Investing News

Certificates of deposit, or CDs, have become such a familiar financial product that it may seem like they’ve been around forever. They actually date back to the early 19th century in the United States, although their roots go back much farther. Key Insights Banks in the U.S. have been issuing certificates of deposit since the

When contemplating an investment, few questions are as important as “What is your time horizon?” The answer can help you decide what type of investment vehicle you should consider, which investments to avoid, and how long to hold your investment before selling. It is important to note that the passage of the Setting Every Community Up

A Roth IRA is a tax-advantaged retirement savings vehicle that allows for tax-free withdrawals if certain conditions are satisfied. A Roth IRA forms an integral part of many investors’ retirement planning, but they are not available for everyone. If you earn too much in a year, you will not be able to make contributions to

Is buying a house near an airport advisable? Suppose your real estate agent shows you a property that is virtually perfect in all other aspects. Does all that good outweigh the one bad point? And, really, is it a negative at all? Of course, any home purchase is inevitably fraught with questions. To help ensure

When it comes to your retirement accounts, comparing how much you have saved with the national average can help you benchmark your savings. For most employees, an employer-sponsored 401(k) account is a significant piece of their retirement planning. Knowing how the balance in your 401(k) stacks up against the averages for your age range may

Cars are indispensable for most of us who don’t live in New York City. While it’s common knowledge that car expenses traditionally rival only dwelling expenses in the standard household budget, is it true that cars have gotten correspondingly more expensive over the years? Henry Ford achieved business immortality by democratizing the car. Of his

Operating margin and EBITDA are two measures of a company’s profitability. They are related but provide investors and analysts with different insights into the financial health of a company.  Operating margin, which is expressed as a percentage, is a measure of the revenue left over after accounting for expenses. It is the amount of profit that a

Inflation can have a negative impact on fixed-income assets when it results in higher interest rates. Central banks, like the U.S. Federal Reserve, typically have inflation targets. When inflation begins to exceed the desired threshold, officials will increase interest rates. Since the interest payments from existing fixed-income assets become less competitive relative to newer higher

An asset-protection trust can help seniors in need of constant nursing care pay the substantial costs of assisted living or skilled nursing facilities and at-home help. Average daily nursing home costs can exceed $297 and can be significantly higher in certain metropolitan areas, according to a 2021 Genworth survey. Medicare, the federal health care program

Bonds and interest rates have an inverse correlation: as interest rates increase, bond prices fall. However, the more the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates, the better news potentially for municipal bond investors. Municipal bonds (or “munis”), long touted as among the safest, most tax-efficient debt investments available, were hit hard in the wake of the

Free on Board Shipping Point vs. Free on Board Destination: An Overview International commercial laws have been in place for decades and were established to standardize the rules and regulations surrounding the shipment and transportation of goods. Having special contracts in place has been important because international trade can be complicated and because trade laws

Life insurance can be a valuable financial tool to provide for your loved ones after your death. Having life insurance can help you plan for the future and bring you peace of mind. While life insurance can offer a number of advantages for many people, but others may have reasons why buying life insurance may

Investors’ demand for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) continues to grow. ETFs are a cost-effective way for novice investors to begin investing in the stock market and they remain a great diversification tool for experienced investors. The attraction of ETFs is owed to their lower fees, as well as the lower risks they provide through broad diversification.

If you’re an investor in real estate, especially in a large metropolitan area, you might have considered opening your rentals to Section 8 tenants. This federal program assists those with low incomes to find housing by subsidizing a portion of their monthly rent. As a landlord, there are pros and cons to accepting housing vouchers.

Professional forex traders have long known that trading currencies requires looking beyond the world of FX. Currencies are moved by many factors, including supply and demand, politics, interest rates, speculation, and economic growth. More specifically, since economic growth and exports are directly related to a country’s domestic industry, it is natural for some currencies to be heavily

Individual investors have continued to surge into the market in 2021, with the pandemic playing a key role in giving people the time to take control of their portfolios. Comparing costs has become less straightforward, however, as most online brokers have eliminated the trading fees that were the easiest method of direct comparison. To evaluate

Founded in 2010, Pinterest (PINS) is a San Francisco, CA technology company that is best known for its pinboard-style photo-sharing website. Users leverage the platform to create and manage theme-based photo collections of hobbies, events, or anything else of general interest. Pinterest went public through and initial public offering in April 2019 and the stock

Mortgage rates were generally up in tiny increments Thursday. The 30-year average added just a basis point, though the 15-year average saw a minor dip. Today’s National Mortgage Rate Averages The 30-year average climbed a single basis point Thursday, rising to 6.04% and keeping it above the notable 6% threshold. On June 14, the flagship

If you are taking a protected leave of absence from work under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you may need to fill out FMLA forms to satisfy your employer’s requirements. The act was signed into law by President Clinton in February 1993. It requires that certain employers allow eligible employees access to unpaid time

President Joe Biden campaigned on an economic platform to shore up the middle class, extend health care, raise taxes on the wealthy, and invest trillions of dollars in green energy infrastructure, among other issues. On March 11, 2021, Biden won his first major economic victory when he signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021