A Wealth of Common Sense
JANUARY 2, 2024
2023 was a good year for the stock market. Bad years in the stock market are typically followed by good years (but not always): The obvious follow-up here is: What happens after good years? Or how often do we see good years followed by good years? There are, of course, bad years that follow good years, just like there are good years that follow bad years.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 1, 2024
For more than eight decades, Social Security has been providing a financial foundation for those who need it most. An estimated 21.7 million people, including close to 15.4 million adults aged 65 and over, are pulled out of poverty by America's top retirement program each year. What's particularly interesting about Social Security is that it's constantly evolving, with a number of significant changes announced annually.
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The Motley Fool
DECEMBER 31, 2023
For most retired Americans, their Social Security benefit represents an indispensable source of income. Over 20 years of annual surveys from national pollster Gallup have consistently shown that between 80% and 90% of then-current retirees lean on their monthly payout in some capacity to cover their expenses. Considering how vital Social Security is to the financial well-being of our nation's aging workforce, it's ideal to get as much out of America's top retirement program as possible.
The Motley Fool
DECEMBER 30, 2023
Whether you realize it or not, Social Security is an essential source of income for most retirees. It's responsible for pulling roughly 21.7 million people out of poverty each year, including almost 15.4 million adults aged 65 and above. If America's top retirement program didn't exist, the senior poverty rate would be an estimated 38%, as compared to 10% with Social Security (as of March 2022), according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 3, 2024
The artificial intelligence (AI) market exploded last year, becoming one of the fastest-growing industries. Data from Grand View Research shows the AI market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 37% through 2030, which would see it exceed a value of $1 trillion before the end of the decade. So it's no surprise that companies worldwide have restructured their businesses to focus on the budding sector, presenting a variety of investment opportunities.
The Motley Fool
DECEMBER 31, 2023
Image source: Getty Images A personal loan can be a great way to borrow for essential purchases you have to finance over time. With a lower interest rate than your typical credit card plus a fixed schedule for repayment, you can go into a personal loan knowing how much you'll pay over time. Plus, your financing charges will likely be affordable. But while taking out a personal loan can be a good financial move if you're doing it for the right reasons, there are also some circumstances where you
Private Equity Central brings together the best content for private equity professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 3, 2024
Some companies tell you a lot about the state of the economy. Three of those companies -- industrial supplier MSC Industrial (NYSE: MSM) , banking giant Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) , and appliance stalwart Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR) -- will give earnings in January. Here's why what they say is so vital to monitoring the economy and how you invest in 2024. MSC Industrial: First-quarter earnings on Jan. 9 This company distributes metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products and servi
The Motley Fool
DECEMBER 31, 2023
Warren Buffett loves a good dividend growth stock. Such companies consistently grow their profits year after year and elect to return those higher profits to shareholders. A business that's able to do that likely has a lot of the characteristics Buffett looks for in a company. And when those stocks trade at a fair value, they can provide exceptional returns for shareholders.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Image source: Getty Images Retirement has been happening later for Americans, and that trend is likely to continue. The average retirement age is 61, up from 57 in the 1990s. But the full retirement age (when you can get full Social Security benefits) is 67 for those born in 1960 or later. While some people are fine with retiring on the typical timeline, not everyone wants to wait that long.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ: WBA) got the bad news out early in 2024. The pharmacy company is cutting its dividend by nearly 50%. That ended a streak of 47 years of dividend growth. That reduction will enable Walgreens to retain more cash to fund its growth and strengthen its balance sheet. Here's a look at whether now's the time to buy the beaten-down member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average , which lost 30% of its value last year compared to the iconic index's nearly 14% rise.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
In the past 10 years, the total value of the cryptocurrency asset class has grown significantly from around $12 billion to almost $1.7 trillion today. Not all cryptocurrencies have survived in this competitive market, and only the strongest have managed to survive. Throughout this evolution, one asset has risen to become the epitome of a cryptocurrency and is unequivocally the most robust, resilient, and valuable asset on the market today.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
If Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND) is America's best-known plant-based food manufacturer, then Ethan Brown, the company's founder and CEO, might be considered the face of the U.S. meatless protein industry. He's confident and charismatic, and deserves much of the credit for building Beyond Meat into a famous brand. Just as Brown developed a dream into a well-known business, investors may harbor dreams of making millions from simply buying and holding Beyond Meat stock.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Image source: Getty Images For many people, the goal of refinancing a mortgage loan is to lower the interest rate on it, thereby cutting their monthly payments. But given where today's mortgage rates are sitting, many homeowners don't stand to reap savings by going the refinance route. As of this writing, the average interest rate on a 30-year mortgage is 6.61%, according to Freddie Mac.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Image source: Getty Images If you're in the process of looking for a home, you may have certain parameters in mind. First, you may be working with a specific price range based on the amount of money a mortgage lender has pre-approved you to borrow. And you may also be looking for a home with lower property taxes so you can more easily cover the mortgage loan you sign.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Fool.com contributor Parkev Tatevosian elaborates on the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEMKT: SPY) and offers his thoughts on why Warren Buffett may have chosen these. *Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of Jan. 3, 2024. The video was published on Jan. 5, 2024. Should you invest $1,000 in SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust right now?
