Election Day is finally here. As Americans jam the polls in record numbers, both political parties are pulling out the stops to convince voters that nothing is assured either way and that the race is wide open. That has investors plenty nervous, naturally. It doesn’t take much to spoil the party on Wall Street on… Continue reading →

Hearings on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s choice to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, are under way. Whatever your political opinion of the nominee, you can bet that in the meantime nothing else will come even close to getting done in Congress. We are nevertheless barreling toward Election… Continue reading →

When will life be “normal” again? Will it ever? These are reasonable questions considering the impact that the pandemic has had on virtually everyone on the planet. Many have died, many more are sick, and millions are out of work or underemployed. Broadly, the economy seems to be finding a footing here and there, even… Continue reading →

Take a few minutes to peruse the financial news online or tune into cable TV and you might end up with the investor equivalent of whiplash. Some stocks zoom to nosebleed highs, even as the economy unloads one bad headline after another. Meanwhile, thousands of inexperienced day traders armed with smartphones flood the market with… Continue reading →

Those of us a certain age remember the mid-1980s rock anthem “I Can’t Drive 55,” by Sammy Hagar. It’s a funny, ridiculous song, coming out about a decade after the country established a nationwide maximum speed limit of 55 mph in reaction to the oil shock of the 1970s. The video for the hit song is equally… Continue reading →

“Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary knows how startup businesses succeed — or fail. Most businesses make it past that crucial first year by finding investors while controlling costs tooth and nail. If only retirement investment advice had that same approach. “If you want to find financial freedom, you need to retire all debt — and… Continue reading →

As we enter the next few weeks of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the headlines are sure to disorient and worry us all. Federal, state and local responses will unfurl in real time with varying degrees of effectiveness, further confusing matters. It’s a difficult time to plan logically and efficiently on many fronts. In terms of… Continue reading →

Every so many years, it seems, the stock market is flooded with mindless cash, an influx of inexperienced day traders looking for a quick buck and a thrill. It’s happening again. Consider the weird saga of Hertz, the long-respected car rental brand. Undone by debt, it’s not clear the company will survive. They’re dumping cars… Continue reading →

Tens of millions of Americans are out of work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated shutdowns. Once the economy restarts in earnest, chances are many of them will return to different jobs, even different careers. That kind of monumental shift in the economy will be an acceleration of an already common experience… Continue reading →