The Motley Fool

JANUARY 11, 2024

Image source: Getty Images Inflation has been making many consumers miserable since 2021. That year, living costs began to surge as consumers found themselves with extra money thanks to generous stimulus policies at a time when there was a limited supply of goods. At this point, though, many consumers have depleted their stimulus-related cash savings and are having a hard time coping with higher expenses.

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JANUARY 7, 2024

Image source: Getty Images If you have a number of lofty goals set for 2024, you're probably in good company. Many people make personal finance resolutions at the start of a new year, and one of yours might be to replace your old clunker of a car with a newer model. It's easy to see why you'd want to upgrade your car, especially if you drive often. But here's why you may want to avoid buying a car this year.

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JANUARY 7, 2024

The stock market is coming off a great year in 2023, with the S&P 500 index surging 26.3%, including dividends. It's on the cusp of setting a new all-time high for the first time in two years. It only has to gain another 2.2% to get there, and it would mark the official beginning of a new bull market. ^SPX data by YCharts Artificial intelligence (AI) was the hottest stock market theme in 2023, led by Nvidia which seized a dominant share in the market for AI data center chips.

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JANUARY 7, 2024

When it comes to diversification, I find myself agreeing with the late Charlie Munger. "The whole secret of investment is to find places where it is safe and wise not to diversify," Munger once said. For an investor focused on speculative growth stocks, diversification is the name of the game. When the risk associated with any individual stock in your portfolio is high, spreading out your investments is essential.

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JANUARY 7, 2024

The new year is a time of looking forward, but we also wind up looking back at all we accomplished last year -- and all we didn't accomplish. If you fell short on your plans to beef up your retirement account in 2023, it's OK. You're definitely not alone. And for most people, there's still time to get things back on track. These five steps can help you get off to a strong start in 2024.

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JANUARY 6, 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks are plentiful in the market. While there may not be many "pure plays" available, several companies have AI solutions that are deeply integrated, making them great AI investments. These are the companies I like to focus my AI investments on because they aren't an all-or-nothing pick on AI proliferation. Among the stocks I think are solid picks are Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI) , Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM) , and Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL

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JANUARY 6, 2024

You might have missed it, but Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) stock quietly gained 81% in 2023. While the market's attention was focused on Nvidia and other AI stocks amid the fanfare over ChatGPT and other generative AI applications, Amazon had one of its best years on record. The tech giant added roughly $700 billion in market value and bounced back from the 2022 bear market that saw its stock price get sliced in half.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

Image source: Getty Images What auto insurance companies have the cheapest rates? While it's impossible to say where you will find the cheapest auto insurance rates, there is publicly available information that shows where the lowest average monthly premiums are. With that in mind, here are 10 of the largest U.S. auto insurance companies, ranked in order from cheapest average premium to most expensive.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

If you've ever wondered why professional and everyday investors pay so much attention to Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) CEO Warren Buffett, look no further than his investing track record since becoming CEO in the mid-1960s. Over this nearly six-decade stretch, he's overseen an aggregate return in his company's Class A shares (BRK.A) of better than 4,480,000%, as of the closing bell on Jan. 5.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

Bill Ackman runs Pershing Square Capital Management. He is perhaps best known for a disastrous short position in Herbalife , a nutrition company he called a pyramid scheme. Ackman made a $1 billion bet against Herbalife in 2012, expecting the stock to go to zero, but it had doubled by the time he exited the position in 2018. However, Ackman has made some excellent moves in the market as well.

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 12, 2024

Image source: Getty Images Streaming apps have grown in popularity over the last few years. These services offer convenient access to streaming entertainment solutions at home and on the go. However, many users have felt the strain of increased subscription prices. If you're looking for a way to save money on the cost of your Spotify Premium subscription, we have a hack for you to try.

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 12, 2024

Image source: Getty Images Millions of Americans have a Costco membership. For some, making regular trips to their nearest warehouse store saves money. But what about those who aren't getting their money's worth? If you see yourself in any of the following four situations, it may be time to consider whether a Costco membership is working for you and your finances.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

Image source: Getty Images Auto insurance premiums can vary considerably based on where you live. In simple terms, drivers in certain states are more likely to get into accidents or file insurance claims, and premiums reflect that. With that in mind, here's a look at which state has the most expensive auto insurance, and what factors can make auto insurance more or less expensive in a particular state.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

The impressive volatility we've seen in many top cryptocurrencies to kick off the year has been noted by many investors. However, results have been mixed for crypto-adjacent companies, with today's moves in Marathon Digital (NASDAQ: MARA) , Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT) , and Microstrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) reflecting a 7% downside move in Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) , which tends to drive the price action of these companies, given their large Bitcoin holdings.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

It was a slightly slower news week as the markets prepare for earnings season to hit in full force, but there were plenty of headlines to go around within the automotive sector. One piece of news that hit young electric vehicle (EV) automakers hard was the announcement by Hertz Global (NASDAQ: HTZ) that it will sell a chunk of its EV fleet and reinvest in gasoline-powered vehicles.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

Growth stocks in general did well in 2023, but that doesn't mean there aren't still major opportunities in 2024. The momentum behind companies like Airbnb (NASDAQ: ABNB) , Block (NYSE: SQ) , and Celsius Holdings (NASDAQ: CELH) is too strong to ignore, and I think they're still screaming buys today. 1. Airbnb The pandemic put a dent in Airbnb's business in 2020, but since coming public in late 2020, the company has been on fire.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

Fool.com contributor Parkev Tatevosian compares two dividend stocks yielding nearly 10% to determine the better investment for investors. *Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of Jan. 9, 2024. The video was published on Jan. 11, 2024. Should you invest $1,000 in Altria Group right now? Before you buy stock in Altria Group, 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 Altria Group wasn't one

