Personal Finance

Over the past month, recent surveys and trends have shown a consistent signal: households are still spending and saving, but confidence is eroding. Gallup shows affordability is still the dominant concern, the Fed's household survey highlights a widening gap between spending behavior and sentiment...

For years, investors who bought shares of big tech like Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA), Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Tesla, inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), early, enjoyed one of the greatest wealth-creation cycles in market history. But that success has created a new problem: many of...

Last week, we discussed Gallup's finding that affordability — for the fifth year in a row — remains Americans' top financial concern and that a growing number of households feel their financial situation is deteriorating. Inflation and rising costs are certainly part of the story, but they may not...

A few weeks ago, we highlighted the growing disconnect between how consumers feel about the economy and how they continue to behave financially. Gallup's annual economy and personal finance survey adds another layer to that story. Even with inflation well below its 2022 peak, affordability — for...

For years, homeownership has been framed as a hedge against rising costs. Lock in a fixed-rate mortgage, stabilize your monthly payment, and gain predictability over time. But as many homeowners start to realize, costs tied to homeownership remain anything but fixed. A recent report from Clever...

For much of the past year, consumers have been sending conflicting messages. They keep spending money while simultaneously telling surveys they feel pessimistic about the economy. The Federal Reserve's latest annual household well-being survey helps explain why. Americans' views of the national...

ETFs or mutual funds? Advisors are increasingly leaning in one direction, and the gap keeps growing wider. As ETF issuers continue cutting fees in the battle for investor flows, ETFs are becoming harder to ignore — particularly in long-term portfolios where even small cost differences can add up...

If clients are asking about their retirement accounts, there's a lot of good news that you can share with them. For the third year in a row, retirement account balances are doing something rare: seeing double-digit annual growth thanks to continued market gains and increased contributions. This is...

Last month, we highlighted how more Americans are "unretiring" to keep up with rising living costs — a reminder that financial pressure doesn't usually arrive all at once. It tends to build with everyday expenses before forcing bigger decisions. Higher gas prices are a clear example of that early...

Last month, we looked at the rise in "unretiring" as more Americans head back to work to keep up with the cost of living. It was a clear signal that financial pressure isn't confined to one generation. For some, it shows up after retirement, and others, much earlier and in subtle ways. One of those...

This tax season is revealing a consistent pattern among newer investors: confidence on the way in, confusion on the way out. For advisors, that "aha moment" for clients is becoming one of the most effective ways to start a relationship. Last month, we talked about how single clients are becoming...

It's been a volatile start to the year for cryptocurrency. Bitcoin fell nearly 25% in the first quarter — its weakest start since 2018 — yet investor interest hasn't disappeared as U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs still drew more than $1.3 billion in net inflows last month, snapping a multi-month streak of...

On Friday, Kevin O'Leary told entrepreneurs they are not financially untouchable until they hold $5 million in liquid cash, arguing that level of liquidity is what lets people start taking big swings again. He paired that personal-finance line with his broader playbook on building and exiting...

Over the past few weeks, we've looked at AI and where advisors are drawing the line — and how most see it as redefining, not replacing their role. The patterns are clear: delegate the technical work and spend more time building client relationships. Here's why that matters. According to Heather...

On Saturday, Kevin O’Leary laid out a blunt growth blueprint on X: once a founder proves a product solves a real need, the next leap is to expand by buying rivals, folding them in, trimming expenses, and scaling the platform. He framed that playbook around a deliverables mindset he has also...