U.S. stock markets seemed hesitant this past week but continued into record territory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 Index saw small gains of less than a percent but still in the green for the fifth consecutive week. The small-cap Russell 2000 Index lagged and recorded a humble lo…Read More
Mutual fund investors must be prepared to switch from one fund to another as economic conditions change. Today, the most common type of switching is likely to be from a stock mutual fund to a money market fund and vice versa. The biggest question is, when should a switch be made? Of course, there is…Read More
We scoured the nation to identify the best stock in every state. Here are the 12 publicly traded companies based in the Midwest that we picked. Our list of Midwestern stocks is diverse, ranging from the biggest blue-chip name in burgers to a small producer of salt and specialty fertilizers. A word o…Read More
Life in today’s America commonly finds families strewn across states and even scattered from one end of the continent to the other. With so many families now separated by hundreds and often thousands of miles, it may be extremely difficult to handle caring for older parents who live far away. When…Read More
Investing in bonds feels like swimming against a powerful tide these days. Yields have risen sharply since Election Day, pushing bond prices down. The dynamic has made it tough to earn a positive return in high-grade bonds, which may suffer additional price declines. The problem is that a long era o…Read More
Here’s something you may not have thought about when you celebrated your 40th birthday: You’re almost as close to traditional retirement age as you are to your high school graduation. It’s true! The year most of us turn 41, we’re mid-way between receiving our high school diploma and receivin…Read More
For most of my life, I’ve been a spender. I loved going to the mall, shopping online, or browsing through stores on my days off. But that all changed when I made the decision to pay off my student loans in three years. Suddenly my spendthrift ways turned into cheapskate ways. No longer was I willi…Read More
Don't forget, retail is still struggling mightily. Walmart (WMT) , Target (TGT) and Kroger (KR) have recently been examples of standout retailers, seemingly above the downward trend that has put some like Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) and J.C. Penney (JCP) at severe risk of being in existence. But,…Read More
Numerous robo advisors have entered the world of investment management, but many investors may not fully understand exactly what robos do, or how they do it. A robo advisor is a digital platform that uses advanced algorithms (based on various financial models and assumptions) to select and manage in…Read More
