Investing Strategies

A Miami supermarket in July 2023. Joe Raedle | Getty Images News | Getty Images The forecast for the post-pandemic U.S. economy once called for a recession. Now many experts are backing off those predictions. In the latest about-face, 69% of economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics said they see a “soft

Maki_shmaki | Istock | Getty Images Consider this a public service announcement for all treasure hunters: Uncle Sam wants a piece of your loot. Someone who makes a valuable discovery — whether gold coins, meteorites or even cash — generally owes tax on that haul, which is known as “found” property. The tax is twofold:

Moyo Studio | E+ | Getty Images Social Security benefits provide retirement income for millions of Americans. Because the timing of your claim may impact the size of the benefits you receive, it’s a high-stakes decision. And the results may also affect your spouse or dependents. But sifting through Social Security’s claiming rules may make

After falling sharply last year, retirement account balances are bouncing back in 2023 — but there are still signs of trouble. Helped in part by improved market conditions, retirement account balances increased in the first half of the year. However, the share of participants that tapped hardship withdrawals rose, as well, according to recent reports

dowell | Moment | Getty Images If you’re sitting on profitable assets, there’s a lesser-known tax-gain harvesting strategy, which can help rebalance your portfolio or trim future taxes. While tax-loss harvesting can be popular during a stock market downturn, tax-gain harvesting — or strategically selling appreciated brokerage account assets — can also be beneficial, depending

Djelics | E+ | Getty Images Income-hungry investors have long flocked to mortgage-backed real estate investment trusts — and why not? Many of them pay a handsome, double-digit dividend. But such vehicles haven’t done so well lately. That’s because when interest rates rise and yields balloon, their valuations tend to suffer, which is what happened

In this article CARS 7270.T-JP 6201.T-JP IHEB-AU 7203.T-JP Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT There are more than 275 million cars on the road in the U.S. But in recent years, car ownership has gotten more expensive than ever — due to the Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, stubborn inflation and the Federal Reserve’s interest

Students on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Jonathan Drake | Reuters Like many would-be college students, Abigail Mokuba, 16, says “cost is a concern” when it comes to which schools to consider. The rising high school senior from Baltimore said she is still researching colleges but plans to apply

Morsa Images | E+ | Getty Images Some experts have reversed recession predictions and embraced a soft landing for the economy as the Federal Reserve continues to fight inflation. The rosier outlook is prompting talks between advisors and their clients, including possible shifts for investment portfolios. “A potential recession has been in the news since

Twenty/20 After facing the reality of how expensive fresh flowers could be when planning her own wedding, Della Larca founded Florèal Blooms, her luxury silk flower rental business, three and half years ago from her basement in Butler, New Jersey. Larca’s business swelled last year, and she recently moved to a larger workspace to accommodate