Analysts at Bank of America were the first to point out today that the market capitalization of Apple Inc. has eclipsed that of the entire S&P 500 energy sector. … [Read more...]
Archives for November 2019
What is the Best Gold ETF for Investing and Trading?
One of the easiest and lowest-cost ways to buy gold is through a gold exchange traded fund (ETF). But which Gold ETF should you buy? When the first physical gold-backed ETF debuted in 2004, the best Gold ETF for trading and investing was the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) because it was the only game in town. Today, U.S. investors have seven physical gold ETFs to choose from. The SPDR Gold Shares ETF was the first, and it is still the biggest, but it's no longer the best for every scenario. We'll breakdown the U.S. Gold ETF and help you choose the best ETF for long-term investment and the best … [Read more...]
Bonds vs. Stocks: First Things First
Bonds play a role in your portfolio even when interest rates are low. You absolutely, without a doubt, must consider your risk first and foremost before investing in stocks. That’s why I want you to put your bonds before your stocks when considering today’s market environment. Originally posted on Your Survival Guy. … [Read more...]
Google to Offer Checking Accounts Next Year
I don’t like this at all. The name alone, Cache, is dripping with smugness. When it comes to your money privacy is always paramount. CNBC's Jeff Cox reports: Google will offer checking accounts next year, according to a source familiar with the company’s plans, representing Big Tech’s boldest move yet into the consumer banking business. Most previous efforts have focused on credit cards and payment platforms. The accounts for the project will be run by Citigroup and the Stanford Federal Credit Union, the source said, confirming a report in The Wall Street Journal. As part of a … [Read more...]
Nike Shows Brands a Way Forward without Amazon
Nike has pulled the plug on an attempt to sell through Amazon.com directly after the online retailer couldn't clean up unauthorized resellers from its website. Despite Amazon.com's dominance of online retail, Nike has charted a course that may be a guide for other brand name companies. Nike has pushed more sales through its own channels, both in its own stores and through its apps and website. Khadeeja Safdar reports for The Wall Street Journal: For years, Nike had refused to sell directly to Amazon, fearing it would undermine its brand. Nike executives were unhappy with how unauthorized … [Read more...]
Texans Fight to Protect Their Income from Taxation
Texans are known for their fierce loyalty to their home state, with some even considering themselves Texans first, then Americans. So it's no surprise when Texans band together to protect themselves from outside forces seeking to change the state's character and customs. Thanks to Texas' many years of economic success, people from all over America and beyond have immigrated to the state to participate in its bounty. They have brought with them ideas antithetical to Texas' traditions, including a desire for bigger government. In the face of this foreign influence on their ways, Texans … [Read more...]
Who’s your Most Trusted Financial Advisor?
The WSJ featured a piece last Friday on the debacle that has been WeWork. WeWork is a real estate company that owns no real estate. The core of WeWork’s business model is subletting. WeWork leases large spaces in buildings, transforms them in a specific style, and then sublets the space to individuals and businesses at a higher price. Who might be interested in leasing space from WeWork? Freelancers, startups, and other businesses who desire short-term lease agreements and flexibility. WeWork’s tenants, or members as they are sometimes called, sign leases that last an average of … [Read more...]
Here’s How the Wealthy Get More for Their Money
For decades high tax states have been treating their wealthiest residents like a bank account, with money to be withdrawn whenever state legislators had a new pet project to fund. In the past, wealthy residents were tied down to places like New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut because of their proximity to centers of industry like Wall Street. Today though, the internet allows wealthy executives to operate their businesses from almost anywhere. With this newfound freedom, many wealthy residents of high tax states have been fleeing for places like Florida, where they get to keep more of … [Read more...]
Number of Underwater Car Loans Rising
An increasing number of American car-buyers are borrowing more than the value of a vehicle they are purchasing in order to pay off loans attached to their previous vehicles. These "underwater" buyers are reminiscent of many homeowners during the collapse of the housing market who were paying on mortgages for more than their homes were worth. AnnaMaria Andriotis and Ben Eisen report in The Wall Street Journal: Some 33% of people who traded in cars to buy new ones in the first nine months of 2019 had negative equity, compared with 28% five years ago and 19% a decade ago, according to … [Read more...]
Here’s What to Look for As Markets Enter an Election Year
Election years have historically been good to stock market investors. It is now one year away from Election 2020, and market participants are hanging on every word from the candidates. Here’s what I wrote about election year markets back in November 1991: Remember Tom Mix? All the great old black and white Western movies of the 1950s, like Tom Mix, featured patented three-part bank robberies that went something like this: Scene 1: The bank is robbed. Bad guys ride out in a cloud of dust and the chase is on. Scene 2: Bad guys split—one-half to an arroyo or cottonwood grove; one-half to a … [Read more...]