David Jakle | Image Source | Getty Images It’s been a tough year for municipal bonds, with investors cashing out amid rising interest rates. However, higher yields and strong credit may be spark...
Tag: Personal finance
Should I name my spouse or my trust as the beneficiary as my 401(k) and IRA?
Dear Harry, I’m married and want my entire estate to go to my spouse. I have a revocable trust which will continue for my spouse’s benefit upon my death. Should I name my spouse or my trust as the ben...
Need to tap your 529 college savings? How to handle a market downturn
Klaus Vedfelt | DigitalVision | Getty Images Months of stock market volatility may deliver a costly surprise to parents sending children to school this fall: smaller-than-expected 529 college savings ...
I’ve found that a financial adviser can cost $5,000 a year. Is it worth it?
What might a financial planner charge you and is it worth it? Getty Images/iStockphoto The other day a reader wrote into us making a good point: She wanted us to give people a more in-depth look at wh...
Hot stocks may bring an initial thrill, but they’ll break your heart
My father was born in 1936 in Brooklyn. He attended Erasmus High School, earned a degree in chemical engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic High School and then went on to study dentistry at New York ...
‘Should we wait to see how the market plays out?’ I want to purchase a rental home. Is this a good time?
Dear MarketWatch, Is it a good time to buy an investment home to rent out, or should we wait off on it? We live in Arizona, but the home I’d be buying is located in El Paso, Texas. It would involve ta...
These money and investing tips are tools to help fix your broken portfolio
Don’t miss these top money and investing features: Your stock portfolio didn’t have to lose so much this year Strong insider buying suggests a 15% rally in the S&P 500 from here ‘I feel like I am ...
Why cash is an important part of your retirement plan
Retirement savers are often told they’ll see a greater return in their retirement assets if they invest it – and that may be true – but it’s important to prioritize some cash in a retirement plan as w...
Memorial Day weekend car shopping is ‘looking pretty bleak’
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images One of the best car-shopping weekends prepandemic is more of a dud these days. Amid the auto industry’s manufacturing challenges due to persisting supply-cha...
Here are 15 high-yield stocks expected to raise dividends the most through 2024
The stock market, shocked by the Federal Reserve’s policy changes to fight inflation, has been gored this year, with growth and technology companies bearing the brunt of the biggest declines. Dividend...
‘I have great plans for myself’: My girlfriend doesn’t understand how her student loan works and rents a pricey apartment. What if we marry — and divorce?
My girlfriend and I have been in a relationship for seven months, and it is getting more serious. I don’t expect us to get married in the next year but I like to plan ahead and if things keep working ...
Fed Minutes to Come Today. Look for Insights on Rates, Mortgage Bonds, and More.
When the Federal Reserve on Wednesday releases the minutes from its most recent policy meeting, investors will get a deeper look at deliberations over monetary-policy tightening and officials’ views o...
Still missing your tax refund? You’ll soon receive 5% interest
Bill Oxford | E+ | Getty Images If you’re still waiting for a tax refund, there’s a silver lining: it may be accruing interest, and the rate jumps to 5% from 4% on July 1, according to the...
Firms to watch with housing shortage set to benefit homebuilder stocks
Ariel Skelley | Digitalvision | Getty Images The double whammy of a declining stock market and rising interest rates has been pummeling homebuilder stocks this year, resulting in rock-bottom valuation...
Bank of America is raising its hourly minimum wage to $22 — here’s how many people don’t even come close to pay like that
Bank of America workers are getting a pay bump at the end June when minimum wages climb to $22 as a part of the major bank’s longstanding plan to get its starting rate to $25 by 2025. It’s good news f...
Tax breaks aren’t prime reason for high-net-worth philanthropy
Maria Teijeiro | OJO Images | Getty Images Tax breaks aren’t the primary incentive for philanthropy among the ultra-wealthy, according to BNY Mellon Wealth Management’s inaugural Charitabl...
Former Miami Heat all-star Dwyane Wade shares his advice on managing money
Dwyane Wade still moves fast but this time it’s off the basketball court. The retired three-time NBA champion for the Miami Heat has investments in media companies and consumer products. Wade, 4...
15 Ways Consumers Can Deal With—and Even Benefit From—Rising Inflation
We are feeling the squeeze everywhere—from the groceries we buy to the gas we pump into cars. Inflation stood at 8.3% in April, remaining close to a four-decade high of 8.5% reached in March from the ...
‘I am a 53-year-old single man with very little savings’: I want to take out a 30-year mortgage, but pay it off in 7 years. Is that possible?
I am a 53-year-old single man with very little in savings. I paid off all my credit-card debt a couple of years ago. I have now decided to purchase a home. My rent has increased to the point where it ...