After a volatile start to 2026, the S&P 500 finished out the month of February within 1.8% of its all-time highs. The S&P 500 gained more than 16% in 2025, its third consecutive year of above-average returns. Investors are hoping that positive market momentum will continue this year. Top 2026 performers include health care stocks with unique catalysts, as well…
There’s a three-letter acronym that scares the life out of retirees – and it is not IRS. It’s RMD and it stands for required mandatory distribution, the minimum amount of money you must withdraw from your retirement accounts each year once you reach 73. If you were like me and millions of others who put money into an employer-sponsored 401(k)…
The pandemic-era days of 3% mortgage rates are behind us, but today’s rates have lowered to just above 6%. With rates trending downward, homebuyers may wonder whether now is the time to buy or to wait for further declines. Understand how rates have changed – and what they mean for affordability and home sales – to consider whether you should act on…
It takes discipline to stay on course with your retirement plan. Recent studies confirm that people often panic when stocks go down by a sizable amount and especially when a downtrend continues. Market volatility – including last week’s 871-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average over renewed tariff threats – can be hard to stomach. Combined with persistent inflation, those drops…
The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act calls for $924.7 billion in U.S. military spending, up slightly from 2025 levels. However, the ongoing war in Ukraine, tensions between China and Taiwan, and conflicts involving Israel, the U.S., Iran and Hamas in the Middle East may force governments to increase defense industry investment in coming years, which could serve as a tailwind for…
Investing directly in artificial intelligence startups promises lofty returns but is also risky, as it is far from certain who will be left by the wayside in the boom and whether the industry will grow as forecast. To help reduce this risk, many investors are plowing money into safer stocks of more well-established companies that stand to benefit by serving the data centers that…
The last 12 months have brought a change of occupant in the White House, a radical shift in economic policy anchored by a massive increase in import tariffs and a retreat from the global trade consensus that dominated the past several decades – not to mention drastic changes to immigration and other established policies. But, as 2026 arrives, the stock…
A well-planned retirement portfolio should ideally be built around several different income buckets. When combined, those sources aim to produce a sustainable withdrawal rate that supports ongoing living expenses without exhausting savings. For investment assets, whether held in a workplace 401(k) plan or a self-directed Roth IRA, the outcome often comes down to fund selection. Employer-sponsored plans typically offer a…
Despite a U.S. government shutdown that hit the “pause” button on new initial public offerings, the IPO market is expected to finish 2025 as it started, with a flurry of newly minted publicly-traded companies. Data from MicroVentures show that 371 U.S. companies went public through Dec. 4, a significantly faster pace than the 266 nationwide IPOs that went live in…
The Federal Reserve – as expected – lowered interest rates on Wednesday by a quarter point, but the decision included an unusual three dissents. Two of the naysayers favored no cuts at all, while a third wanted a larger decrease of a half point. The move will lead to lower borrowing costs for consumers on many categories of loans, as…