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 12, 2024

If 2024 is the year in which you'll be retiring, you may be counting down to that milestone. And you may be growing increasingly excited about it by the day. Retirement can bring about a world of financial change since you're going from earning a paycheck to potentially not working at all. So it's important to start off on the right financial foot. With that in mind, here are three key moves to make as soon as you tender your resignation.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

With a market capitalization of $345 billion and trailing-12-month revenue of $154 billion, Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is a business that just about every investor is familiar with these days. Through its network of more than 2,000 stores in the U.S., the company sells various home improvement products and supplies. Yet, for all of Home Depot's growth, many investors may not appreciate a specific trait that might just be the key to this top retail stock and its success.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

It's been a bullish week for the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index. As of midday Friday, the index has leapt by almost 3% since last week's close. But the stock of tech giant Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has blown away those results. The advanced semiconductor chipmaker's shares have surged by 11.3%, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 12, 2024

In this video, I will talk about Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) , more specifically what its CEO said in 2011, how that turned out, and a look at some more recent announcements. *Stock prices used were from the trading day of Jan. 11, 2024. The video was published on Jan. 12, 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 Nvi

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 12, 2024

Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) is a popular meme coin for crypto investors. And it had a good year in 2023, with its value rising by just under 38%. But that pales in comparison to some of the returns crypto stocks generated for investors last year. Coinbase Global (NASDAQ: COIN) , Bitfarms (NASDAQ: BITF) , and Marathon Digital (NASDAQ: MARA) all more than quadrupled in value in 2023.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has been the world's largest company since 2011 (although a few companies passed it briefly). Right now, Apple is worth about $3 trillion -- nearly triple the size of Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) at $1.2 trillion. However, the two have several key differences, as Nvidia is growing at a lightning pace, while Apple's revenue is shrinking.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

Over the past decade, Ark Investment Management has carved out a niche for itself by identifying investment candidates among disruptive and emerging technologies. In the company's Big Ideas 2023 report, Ark laid out its thinking for a number of innovative fields, including robotics, 3D printing, digital wallets, and public blockchains, among others.

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JANUARY 12, 2024

Image source: Getty Images Saving is an excellent financial strategy. Having extra money in the bank can allow you to pay an unexpected bill with less stress or cover upcoming purchases without going into debt. To earn interest, many savers keep their extra cash in a high-yield savings account. If you've been earning interest on your savings and aren't sure what to do with it, this article is for you.

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JANUARY 11, 2024

There is no shortage of strategies to make money on Wall Street. But when push comes to shove, it's tough to top dividend stocks in the return column over long periods. Last year, Hartford Funds released a report that, in combination with Ned Davis Research, examined the performance of dividend-paying companies relative to non-payers over a half-century (1973-2022).

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JANUARY 11, 2024

Image source: Getty Images Whether you're flush with cash or carefully tucking money into a savings account each month, you're probably sticking to a budget of some kind. If that budget includes a life insurance policy , there are a number of reasons you should consider increasing the death benefit (sometimes referred to as "face value") during 2024.

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JANUARY 11, 2024

After a brutal year-long crypto winter, the cryptocurrency market seems to be ramping up for a potential bull run. With the total crypto market cap nearly doubling in 2023, there's a renewed sense of optimism throughout the industry. Amid this resurgence, it's worth checking in on some of the top performers from the previous bull market, like the meme coin Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB).

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JANUARY 11, 2024

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) had an epic 2023 as it rode the wave of new generative AI infrastructure. Demand was insatiable. AI chip sales -- logged under its "Data Center" segment -- soared from $3.6 billion in Q4 fiscal 2023 (which ended Jan. 2023) to $14.5 billion nine months later in Q3 fiscal 2024 (ended Oct. 2023). Chart source: Nvidia. Chart highlights on Data Center by author.

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JANUARY 11, 2024

Shares of fuel cell maker Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG) tumbled 10% in early trading on the Nasdaq Thursday, before recovering to a (still sizable) 7.1% loss as of 1:05 p.m. ET, after a team of analysts at Susquehanna downgraded the stock from positive to neutral. Susquehanna also cut its price target on Plug stock in half, to just $4.50 per share. Better late than never?

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JANUARY 11, 2024

Image source: Getty Images If you need an escape this winter but want to stay on budget, you may want to consider alternate forms of transportation when making your travel plans. Air travel can be costly, making it harder to stretch your vacation budget. But other options like traveling by train can be a great solution if you don't want to deplete the funds in your bank account.

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 12, 2024

Lucid Group (NASDAQ: LCID) stock is losing ground again in Friday's trading. The electric vehicle (EV) company's share price was down 7.1% as of 1:15 p.m. ET, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. On the heels of the deliveries and production report that the company released yesterday, news hit today that Lucid would be recalling more than 2,000 vehicles.

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 11, 2024

If you have $100,000 to invest in 2024, you can set yourself on the path to financial freedom. And here's some even better news: You can set yourself on that path with just about any amount, as long as you invest it wisely. No one knows whether the market will extend last year's gains, stagnate, or retreat in 2024, but whatever happens, a well-thought-out portfolio can help you manage and even win this year -- and most importantly, you'll put in place the elements you need to win over the long t

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JANUARY 11, 2024

Image source: Getty Images Before I became a personal finance writer and editor, I spent over a decade as a museum collections specialist, curator, and executive director. The museums I worked for usually had a set admission fee or a suggested donation for visitors to pay. Museum admission costs vary, but I've visited (or opted not to visit, in some cases) museums that charged more than I was hoping to pay.

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