A Wealth of Common Sense

SEPTEMBER 8, 2024

Each year since 2011, Gallup has asked people what they think is the best long-term investment: After a brief love affair with gold, real estate has been in the top spot every year since 2013. Stocks are a distant second. So why do we Americans love the housing market so much from an investment perspective? There is something about the American Dream of homeownership combined with the size of the price tag involved for s.

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Social Security recipients get an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to protect the purchasing power of their benefits from inflation. Even so, many retired workers have struggled to keep up with rising prices. More than two-thirds of Social Security beneficiaries surveyed by The Senior Citizens League said the 3.2% COLA applied to payments this year failed to offset the increase in their household costs.

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Fool.com contributor Parkev Tatevosian discusses the factors to consider when selling Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock. *Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of Sept. 9, 2024. The video was published on Sept. 11, 2024. Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now? Before you buy stock in Nvidia, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Nvidia wasn’t one of them.

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Apparently, Warren Buffett sees something coming. Since mid-July, his company, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) , has been dumping one of its largest holdings, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) , off-loading more than $7 billion worth of shares in just under two months. Why? Buffett's affinity for Bank of America seems to be waning The megabank is a longtime favorite of Buffett and one of Berkshire's largest holdings; for years, it occupied the No. 2 spot behind only Apple.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Image source: The Motley Fool/Upsplash At this point, it's a given that the Federal Reserve is going to drop the federal funds rate next week, and the direction it goes, all other interest rates tend to follow. The problem with this, of course, is that a drop in mortgage interest rates somehow makes a lot of people think they need to refinance their mortgage.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Image source: The Motley Fool/Upsplash Imagine a person sells a classic car or piece of property for $20,000. They deposit the money into their checking account while deciding what to do with it. They came by the money legitimately, yet their bank is legally required to report the deposit by filing a Currency Transaction Report (CTR). Thanks to the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 and the PATRIOT Act of 2001, banks are the first line of defense against financial crimes like money laundering.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Trying to predict how much money you'll need for retirement can be difficult. Inflation is a reminder that you may need more than you expect, and having a bit of a buffer can provide you with some much-needed security later on in life. Whether it's to help pay for medical bills or to fund a vacation, that extra money can go a long way in making your life a whole lot easier in the future.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Investing in Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) stock could bring unexpected challenges at its current stage. Although the stock price peaked more than three years ago, it trades at a discount of more than 60% from that 2021 high, implying it is not too late to buy. Conversely, the bull market in 2021 took stocks to levels not justified by the underlying businesses, an indication that the all-time high is not a suitable benchmark.

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

While it's perfectly normal for a hot trend to be captivating the attention of Wall Street and investors, two buzzy trends at the same time are somewhat rare. In addition to investors piling into stocks associated with the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, they seemingly can't get enough of companies announcing stock splits. A stock split is a tool on the proverbial utility belt for publicly traded companies that allows them to adjust their share price and outstanding share count by the s

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

A recent survey from Nationwide Retirement Institute found that two-thirds of adults don't know Social Security benefits are protected from inflation. Fortunately, retired workers and other Social Security recipients get annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) designed to offset inflation. Those scheduled pay increases protect the purchasing power of benefits.

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

For the better part of the last three decades, investors have had a next-big-thing technology, innovation, or trend to captivate their attention. Since the internet completely changed the growth trajectory for businesses in the mid-1990s, we've witnessed massive addressable markets be assigned to genome decoding, business-to-business commerce, China stocks, U.S. housing, nanotechnology, 3D printing, cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, cannabis, augmented/virtual reality, and the metaverse.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) index measures the performance of 500 U.S. companies that cover about 80% of domestic equities by market value. The index is generally considered the best barometer for the entire U.S. stock market. Palantir Technologies (NYSE: PLTR) will join the S&P 500 on Monday, Sept. 23, as part of the index's quarterly rebalancing.

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Bill Ackman ranks among the most successful investors on the planet. Thanks to the tremendous success of his Pershing Square Capital Management hedge fund, Ackman's net worth currently totals close to $9 billion. But the billionaire isn't a big fan of diversification. Pershing Square's portfolio includes only nine stocks. And two of them were added in the second quarter of 2024.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Why do investors love biotech stocks? Because these players often work on game-changing technology that could lead to tomorrow's game-changing treatment -- and potentially blockbuster revenue. As an investor, you often have to be patient, as it takes years for a company to bring a candidate through development and reach the billion-dollar revenue stage.

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Image source: The Motley Fool. Kroger (NYSE: KR) Q2 2024 Earnings Call Sep 12, 2024 , 10:00 a.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good morning, and welcome to The Kroger Co. second quarter 2024 earnings conference call. [Operator instructions] Please note this event is being recorded. I'd now like to turn the conference call over to Rob Quast, senior director, investor relations.

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Social Security is an important piece of nearly every American's retirement budget. Around half of households with someone age 65 or older receive at least 50% of their income from Social Security and about one-quarter receive at least 90% of their income from the program. With the importance of Social Security benefits for so many retirees, it's important to keep every penny of them if possible.

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Image source: Getty Images I've been a Costco shopper for about 18 years now. And I'm by no means a casual Costco fan. Rather, I visit the store on a weekly basis and rely on Costco for a chunk of my weekly grocery purchases. I also make a point to fill up my car at Costco because the gas there is not only cheaper, but generally higher in quality than the gas I can get elsewhere.

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock has roared higher over the past five years, even soaring past $1,000 early in 2024. This occurred as the company built its dominance in the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market, generating triple-digit revenue and profit growth, quarter after quarter. A stock price around or past the $1,000 mark isn't always accessible for every investor.

