The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

The clock is ticking on politicians in Washington to make major Social Security reforms. Without changes to the program, the Social Security Board of Trustees expects to deplete the trust fund by 2033 as outflows continue to exceed inflows. At that point, inflows from Social Security tax will only support 79% of benefits due to retirees. While we've yet to see any major overhauls to the program, 2025 brings with it several major changes that everyone needs to know.

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Private Equity Wire

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Private equity firms and pension funds are pouring unprecedented amounts of money into the UK rental housing market, driven by soaring demand and a persistent housing affordability crisis, according to a report by the Financial Times. By the end of September 2023, deals to buy or build single-family rental homes reached 1.5bn more than triple the investment in the entirety of 2021 or 2022, according to estate agency Savills.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

The S&P 500 index is set to cap off a banner year. Through Dec. 27, the broad market index is up 25% year to date, and Wall Street is calling for the bull run to continue into 2025 with the consensus estimates of 6,679, or up 12% as of Dec. 27. Investing in the S&P 500 through an exchange-traded fund (ETF) is generally a smart move as the index has historically returned an annual average of 9% per year with dividends reinvested, but other funds may beat the S&P 500.

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Don Connelly & Associates

DECEMBER 30, 2024

As a financial advisor, its essential that your clients ask questions. It means they want to engage with you, and they trust your expertise. Every question a client asks is an opportunity to educate them, which is a good thing. When your clients are comfortable enough with you to ask questions, its a sign of a healthy advisory relationship. But what if a client blindsides you with an unexpected question, one you didnt see coming?

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

There's no sugarcoating how 2024 played out for Sirius XM Holdings (NASDAQ: SIRI) shareholders. It's been a rough year. However, there's a lot of truth to the old mutual fund disclaimer that past results aren't an indicator of future performance. The satellite radio provider can bounce back in a major way in 2025. Let's go over some of the reasons this currently out-of-favor stock can roar back to life for investors in the months and years ahead.

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Investment Writing

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Can you spot whats wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. I think that most people will find this mistake quickly. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading. The post MISTAKE MONDAY for December 30: Can YOU spot whats wrong? appeared first on Susan Weiner Investment Writing.

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The Big Picture

DECEMBER 30, 2024

My almost back-to-work morning WFH reads: The C.E.O.s Are Tripping. Can Psychedelics Help the C-Suite? A growing cottage industry is dedicated to the theory that mind-altering drugs can improve business leadership. ( New York Times ) MicroStrategys secret sauce is volatility, not bitcoin : Self-reinforcing market forces are creating demand for Michael Saylors lottery ticket convertible bonds. ( Financial Times ) see also The Investing Cult Fueling MicroStrategys Ascent: Have Fun Staying Poor R

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

In today's video, I will be talking about two growth stocks that are down over 40% this year but could provide investors with plenty of upside in 2025. Watch the short video to learn more, consider subscribing, and click the special offer link below. *Stock prices used were from the trading day of Dec. 26, 2024. The video was published on Dec. 26, 2024.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

In this video, Motley Fool contributors Jason Hall and Tyler Crowe discuss the latest with QuantumScape (NYSE: QS) , including our expectations for the company in a year from now. *Stock prices used were from the afternoon of Dec. 18, 2024. The video was published on Dec. 30, 2024. Start Your Mornings Smarter! Wake up with Breakfast news in your inbox every market day.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

In this video, Motley Fool contributors Jason Hall and Tyler Crowe break down what's happening in Brazil that is sending shares of Nu Holdings (NYSE: NU) , StoneCo (NASDAQ: STNE) , and MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI) tumbling, and whether investors should consider them buys. *Stock prices used were from the afternoon of Dec. 18, 2024. The video was published on Dec. 31, 2024.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

In this video, Motley Fool contributors Jason Hall and Tyler Crowe make two predictions about the market in 2025, and also share two stock picks they think will do well no matter what happens with the market this year: Lantheus (NASDAQ: LNTH) and Synopsys (NASDAQ: SNPS). *Stock prices used were from the afternoon of Dec. 18, 2024. The video was published on Dec. 31, 2024.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Thanks to this year's rally in Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) , which recently broke through the $100,000 price level, the concept of a strategic Bitcoin reserve has rapidly transformed from an arcane campaign issue into an economic idea worthy of serious consideration. There's even a piece of legislation, the Bitcoin Act of 2024, that lays out how it might become a reality as soon as next year.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Carnival (NYSE: CCL) (NYSE: CUK) stock has made a huge recovery since almost sinking, and every year since its rebound is getting better. In 2023 it achieved record revenue, and in fiscal 2024 (ended Nov. 30), revenue went even higher, and Carnival returned to profitability. Management and Wall Street alike are looking forward to even better news in 2025.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

