A Wealth of Common Sense

JULY 14, 2024

Here’s a scenario I was presented with recently: Five years ago, a relatively conservative investor was sitting on some cash and seeking a more balanced portfolio. To keep things simple, this investor split the difference between stocks and bonds by allocating 50% to equities and 50% to fixed income. Five years later there is a clear winner in terms of performance within this 50/50 portfolio: You basically doubled.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 19, 2024

When it comes to keeping tabs on your money, net income often steals the spotlight. While knowing your income is important, tracking your net worth is a crucial step to ensure you are progressing toward your financial goals. Essentially, you can think of your net worth as your personal balance sheet. It's the sum of all your assets -- everything you own, such as cash savings, certificates of deposit, and retirement accounts --minus your liabilities, which include everything you owe, such as cred

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American Investment Council

JULY 18, 2024

Maloney : “Strong private equity returns ensure that tens of millions of dedicated public servants can depend on a well-funded pension to support their well-deserved retirement.” Washington, D.C. – Today, the American Investment Council released its 2024 public pension study showing that private equity once again delivered the strongest returns for public pension portfolios.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 19, 2024

Image source: Getty Images The way we think about retirement is changing. For years, many people saw retirement as a chance to relax and unwind after years in the workforce. Retirees planned to see the world, work on their bucket lists, or spend time with friends and family. The State of Retirement Planning study by Fidelity Investments found that more than half of future retirees now plan to start a business when they retire, and two-thirds plan to do a phased retirement, where they work part-t

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The Motley Fool

JULY 19, 2024

When it comes to billionaire money managers, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) CEO Warren Buffett is on a pedestal of his very own. Since taking the reins at Berkshire Hathaway in the mid-1960s, the affably dubbed "Oracle of Omaha" has overseen an aggregate return in his company's Class A shares (BRK.A) of a scorching-hot 5,422,618%, as of the closing bell on July 17.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 19, 2024

UBS analysts estimate that artificial intelligence (AI) spending will approach $1.2 trillion annually by 2027. Semiconductor companies Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) have already benefited from that opportunity, and enthusiasm about their ability to monetize AI has driven both stocks higher. Since November 2022, shares of Nvidia and Broadcom have advanced 765% and 300%, respectively.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 19, 2024

In most years, retirees on Social Security receive a cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. COLAs are built into the basic design of the program because they have to be. Inflation causes costs to rise, and seniors on fixed incomes must see their Social Security go up as well or they'd be able to buy less each year with their money. While COLAs are common, something very unusual is likely to happen in 2025.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 18, 2024

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) is one of the more expensive retail stocks you can buy. It trades at a price-to-earnings multiple north of 50 and its market cap is $370 billion. In just five years, the shares have soared by 200%. While Costco has a great business, the biggest reason to not invest in the company today is its high valuation. But investors shouldn't count out this stock in either the short or long term.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 19, 2024

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has wowed investors over the past few years with its earnings growth and its share performance. This happened as the company shifted focus from the gaming industry to a position central to the development of today's most talked-about technology: artificial intelligence (AI). Nvidia makes graphics processing units (GPUs) that power crucial AI tasks like training and inference, as well as a broad array of AI products and services.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 18, 2024

Investors have been buying Palantir Technologies (NYSE: PLTR) stock hand over fist in 2024, which is evident from the 67% gains clocked by the company that's known for providing data analysis software platforms to both government and commercial customers. Artificial intelligence (AI) played a central role in Palantir stock's surge this year as the growing adoption of this technology across the globe led to a nice bump in the company's revenue pipeline.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 18, 2024

At first glance, the mania surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) stocks has some similarities to the short-lived hype seen in the market from time to time (the metaverse, cannabis stocks, and cryptocurrencies are recent examples). Take a closer look though. This buzz is different. Not only is it not fading away, but the proverbial table-pounding is making more and more sense.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 18, 2024

