in 2023, including ‘the kings of cash flow,’ says this five-star fund manager

Depending on your perspective as an investor, 2022 has either been a perfect storm or a perfect opportunity. The Federal Reserve’s rapid increase in interest rates and other tightening moves to fight ...

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...

Stocks Limp Toward 2023 as the Data Show Few Signs of a Clear Direction

Stocks limped on the low volumes of the pre-Christmas week, battered by conflicting data and leaving investors with a muddled outlook going into 2023. It’s a dynamic in which good news and bad news te...

How much should you have saved for retirement?

When I was in my 20s, I was lucky to work for a company that offered a pension plan—and that put me on the road to retirement. Today, unfortunately, company pensions are rare. How can you ensure a com...

This Could Make Your Medicare Premiums Even Higher. Here’s How to Avoid IRMAA.

People who think IRMAA is another hurricane may have a tax shock coming when they go on Medicare. IRMAA is short for income-related monthly adjustment amount. It frequently surprises retirees because ...

The Lesson of Blackstone’s Retail Real Estate Fund: Liquidity Matters.

The recent move by Blackstone giant retail real estate fund to limit redemptions after outsize withdrawal requests is a wake-up call for investors in a once-hot sector that may now face more regulator...

CVS Wants to Be a Healthcare Provider. So Why Doesn’t It Have Any Doctors?

Late last year, CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch unveiled a new strategy: Rather than remain simply a pit stop for toilet paper and flu shots, CVS stores would become a place that Americans—particularly old...

20 dividend stocks with high yields that have become more attractive right now

Income-seeking investors are looking at an opportunity to scoop up shares of real estate investment trusts. Stocks in that asset class have become more attractive as prices have fallen and cash flow i...

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...

Buy American Tower, Crown Castle, and SBA Communications Stock. The REITs Look Ready to Rebound

Certainty during rocky macroeconomic times deserves a premium. Predictable and dependable profits are exactly what cell-tower real estate investment trusts provide, and yet their stocks are selling at...

AARP-Branded Medicare Drug Plan Is Too Costly for Many Retirees, Critics Say

The AARP name has become a marketing juggernaut among baby boomers, with the group’s nearly 38 million members receiving offers for AARP-branded health, life and auto insurance, and discounts on cellp...

Berkshire Hathaway’s Earnings Are Saturday. Here’s What to Watch.

When Berkshire Hathaway reports its third-quarter earnings on Saturday, investors won’t be spending a lot of time looking at the bottom line. The conglomerate’s stock buybacks, equity purchases, and l...

20 dividend stocks that may be safest if the Federal Reserve causes a recession

Investors cheered when a report last week showed the economy expanded in the third quarter after back-to-back contractions. But it’s too early to get excited, because the Federal Reserve hasn’t given ...

Medicare Open Enrollment Starts Today. Here’s What to Know.

Medicare’s open enrollment period arrives predictably each fall, blanketing beneficiaries in advertisements. While there’s no need to look at everything, it pays to review your coverage and make sure ...

UnitedHealth stock surges after earnings beat, another raised outlook

Shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. surged Friday, after the health insurer reported third-quarter profit and revenue that rose above expectations, and lifted its full-year outlook for a third-straight ...

Opinion: Florida’s insurance rates have almost doubled over five years, yet insurance companies are still losing money — and the reason is more insidious than hurricanes

Hurricane risk might seem like the obvious problem, but there is a more insidious driver in this financial train wreck. Finance professor Shahid Hamid, who directs the Laboratory for Insurance at Flor...

Bank of America to Pay $1.84 Billion to Settle Last Major Mortgage-Crisis Suit

Bank of America closed the door on its last major litigation over mortgage bonds that were at the heart of the financial crisis of 2008. The Charlotte, N.C., bank said Friday it would pay $1.84 billio...