The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Savvy investors often look to billionaire portfolios for quality dividend stock ideas. Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, has a stellar reputation for spotting promising investments. Despite Dalio's retirement in 2022, his influence remains evident in the hedge fund's recent moves. In the second quarter of 2024, Bridgewater Associates purchased shares of three tier 1 dividend stocks: ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) , Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) , and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).

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Private Equity Info

SEPTEMBER 4, 2024

We reported in July that private equity firms are delaying exits and holding portfolio companies longer to ensure they achieve the desired ROI from their investments.

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A Wealth of Common Sense

SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

I enjoy slicing and dicing historical stock market returns. I’m not naive enough to assume this helps predict the future. However, studying the past can provide a baseline to help set expectations when it comes to risk and a potential range of outcomes. Here’s a different way to look at returns over various time horizons for the S&P 500 going back to 1993: This is how to read this chart: Pick a starting.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

This article is intended for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. For guidance on your personal situation, please contact a lawyer. Despite its importance, estate planning isn't the easiest process. That's the downside. The silver lining, however, is that it's a blessing to be in a position to need estate planning. It generally means you have assets and loved ones you're eager to care for even after you're gone.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

The last five years have been incredible for Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) investors as shares of the semiconductor specialist have taken off in stunning fashion thanks to the terrific growth in its revenue and earnings, and a couple of solid catalysts in the form of video gaming and artificial intelligence (AI). An investment of just $100 in shares of Nvidia five years ago is now worth a whopping $2,850.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

Image source: Getty Images When I was growing up, store-brand products were never "cool." Store brands, also known as private label products, had a reputation for low quality, with no colorful logos or clever cartoon mascots. But Costco has changed the game of private label. Many Costco members find that they actually prefer the distinctive selections of Costco's store brand, called Kirkland Signature.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

Image source: Getty Images If you've ever shopped around for car insurance, you know different companies charge different rates for the same coverage. Obvious factors like age and the type of car you drive also impact how much you'll pay for coverage. That makes sense; a teenager driving a sports car is more likely to file a claim than a 45-year old driving a station wagon.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

Image source: The Motley Fool/Upsplash OK, so you have some money in the bank. Let's say it's divided, as it is for most U.S. families, between checking , savings, and some retirement and money market accounts. But how much total does the average American have in the bank? As of 2022, the average American family had a combined total of $62,410 in the bank, divided between the sorts of accounts listed above, according to the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

The Nasdaq Composite Index has a terrific long-term track record. During the past decade, for instance, the index rose 566% in value. That return bested the S&P 500 's rise of 401% in the same period. The Nasdaq's long-term performance seems incredible until you compare it to one of my favorite exchange-traded funds (ETFs). During the past decade, this ETF rose in value by nearly 1,700% -- roughly triple the return of the Nasdaq.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

The biggest news of the week in energy was that Brent crude oil prices fell by 7% to $71.32 per barrel, which sent most energy stocks into a tailspin. The price drop was largely driven by the release of relatively weak U.S. economic data. The ISM manufacturing reading was just 47.2%, indicating a contraction in manufacturing orders. On Friday, we learned just 142,000 jobs were added in the U.S. in August, well below the 161,000 expected, and revisions subtracted another 86,000 jobs from estimate

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) and Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW) represent different ways to invest in the growing artificial intelligence (AI) market. SoundHound develops AI-driven speech and audio recognition tools that can be customized for a wide range of industries. Snowflake's cloud-based data warehouses are used to collect and clean up data from fragmented computing platforms so they can be easily read by third-party analytics and AI apps.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

Are you looking to minimize your tax bill? Most people are. After all, that's money that could otherwise be invested, spent on a purchase of your choosing, or just put in your pocket! Taxes can never be entirely avoided, of course. For most retirees, however, they can be limited just by living out your retirement in a particular state. See, although you'll always be subject to federal income tax, there are 13 states that don't tax retirement income -- at all.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

The average retired worker on Social Security today collects about $23,000 per year. That's not a bad amount of supplemental income, but it's not a lot to live on by itself. That's why it's so important to save for retirement consistently throughout your career. If you manage to bring a decent-sized nest egg with you into retirement, you stand to enjoy a more comfortable, stress-free lifestyle (at least from a financial perspective).

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

For the last 128 years, the iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) has served as a guide to help investors gauge the health of the U.S. stock market. At its inception in May 1896, the Dow Jones was composed of 12 companies that, not surprisingly, were prominently tied to the industrial sector. But following more than 50 changes to this ageless index over the years, it comprises 30 diverse multinational and time-tested businesses.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to start cutting interest rates at its September meeting, and this is likely to have big implications for both consumers and investors. In this video, Certified Financial Planner® Matt Frankel and longtime Fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe discuss what you should expect for the rest of 2024 and into 2025 as rates gradually come down.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has generated phenomenal returns for investors in recent years. Since 2020, it's up around 2,000%. The company is coming off yet another fantastic earnings report where its sales more than doubled from the previous year. There's plenty of optimism for the future and for it to remain a top artificial intelligence (AI) stock to own for years.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

The rapid and accelerating adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has been gathering momentum since early last year. The clearest evidence of these secular tailwinds can be found in the list of the world's largest companies when measured by market cap. Indeed, 7 of the world's 10 most valuable companies are arguably pioneers in the realm of AI. Topping the charts are three of the world's leading purveyors of technology.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

The expression "pandemic stock" is sometimes applied to companies whose products or services captured investors' attention in the early days of Covid-19. Fintech giant PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ: PYPL) and streaming media specialist Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU) belonged to that group, soaring to new heights in 2021. As the public health crisis has eased, it's been mostly downhill for both stocks.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

Shares of ASML Holdings (NASDAQ: ASML) fell 12% this week through Thursday trading, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The semiconductor equipment giant, which has a monopoly on crucial EUV technology needed for making advanced semiconductors and memory, sold off along with the sector on Tuesday as economic fears re-emerged. Adding insult to injury, a Wall Street analyst also downgraded shares on Wednesday, citing too-optimistic growth projections for 2026 and beyond.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Each year, Social Security benefits get a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to help retired workers and other recipients keep up with rising prices. The Social Security Administration will announce the official 2025 COLA on Thursday, Oct. 10, shortly after the Labor Department publishes September inflation data. Unfortunately, all evidence suggests the 2025 COLA will be a combination of bad news and worse news for Social Security recipients.