It was just over a year ago in the final week of December 2023 that I wrote an article on SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) , discussing whether the voice artificial intelligence (AI) solutions provider could help investors become millionaires in the long run. I had assumed that an investment of $100,000 in SoundHound stock at the end of December 2023 could be worth $530,000 by the end of 2030.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Social Security's maximum benefit will reach a record $5,108 per month in 2025. This is the first time any retiree will take home more than $5,000 per month from the program. But only a select few will receive anything close to this amount. Achieving the maximum Social Security benefit in any year requires you to meet three key criteria. It sounds simple, but pulling it off only grows harder each year.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

I like every part of the phrase "ultra-high-yield dividend stocks." Investing in stocks allows me to own portions of great businesses. Dividends pay me to own the stocks. And thinking about dividends with ultra-high yields brings a smile to my face. The new year presents a great opportunity for investors who share my appreciation for these kinds of stocks.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Shares of Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) broke out in 2024. The natural gas pipeline giant had rallied more than 50% heading into the last few trading days of the year. Add in its high-yielding dividend (currently above 4% after its rally) , and the total return is over 60%. That has absolutely crushed the S&P 500 index, which has delivered a total return approaching 30%.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Shares of electric-car maker Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) have been on an absolute tear in 2024, rising more than 70% as of this writing. This obliterated the S&P 500 's 25% gain during this time. The huge gain has unsurprisingly sparked a lot of excitement around the stock. Fueling upbeat sentiment for shares, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been praised for cozying up with President-elect Donald Trump, and the company is viewed as a major beneficiary of artificial intelligence as it works on autonomous dr

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Stocks splits have been a huge market theme in 2024, with big names across industries, from technology giant Nvidia to consumer stock Walmart completing such operations. Companies often launch this move after a long period of gains as a way to make their stock price more accessible to a wide range of investors. A stock split doesn't change the overall market value of a company or anything fundamental -- but through the issuance of more shares to current holders, it lowers the per-share price.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) shares have advanced 360% this year, outpacing the next closest stock in the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) by 100 percentage points. The data analytics company is now worth $180 billion, but certain Wall Street analysts expect Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) and Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) to surpass that figure before year's end in 2025.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Smart investors like stock splits not just because they reduce a company's share price, but also because they tend to spotlight good companies. That's because forward stock splits are only necessary after substantial and sustained share-price appreciation, which rarely happens to mediocre companies. One good example is MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI). MercadoLibre's share price has soared 5,950% since its initial public offering (IPO) in August 2007, and Wall Street anticipates substantial gains in

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Smaller artificial intelligence stocks have seemingly gone parabolic at the close of 2024, especially those that have been backed by Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) in the form of an investment. Although Nvidia invested a mere $3.7 million in voice-AI start-up SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) about a year ago, that investment put SoundHound squarely on the map as a potential AI winner.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Graphic processing units (GPUs) serve as a key component in the foundation of the world's artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure build-out. Training AI models and running AI inference demands high-speed processing power, and it creates computational workloads that can best be handled using parallel processing. That positions GPUs -- originally developed to speed up the rendering of video game graphics -- as some of the best hardware options for providing the right type of processing power.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Investors have plenty to be thankful for in 2024. They've witnessed the Dow Jones Industrial Average , S&P 500 , and Nasdaq Composite all rocket higher by a double-digit percentage and head to multiple record-closing highs. But investing is all about looking forward. As we get ready to turn the page to 2025, here are five unbeatable stocks I'm looking to buy.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW) may be recognized in the marketplace as a leader in cybersecurity solutions, but investors may be more familiar with the company after it completed a stock split in early December. As computer networking has become increasingly present in our daily lives, Palo Alto, a company committed to keep users and their data safe, has seen its stock skyrocket in value.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

One of the greatest aspects of Wall Street is that there are countless ways to make money. With thousands of publicly traded companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to choose from, there's likely to be one or more securities that can help you reach your financial goal. But among the variety of ways investors can become wealthier on Wall Street, few have been more successful over long periods than buying and holding high-quality dividend stocks.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

I'm packing my retirement account with dividend-paying stocks. The thesis is simple: Dividend stocks have historically outperformed non-payers by a wide margin. The biggest outperformance has come from companies that routinely increase their dividends. According to data from Ned Davis Research and Hartford Funds, dividend growers have delivered a 10.2% average annual total return over the last 50 years, compared to 4.3% for the average non-dividend payer.

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Burdensome regulations. Immigration. Inflation. The Russia-Ukraine military conflict. Threats to the U.S. dollar. Trade imbalances. Those are some of the issues President-elect Donald Trump has promised to address in his second term. But what about a federal program that covers more than 66 million Americans and faces a looming crisis? Will Trump fix Medicare's biggest problem in 2025?

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The Motley Fool

DECEMBER 30, 2024

The U.S. healthcare system is a behemoth -- in 2023, industrywide expenditures totaled $4.9 trillion, or $14,570 per American. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is at the industry's center. The healthcare insurance and services giant is one of the world's largest companies, generating over $389 billion in annual revenue. Recently, UnitedHealth Group has been in the news after the CEO of the company's insurance segment was killed in New York City.

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