The U.S. government is not hiding the fact that the longer you wait to collect Social Security, the more money you collect. In fact, the concept is fairly straightforward. Here’s the deal, straight fr...
Tag: Personal finance
If You’re Looking for REITs, Here are BofA’s Favorites
It’s been a tough 2022 for real estate investment trusts. The FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs index has dropped 20% year to date through Sept. 16 amid roaring inflation and soaring interest rates. That s...
Zillow sees peak rent growth as over, but that isn’t what the Fed’s tracking
A look at Zillow Group’s closely followed rent index shows that last year’s roughly 17% yearly surge in rental prices was probably the peak, with the rate of increases dramatically receding in the pas...
How to Survive the Next Market Crash
Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve might be in the process of driving the stock market over a cliff by tightening into a recession. That is one potential scenario envisioned by fund manager Mark Sp...
Electric Bills Soar Across the Country as Winter Looms
U.S. utility customers, faced with some of their largest bills in years, are set to pay even more this winter as natural-gas prices continue to climb. Natural-gas prices have more than doubled this ye...
3 Ways Retirees Can Inflation-Proof Their Portfolios
Rather than vanishing with the final days of summer, inflation has proven stickier than anticipated. For retirees, that means not just higher daily prices, but also the chance that their savings won’t...
The worst year in U.S. history for the 60:40 portfolio
This year is not shaping up to be the worst in U.S. history for a balanced 60% stock/40% bond portfolio. It’s important to point this out not just to correct the misleading historical narrative that h...
2 things too many of you get wrong about the 4% rule
Plus, what the 4% rule might look like in practice. Getty Images/iStockphoto In July, I wrote this column about a man who was working with a financial planner and withdrawing 4% from his investment ac...
The S&P 500 sank 5% in a very bad week for stocks. These 20 lost as much as 24%.
U.S. stocks sputtered Friday to close out the week in the red. The day’s declines of less than 1% for the broad indexes paled against Tuesday’s, when they sank 4% to 5%. For the week, the Dow Jones In...
The extended tax deadline is Oct. 17. Here’s what filers need to know
Cecilie Arcurs | Getty Images There’s about one month until the Oct. 17 tax deadline extension, and experts say filers need to prepare, especially for more complicated returns. An estimated all-...
Bezos Loses Title of World’s Second Richest Man to Indian Billionaire
It was to be expected. Jeff Bezos has lost the title of second richest man in the world behind Elon Musk, electric-vehicle leader Tesla’s (TSLA) chief executive. The founder and executive ch...
The $2,000 bonus for opening a new bank account? It exists, and here’s the deal with it
Banks are paying cash bonuses, and here are some of the best. Getty Images/iStockphoto High-yield savings accounts are now paying far more than they did last year — see the best savings account rates ...
Opinion: Surprise! CDs are back in vogue with Treasurys and I-bonds as safe havens for your cash
If there’s a silver lining to the current economic situation that features soaring inflation and falling stocks, it’s that savers can get more for their money. Even after just a few months of rising i...
She’s one of the youngest billionaires in the world, but still practices this thrifty savings habit ‘all the time’ — and so should you
Particularly as concerns of a recession loom, experts say that saving is essential — even if you don’t have millions. Getty Images At 26 years old, Norwegian heiress Alexandra Andresen is worth an est...
Pro athletes Isaiah Thomas and Dexter Fowler dish about top money tips
Malerapaso | Istock | Getty Images HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Professional athletes are faced with a difficult task early in their careers — learning to deal with big sums of cash as they’re thr...
How to save money as food inflation jumps more than 11% in a year
Going to the grocery store isn’t getting any cheaper. Rising food costs helped push inflation higher again last month, despite a drop in gas prices. The food index alone rose 11.4% over the past...
What will people do after getting $10,000 or $20,000 in student debt forgiven? MarketWatch asked readers — here’s the No. 1 answer.
Americans’ student debt loads are poised to lighten up and people are making plans on what’s next for their freed-up cash. Borrowers appear to have two prime targets in mind: getting current on their ...
‘This is never factored into the equation.’ One big thing people forget to consider when thinking about how much they need to retire
I’m sure you’ve pictured it: on the beach mid-weekday, gently lapping waves falling on white sand, sipping an umbrella drink — and you no longer have to check your email, other than to confirm your di...
How to avoid a penalty by making quarterly tax payments by Sept. 15
If you haven’t been sending part of your income to the IRS in recent months, this week is the last chance to avoid a tax penalty. The deadline for third-quarter estimated taxes is Sept. 15, appl...
Here’s how much you can save
Largely out of necessity, consumers are getting creative about stretching their dollars. After inflation hit back-to-school budgets hard and as families are feeling the weight of holiday expectations,...
I have $950,000 invested with a large financial firm, but they are charging me $1,100 a month in management fees. Is this reasonable?
Is your financial planner charging you too much? Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I am currently a customer with a large bank and have about $950,000 invested in the markets through them. I am being...
Mr. ‘Big Short’ Burry Takes on Goldman Sachs
Financier Michael Burry became a household name after the 2015 film “The Big Short” which depicted his bet on the subprime-mortgage meltdown that sparked the 2008 financial crisis. What m...
These five stocks in the S&P 500 lost almost half a trillion dollars in value in one day amid widespread wipeout
A decline in gasoline prices couldn’t mask the problem that spooked investors on Sept. 13: Core consumer prices resumed their rapid increase during August. Fear of the Federal Reserve’s ongoing tighte...
4 big factors impacting markets and the economy right now
Avalon_studio | E+ | Getty Images HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — There are four big trends impacting the economy and stock market right now, and uncertainty around each is creating challenges for investor...
13 Investment Moves to Pump Out Income as Interest Rates Rise
Text size The Federal Reserve building in Washington. Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg Interest rates have further to rise amid persistent inflation, while the labor market remains too strong for its own good. ...