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Education 246

The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Image source: Upsplash/The Motley Fool Shopping at Aldi could be a good way to save money on your grocery bills. Aldi is known for its competitive prices. And if you have a larger household, buying food at Aldi could be a less expensive way to keep your fridge stocked. But Aldi isn't necessarily the best grocery store for everyone. Here are a few signs you shouldn't shop there. 1.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

When a company earns a profit, it can pay a portion to shareholders as dividends. That's a nice reward for shareholders, providing regular income. However, it's still important to pick strong companies that cannot only maintain dividends but increase them regularly through higher earnings and cash flow. These three stocks fit the bill. Two of them are Dividend Kings , an illustrious group of companies that have raised dividends for at least 50 straight years.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

If there's any company that needs a big win right now, it's ailing semiconductor giant Intel (NASDAQ: INTC). Fresh off a disastrous earnings report that sent the stock tumbling and raised questions about the company's long-term strategy, Intel could have an ace up its sleeve with Lunar Lake. Massive battery life gains Intel launched its Meteor Lake laptop chips last year, which included built-in AI accelerators and improved power efficiency.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Wells Fargo analyst Matthew Akers shocked the market this week when he dropped his price target on Boeing (NYSE: BA) to $119 (down from $185) and cut his rating to underweight from equalweight. The new target represents a 26% discount to the current price. Should investors take Akers' update as valid and consider selling the stock? Boeing gets a downgrade An analysis of Akers' report suggests his reasoning is sound, and there are serious questions about Boeing's free cash flow ( FCF ).

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Investors in artificial intelligence (AI) can't seem to get enough of big tech companies in the " Magnificent Seven. " Even other stocks in the sector such as Super Micro Computer , Broadcom , and Taiwan Semiconductor have started to emerge as more-mainstream choices in the AI realm. One stock that was once flying high but has since lost altitude during the past several months is computer maker and data-storage company Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL).

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) is one of the world's top pharmaceutical companies, selling treatments for a wide range of diseases -- from diabetes to cancer. But one type of product has stood out in recent times and driven both revenue and share performance for the company. I'm talking about Lilly's weight loss drugs, which are bringing in billions of dollars in revenue.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

In 1965, Warren Buffett became CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) and began a stretch of notable outperformance, compared to Wall Street's benchmark stock indexes. Over nearly six decades, he's overseen a cumulative return in his company's Class A shares (BRK.A) that tops 5,700,000%! Money managers who run circles around Wall Street tend to garner a lot of attention.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Jeremy Kahn is the AI editor at Fortune Magazine and the author of the new book Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to our Superpowered Future. In this podcast, Motley Fool employee Alex Friedman caught up with Kahn to talk about the current AI landscape. They also discuss: Bill Gates' initial hesitancy to invest in OpenAI. Where LLMs go from here. Developments in biotech.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Image source: Getty Images Whether you're worried about job security at work or simply dream of captaining your own ship, you're not alone. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy, 99.9% of American businesses are small. Small businesses employ more than 46% of the private sector. There are more than 33 million small businesses up and running, meaning a whole lot of us have left corporate life behind and headed for greener pastures.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has dominated stock market headlines over the last year, and for good reason. The inventor of graphics processing units (GPUs) is leading the AI revolution as its chips have been in high demand ever since OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT in late 2022. Nvidia's revenue has grown triple digits in each of its last five quarters, and the stock has jumped over 600% since the start of 2023, despite its recent pullback.

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Stock Market Stock Market Returns Companies 246

The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

There was a lot of hype and excitement around gene-editing company CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP) last year after it obtained approval for its first product, Casgevy. But that excitement has largely waned, and investors appear to have moved on from the stock. Year to date, shares of CRISPR are down 24%, and it is nowhere near its 52-week high of more than $91.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

After the steepest interest rate hikes in history, the Federal Reserve recently signaled it might soon adjust policy. Markets expect a 25 basis point cut at the upcoming September meeting, with more cuts likely to follow into 2025. Several assets are likely poised to benefit from these adjustments, but one in particular is positioned best in this evolving landscape.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

Investors love a good stock split, and here's why. While these maneuvers don't change the value of a company, they do bring down the per-share price of high-flying stocks, making the purchase of full shares more accessible to a broader range of investors. In a 10-for-1 stock split of a stock trading for $1,000, for example, you would only have to invest $100 to get a share of the company post-split.

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The Motley Fool

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

Shares of Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) dropped 10.4% on Friday, following the semiconductor and infrastructure software maker's release on the prior afternoon of its report for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 (ended Aug. 4). The decline was likely largely driven by guidance for fourth-quarter revenue being a bit lower than Wall Street had expected. In the current environment for artificial intelligence (AI) stocks that have run up considerably, simply meeting or slightly beating Wall Street's estima

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