Investing in stocks can be challenging, especially when it comes to selecting individual companies. The process requires extensive research, constant monitoring, and carries substantial risk. For those seeking a simpler approach, Vanguard offers a compelling solution with its suite of 86 exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Among these various funds, the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF (NYSEMKT: VTI) stands out as a comprehensive option for investors looking for a diversified stock portfolio

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The Motley Fool

JULY 18, 2024

This article is intended for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. For guidance on your personal situation, please contact a lawyer. If you have a family, you may be inclined to take certain steps to protect them financially. One of those might be buying life insurance. Another might involve coming up with a plan to pass your assets on to your heirs as smoothly as possible.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 18, 2024

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) has advanced 18% year to date, notching more than three dozen record highs in the process. Factors driving that momentum include enthusiasm about artificial intelligence and anticipated interest rate cuts. Additionally, S&P 500 companies are collectively expected to report an acceleration in earnings growth this year.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 19, 2024

Image source: Getty Images As a family of five, I can tell you that second to housing, food is my household's largest monthly expense. We spend more money on groceries than we do on transportation, despite being a two-car household (to be fair, one vehicle is paid off). Because of this, I'm always looking for ways to save money in the course of putting food on the table.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 18, 2024

Image source: Getty Images In recent years, many people have seen their living costs increase in different ways, whether it's rising rents or added insurance costs. Unfortunately, Costco is now joining the ranks of companies that are raising their fees. The warehouse club giant recently announced that starting Sept. 1, the cost of a basic (Gold Star) membership will be rising from $60 a year to $65.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 18, 2024

Share prices of CrowdStrike (NASDAQ: CRWD) have taken off since the beginning of June, with impressive gains of 22% as of this writing. There are a couple of reasons behind the cybersecurity specialist's robust rally that helped it outpace one of the hottest stocks on the market during this period: Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). It's worth noting that CrowdStrike's gains over the past month are almost double the 11% jump that Nvidia stock has registered.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 17, 2024

Warren Buffett is considered one of the greatest investors of all time. With nearly 70 years of public investing experience (that he has documented publicly with annual shareholder letters along the way), he brings a wealth of knowledge to each of his investment decisions. So, when Buffett decides to buy a stock, the whole investing world pays attention.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 17, 2024

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) stock continues to rise as hope grows for future products like robotaxis and robots. But the core business is deteriorating quickly, with revenue and margins on the decline. In this video, Travis Hoium shows where there's growth and where there is weakness for Tesla and the price investors are paying for the stock. *Stock prices used were end-of-day prices of July 15, 2024.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 17, 2024

Dividend stocks can be dual-threat vehicles, offering investors the best of both worlds. Specifically, these equities can act as reliable passive income generators while simultaneously possessing the potential to increase your net worth through share-price appreciation. If you're interested in buying a handful of dividend stocks as part of a passive income strategy, consider investing $51,000 across these three attractive options: AT&T (NYSE: T) , Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) , and the JPM

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The Motley Fool

JULY 17, 2024

Shares of Zscaler (NASDAQ: ZS) slid 13.3% in the first six months of the year, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The cybersecurity stock struggled as investors came to terms with the company's slowing growth rate and increased competition. Zscaler's last two quarters were generally favorable, but investors seem to be rethinking its valuation as the cybersecurity industry evolves.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 17, 2024

The XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) cryptocurrency, commonly known as Ripple , is earning some fresh respect on Wall Street. I mean that proverbially, of course. The new sign of respect actually comes from the financial district in Chicago. On July 11, CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) and CF Benchmarks announced two new cryptocurrency reference rates and real-time indexes for Ripple and Internet Computer (CRYPTO: ICP) , beginning on July 29.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 17, 2024

Owning stocks with high yields can be a great way to generate passive income. But yields can swing wildly based on a stock's price. A soaring stock's yield will fall and a tumbling stock's yield will rise, even as their payouts hold steady. A much more useful approach for finding quality dividend stocks is to look at companies' track records of dividend increases and their ability to grow their payouts in the future.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 17, 2024