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Although artificial intelligence (AI) has been all the rage on Wall Street since 2023 began, excitement surrounding stock splits has given AI a run for its money this year. A stock split gives publicly traded companies the ability to superficially alter their share price and outstanding share count by the same magnitude. Splits are surface-scratching in the sense that they don't change a company's market cap or in any way affect underlying operating performance.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) has built its business around two high-prized assets over the years: YouTube and Google Search. The latter, however, is facing some significant headwinds right now. Regulators have been taking a hard look at its dominance and recently found that it acted as a monopoly. And with a rise in artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, there may be less of a reason for people to rely on search engines at all.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Image source: Upsplash/The Motley Fool If you like to travel and are a fan of Delta Air Lines, you may be looking for ways to maximize the number of miles that you earn. Luckily, there are plentiful ways to earn miles through the Delta SkyMiles loyalty program -- including using airline credit cards and taking Delta flights. It's a good idea to ensure you're not missing out on opportunities to earn miles, especially if you're trying to accumulate enough miles to book an award flight.

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

You can never say never when it comes to investing. But when I look at my portfolio, I see Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) , Hormel Foods (NYSE: HRL) , and Hershey (NYSE: HSY) and I think of them as "never-sell" stocks. That's true even though two of them are currently facing notable adversity (which might make them attractive buys for anyone who doesn't own them).

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Social Security is one of the most import sources of income for seniors. Sixty percent of retirees say their monthly retirement benefits are a major source of income, according to the most recent edition of an annual Gallup poll. Another 28% said Social Security played at least a minor role in their budget. As such, it's important to make sure you keep as much of those monthly checks as possible.

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

The most exhilarating investment decisions often involve putting your hard-earned money to work in exciting companies that successfully disrupt industries and increase in value many times over. But not every investment has to be a home run. In fact, role players can act as foundational holdings that form the bedrock of a rock-solid portfolio. American Electric Power (NASDAQ: AEP) , Carrier Global (NYSE: CARR) , and WM (NYSE: WM) don't have the glitz and glam of a high-flying growth stock.

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Anyone up for a smooth cruise through the stock market? Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE: NCLH) shares were doing well across the past few trading sessions; according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence they had risen by more than 12% in value week to date as of early Friday morning. A price target bump by an analyst reflected the generally positive sentiment on both the cruise industry generally, and Norwegian individually.

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SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Paralysis analysis. It's a real problem for retirees when choosing dividend stocks to buy. More than 5,000 stocks that trade on U.S. exchanges pay dividends. There is another solution, though: Invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that offer solid dividend yields. These three dividend ETFs are a retiree's best friend. 1. iShares Select Dividend ETF BlackRock offers several great dividend ETFs.

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

The price of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is on the rise again -- although, as always, it depends on what time frame you're talking about. Over the past 12 months, its price has surged more than 125%. Yet during the past six months, the price has pulled back by roughly 15%. Looking for the best cryptocurrencies to buy at a discount? These crypto billionaires have some ideas for you.

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

Has Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) finally run out of earnings surprises? The high-flying AI chip superstar seemed to run out of gas in the fiscal 2025 second-quarter earnings report it released on Aug. 28. While the company beat estimates on the top and bottom lines, the differences were narrower than investors were used to, and guidance was also less impressive than some had hoped.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

For the better part of two years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been the hottest thing since sliced bread on Wall Street. The prospect of AI-driven software and systems learning without human intervention gives this technology broad-reaching utility in almost every sector and industry. Though we've seen no shortage of next-big-thing trends come and go on Wall Street since the advent of the internet three decades ago, none have offered as large of an addressable market as artificial intelligen

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) might just be the hottest pharmaceutical company on the planet right now. The company is the developer of a number of blockbuster drugs including Verzenio, Trulicity, and Taltz. Of course, I'd be remiss to not include the company's latest hits in weight loss. Lilly's diabetes and obesity care medications , Mounjaro and Zepbound, are currently fueling a new wave of growth for the pharma leader and I don't see that slowing anytime soon.

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

In this video, Motley Fool contributors Jason Hall and Tyler Crowe break down the big news that a Chinese battery maker is cutting lithium production, and why that could be a big positive for lithium miners including Albemarle (NYSE: ALB) , Lithium Americas Corp (NYSE: LAC) , and Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE: SQM). *Stock prices used were from the morning of Sept. 11, 2024.

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

There was plenty of excitement around the news that Palantir Technologies (NYSE: PLTR) would be added to the S&P 500 index. The index is widely viewed as the benchmark for U.S. stocks and there is an enormous amount of investor money tied to the index because so many exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds track/mimic its performance. Not surprisingly, when there is an announcement that a stock will be added to the S&P 500, it tends to see a nice jump in its share price.

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) stormed the stock market on Wednesday. Shares of the up-and-coming biotech rose by more than 11% not on any proprietary news from the company, but on an analyst's initiation of coverage. That performance was more than enough to top the trajectory of the bellwether S&P 500 index, which rose by slightly over 1% on the day. 32% upside potential, analyst believes Well before market open, J.P.

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

Many investors feel that cryptocurrencies are the future. MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) chairman Michael Saylor sees Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) as the only currency worth holding for the next 100 years. Noted growth investor Cathie Wood expects digital assets to reshape the financial markets on a global level. But these famous crypto bulls almost always focus on Bitcoin , perhaps throwing a few bones to the Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) smart contracts system.

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