I spent most of this morning perusing the National Retail Federation’s latest monthly sales report. It’s not exactly light reading – give me a Clive Cussler novel any day. Still, this spending barometer reveals quite a bit about the general state of the economy and carries broad implications that ripple far beyond the retail sector. In any case, the NRF…
Last week, a reader asked me a deceptively simple question: “How are ordinary people supposed to invest with so much economic uncertainty looming?” It’s a fair concern—and one I think about every day. There is no shortage of potential triggers. The federal debt is rising at an exponential pace. Foreign governments are slowly diversifying away from the U.S. dollar. Those trends won’t…
The final weeks of the year are the perfect time to give your finances a tune-up. Taxes, investments, and savings all come with deadlines — and missing them could mean lost money or missed opportunities. A few strategic adjustments before December 31 can strengthen your portfolio and set you up for a better 2026. Here are eight key moves worth…
No one enjoys seeing red in their portfolio—but turning paper losses into tax savings is one way to make the most of a volatile year. November’s seasonal strength may even give you better exit points before year-end. I’d rather be feasting on gains than harvesting losses, but smart tax strategy is still part of successful investing. Don’t wait until the…
After nearly two years of interest rate hikes aimed at cooling inflation, the Federal Reserve has officially changed course. In September, the Fed cut its benchmark rate by a quarter point to a range of 4.00%–4.25%, citing softening labor markets and growing risks to the broader economy. Core inflation is now running near 3%—well below its 2022 peak—and markets are…
The stock market’s recent strength has been attributed to many things. First among them is the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) as an economic force. I would argue that there is another economic force that has been unleashed on the world that may turn out to have even more economic value than AI. It goes by the name glucagon-like peptide-1,…
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) programs have quickly gone from fintech novelty to mainstream payment method, reshaping how consumers shop and borrow. What began as an alternative to credit cards is now embedded across nearly every major retail platform—from Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) to countless online boutiques—promising flexibility, simplicity, and instant gratification. But as the sector grows, so does the debate:…
Common. By definition, it sounds plain. Ordinary. On the other hand, preferred has a much nicer connotation. It’s a descriptor indicative of an added perk or upgrade. The same is true in the financial world. Common and preferred stocks both convey equity ownership in a business. But while the former grants voting rights, the latter carries something even better: preferential dividend treatment.…
Last week, I explained why I believe uranium will outperform gold over the remainder of this decade. As I noted then, “there is an energy crisis brewing due to rapidly increasing demand for data centers to support artificial intelligence (AI).” Without a doubt, demand for uranium will increase as this country expands its nuclear power capabilities. But there is another…
It’s easy to think of the major U.S. stock market indexes as permanent and unchanging over the decades. The financial equivalent of Mount Rushmore. But unlike that famous monument chiseled into the South Dakota hills, the corporate icons enshrined in the Dow Jones aren’t exactly set in stone. In fact, there have been 59 changes made over the years by…