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Investors piled into both Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) in 2023. The software giants outperformed a rallying Nasdaq Composite index last year, mainly thanks to soaring optimism about artificial intelligence (AI) and its ability to boost the value of creative and productive software platforms in the years ahead. While Microsoft has its advantages in this arena, it's far from an ideal growth stock.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
The Social Security Administration says retirement benefits typically replace about 40% of pre-retirement income, but the precise payout depends on several variables. Understanding those variables can help workers and retired workers alike score a bigger benefit. Read on to see the average Social Security benefit for retired men and women at ages 62 through 70, and to learn how lifetime earnings, work history, and claiming age impact the payout.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Fool.com contributor Parkev Tatevosian discusses why this dividend stock is a good match for passive income investors. *Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of Jan. 3, 2024. The video was published on Jan. 5, 2024. Should you invest $1,000 in Verizon Communications right now? Before you buy stock in Verizon Communications, 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 Verizon Communications
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
As we look back on 2023, a few things stand out. One is how quickly generative artificial intelligence (AI) rose to prominence. OpenAI's ChatGPT was virtually unheard of as the year began but quickly became the rallying cry for a generation of tech investors. Another was the emergence of the so-called "Magnificent Seven" group of stocks, which outperformed the broader market by a wide margin (presented in order of stock price percentage gains): Nvidia : Up 239% Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) : Up
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Retirement is a milestone many people plan for and look forward to. And if you're aiming to retire in 2034, you're just 10 years away from wrapping up your career for good. How exciting! If you want your plans to come to life, though, it's important to be on track to end your workforce stint in 10 years. With that in mind, make sure to tackle these essential moves in 2024.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Image source: Getty Images Surging inflation has been a persistent problem for Americans since 2021. And in 2022, things really came to a head, with annual inflation rising to 9.1% that June. Thankfully, inflation cooled steadily in 2023. And with any luck, it will continue to do so in 2024. If that happens, there's a good chance the Federal Reserve will move forward with interest rate cuts.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
In today's video, I discuss recent updates impacting Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD). Check out the short video to learn more, consider subscribing, and click the special offer link below. *Stock prices used were the market prices of Jan. 4, 2024. The video was published on Jan. 5, 2024. Should you invest $1,000 in Advanced Micro Devices right now?
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Growth stocks can be great assets for your portfolio, especially if you can stomach the volatility that usually comes with them. The journey could be a little rocky for some, but patience can pay off big for investors. If you have $3,000 available to invest (meaning you don't need it for an emergency fund or to pay off high-interest debt), putting your money into these two growth stocks is a good choice.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Artificial intelligence (AI) took some massive steps forward in 2023. Following the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT in late 2022, practically every executive was talking about how they were applying the advancements in technology to their businesses. While start-ups like OpenAI and Anthropic garnered a lot of attention and massive investments from Microsoft and Amazon , respectively, one company has been building advanced AI applications for well over a decade.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Since the acronym was first coined more than a decade ago, FAANG has become synonymous with big tech, representing some of the best-performing stocks of a generation: Facebook, which changed its name to Meta Platforms Apple Amazon Netflix Google, now known as Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) Data by YCharts. It's easy to understand the attraction.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 4, 2024
Historical data is a guiding light for investors during uncertain times. The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) index was established in 1957, so its 66 years of performance history can be helpful in predicting the stock market's next move. For example, the S&P 500 suffered a brutal drop in 2022, but the odds were in favor of a comeback in 2023 because consecutive annual losses are incredibly rare.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 4, 2024
Image source: Getty Images It's a good time to buy an electric vehicle (EV). Never before have EVs had longer battery ranges, impressive 0-60 mph times, sleek styling, and enough tech wizardry to convert any last remaining Luddites. But there's still one small problem for EVs: many are expensive. The average transaction cost of a vehicle powered by electric motors and batteries is more than $51,700, according to Kelley Blue Book.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 4, 2024
Fool.com contributor Parkev Tatevosian thinks this growth stock selected from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway portfolio could make an excellent investment in 2024. *Stock prices used were the afternoon prices of Jan. 2, 2024. The video was published on Jan. 4, 2024. Should you invest $1,000 in Paramount Global right now? Before you buy stock in Paramount Global, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 4, 2024
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has long been a magnet for investor attention on the stock market, and that has historically played toward the company's advantage. The brand and the stock, arguably have a cult-like following by devotees, many of whom are big fans of CEO Elon Musk as well. Tesla's avid customer base and its history of innovation and bucking long odds have also helped the company earn an unusually high earnings multiple for an automaker.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 4, 2024
What comes to mind when you hear the term "value stock"? Few investors would immediately think of any electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, not to mention an unprofitable one like Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN). Yet in an industry that's still growing and evolving, value seekers might choose to cut Rivian some slack. Defining "value stock" in the EV space may require an extra measure of flexibility, with the bull case for Rivian stock contingent on progress rather than perfection.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 4, 2024
Shares of QuantumScape (NYSE: QS) rocketed more than 40% Thursday after a press release from a Volkswagen subsidiary confirmed some testing data. In this video, Motley Fool contributor Jason Hall puts this news in proper context and frames how investors should think about it now. *Stock prices used were from the afternoon of Jan. 4, 2023. The video was published on Jan. 4, 2023.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 5, 2024
Image source: Getty Images The last few years have been tough financially for many households. It is hard to even think about achieving millionaire status when you're unsure about how you'll pay your bills or worried about the rising cost of groceries or gas. Even so, it is possible for many of us to build wealth. Moreover, you don't need to invent a time machine, earn megabucks, or inherit a fortune to do it.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 4, 2024
Image source: Getty Images You may have big travel goals for 2024. The good news is you don't have to spend a fortune to make your travel goals a reality. By taking advantage of airfare sales, you can see more of the world without draining your bank account balance. Until 11 p.m. ET on Jan. 10, travelers can book affordable one-way flights with JetBlue for select travel dates through March 27.
The Motley Fool
JANUARY 4, 2024
One of the greatest aspects of putting your money to work on Wall Street is that there isn't a one-size-fits-all strategy to wealth creation. Regardless of your investment style or approach, there are always pathways to grow your nest egg. However, there are certain investing strategies that are tough to top. One such strategy that's been a consistent winner for patient investors is buying dividend stocks.
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