The U.S. economy has a centurylong history of producing the world's most valuable companies: United States Steel became the world's first $1 billion company in 1901. General Motors rode the automotive manufacturing boom to become the first $10 billion company in 1955. General Electric built a conglomerate selling a wide range of products from plane engines to household appliances, and it became the world's first $100 billion enterprise in 1995.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 18, 2024

Shopify has become one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world. It provides the backbone for millions of small merchants, and it's pivoting to capture market share from enterprise businesses. But if you're looking for a smaller player that's just getting started, you might want to consider buying Global-e Online (NASDAQ: GLBE) stock. It's growing fast, and it also gives you exposure to Shopify.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 18, 2024

Creating multiple streams of passive income is a well-known strategy for achieving financial independence. However, identifying truly valuable passive-income opportunities can be a daunting task. Enter Tier 1 dividend stocks: equities from companies that have demonstrated an unwavering dedication to shareholder rewards through consistent distributions and dividend increases.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 17, 2024

One thing that can make investing seem daunting and intimidating is how quickly things change in the markets. Knowing which stocks to own and which ones are hot buys right now can turn investing into a part-time job. But if you stick with large, established businesses that have bright futures, it doesn't have to be that complicated or difficult. There are many investments you can buy and hold for years and not worry about.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 17, 2024

After soaring a whopping 194% over the last 12 months, Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock has richly rewarded its near-term investors as it rides a wave of explosive demand for AI hardware. But so far, this industry has been more hype than substance, and Wall Street is beginning to notice. Let's dig deeper into what the next year could have in store for Nvidia as hype fades and fundamentals start to play a bigger role.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 17, 2024

Microsoft 's (NASDAQ: MSFT) stock has soared 466,000% since it went public in 1986. The company has a history of delivering impressive returns thanks to a potent position in tech and consistent reinvestment in its business. In fact, an early investment in ChatGPT developer OpenAI allowed Microsoft to get a headstart in artificial intelligence (AI), boosting its share price by 89% since the start of 2023.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 19, 2024

Fool.com contributor Parkev Tatevosian previews Tesla 's (NASDAQ: TSLA) quarterly earnings update. *Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of July 15, 2024. The video was published on July 17, 2024. Should you invest $1,000 in Tesla right now? Before you buy stock in Tesla, 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 Tesla wasn’t one of them.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 17, 2024

Wall Street doesn't always get things right, but Tom Lee from Fundstrat Global Advisors is one analyst with a hot hand right now. He predicted the S&P 500 index would close above 4,750 in 2023, and it ended the year at 4,769. He also entered 2024 with an S&P index target of 5,200, which was the highest on Wall Street at the time, and the index blew past that level within the first three months.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 16, 2024

The stock market has been on fire throughout the last couple of years. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) has soared by nearly 57% from its lowest point in late 2022, while the Dow Jones (DJINDICES: ^DJI) and Nasdaq (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) are up by around 37% and 77%, respectively, in that time. But the market can't continue surging forever, and eventually, we'll face another bear market or even a crash.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 16, 2024

Truth be told, achieving a million-dollar retirement account can seem out of reach if you don't know many people who have achieved this milestone. It might seem even more daunting if you're trying to reach that goal in a traditional or Roth individual retirement account (IRA), where the contribution limits are only $7,000 for those under 50 in 2024.

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The Motley Fool

JULY 18, 2024

The "Magnificent Seven" stocks are some of the best and brightest growth stocks investors can buy. But many of them have amassed some incredible gains over the past year-and-a-half, pushing their valuations to concerning levels for many investors. Electric vehicle maker Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) , has, however, been a bit of an underperformer in 2024. Year to date, it's up only 2%, and that would have been much worse if not for a recent rally.

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