To make your first investment, you’ll need to open a brokerage account . Picking the best discount broker isn’t easy, but we think the decision can be simplified by focusing on the most important factors.
Day: December 24, 2016
European Lenders Limp Into 2017 After $12.5 Billion Settlements
Relief that Deutsche Bank AG and Credit Suisse Group AG cleared legal hurdles is likely to soon give way to concern over a bigger problem: European lenders are still struggling to make money. While the combined $12.5 billion in settlements the two agreed to pay to resolve U.S. investigations into sales of toxic debt put one dispute behind them, they also highlighted how handicapped their businesses are in generating increased profits — nowhere more than in Italy, which agreed overnight to pump 20 billion euros into its banks.
Culpeper man jailed in S. Korea is expected to make it home soon
Almost six weeks after 79-year-old Julius “Mal” Malinowski found himself the unwitting accomplice in an international banking scam and landed in a South Korean jail charged with fraud, his son Kent finally heard his father’s voice on the telephone.
I havena t done any Christmas shopping yet
That’s no shopping as in zip, zero … nada. But being the seasoned shopper that I am I have no doubt that I’ll pull this holiday tradition off.
Last-minute gift hunters keep Bay Area shops busy on Christmas
“On Christmas Eve, they’re ready to buy,” said Matt Sharp . “No shopping around.
Under Armour Inc. in 5 Charts
There’s much more to the business than just slowing earnings gains, though. Here are a few charts that capture Under Armour’s latest business trends and its key opportunities for future growth.
What Does 2017 Hold for Social Security?
Over 60 million Americans rely on Social Security to cover their living costs in retirement. Whether you’re a current recipient or not, you may be impacted by the changes Social Security will undergo come 2017.
Peach Bowl Is Priciest College Football Semifinal Game Yet
The 2016-17 College Football Playoff is less than two weeks away. It pits the nation’s top four schools against one another with the winners to play in the National Championship game on Jan. 9. Top-ranked and undefeated Alabama headlines the New Year’s Eve semifinals action.
Will Anheuser-Busch InBev Now Dominate Craft-Beer Brewpubs?
First it launched its Shock Top brand of craft-y beer, then it started buying up craft brewers, followed by acquiring distributors and demanding others carry only its brands of beer. It even bought the two biggest suppliers to the homebrew market, the seeding ground for future craft brewers.
2 Winning Stocks From 2016 That Surprised the Market
After a tumultuous year of headlines and a strong showing for major U.S. indexes, 2016 is finally nearing its end. On this episode of Industry Focus: Consumer Goods , Vincent Shen and Fool.com senior contributor Asit Sharma take some time to reflect by sharing their favorite surprise winners of 2016 in the consumer and retail space, before turning their attention to some important trends and takeaways for 2017.
How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep
Most people know they need to eat right and exercise to be healthy. But what about sleep? We spend about one-third of our lives asleep, and sleep is essential to better health.
Fairfax Seeking $1 Billion in IPO for Africa Investments
Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd., the Canadian insurer that made its largest acquisition this week, is selling shares in an initial public offering for a fund that will make investments in Africa. The company is seeking to raise as much as $1 billion from the sale, people familiar with the matter said.
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Revenue began to decline in the middle of 2015, and earnings turned negative earlier this year. Memory prices are now strengthening, leading Micron to return to both growth and profitability in its fiscal first quarter.
Last-Minute Gift Guide for Your Favorite Wine Lover
If you’re a last minute shopper and have a few people left, consider buying them a wine club membership. We have already suggested some great gifts for the wine lovers in your life.
Air-Launched Orbital Rockets: Orbital ATK Shows Virgin Galactic How It’s Done
For years, Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has been trying to invent a better way to launch rockets into space. Instead of launching from Earth in a fiery blast and a cloud of dust, Virgin Galactic aims to carry a “SpaceShipTwo” spaceship into the stratosphere, strapped to the belly of a “WhiteKnightTwo” mothership — then detach the former from the latter, and rocket to 62 miles above sea level.
3 Great Income Stocks That Could Double Their Dividends
Most income investors search for stocks based on yield alone, which can be a huge mistake. I’d argue that it is a far better strategy to look for dividend stocks that have strong earnings power and low payout ratios.
As We Approach Inauguration Day, Remember All Sovereign Taxes Are Consumption Taxes
In later columns, I may address some of the esoteric changes that appear to be on the Trump agenda, but first it is critical to understand taxes that are assigned at the sovereign level conceptually, because without that understanding nothing else will make sense. When a company pays income taxes on behalf of its employees by way of payroll withholding, although we refer to that as an income tax, it is simply the company acting as a preemptive conduit for and agent of the federal government to pay for individual’s consumption of government services.
Why 2017 Is the Year to Invest in IoT Stocks
Investors have likely heard a lot about the Internet of Things . The term refers to the connection of formerly unconnected things to the Internet, so that they can collect data or automate processes.
Nintendo Needs Apple, but Apple Also Needs Nintendo
Super Mario Run — Nintendo’s first mobile app devoted to its signature side-scrolling gaming franchise — made its debut exclusively on devices running Apple’s iOS last week with record-setting success. This week we saw Pokemon Go introduced for Apple Watch, also exclusively for Apple’s smartwatch.
Boeing Delivers Its 500th Dreamliner: Is the Troubled Jet Back on Track?
As the company proudly noted in its press release, the 787 has reached 500 deliveries faster than any other wide-body aircraft family in history. It hasn’t been an easy road, though.
3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Buy in January
High-yield dividend stocks are favorites among income investors, but not all dividend stocks are created equal. As yield and stock price are inversely related, chasing high yields could trap you if the stock’s falling because of deteriorating growth prospects or troubles within the company.What you need is rock solid companies with strong growth catalysts that can support high dividends and yields going forward.
Will Your Clients Leave You in 2017?
By Grant Hicks via Iris.xyz The only constant is change in the financial services business. With the new year will come new reporting for clients as CRM2 kicks in from the client reporting perspective.
Oil & Gas Stock Roundup: Optimism Continues to Grow
Oil prices meandered along for most of the week, basically ending where they began. That said, there was still plenty of optimism in the oil market to go around, which drove several oil-related stocks up by double digits this week.
“Naked” Zumwalt Destroyer Will Now Wield Raytheon’s Excalibur
The U.S. Navy’s new Zumwalt -class destroyer is a marvel of engineering. Bigger than any destroyer currently in the fleet — bigger even than our Ticonderoga -class cruisers — USS Zumwalt was built with angled features that give it a stealth profile.
Glad Tidings of the Season
First of all, let me wish each and every one of our subscribers a very Merry Christmas. I hope you are enjoying this holiday weekend with your loved one .
Year in Review: Marijuana’s Green 2016
As we look back on the year, 2016 may very well go down as the greatest year ever for marijuana and the cannabis industry. Over the past 12 months we’ve watched the industry evolve before our eyes, and in some cases seen legal marijuana spread to new states.
The Worst Silver Stock in 2016
In a year when the average silver stock gained 137%, and every single one of them handily beat the S&P 500, calling one the “worst” reveals the title to be subjective. Coeur Mining was far and away the best silver miner of 2016, rising 266%, substantially ahead of Hecla Mining , which is up “just” 186% year to date.
This Stock Could Turn a $10,000 Investment Into $1,000 in Future Annual Cash Flow
“The thing is, if you’re just oogling fat current dividend yields you are missing the more profitable boat. When it comes to dividend investing, the far smarter play is to zero in on companies that consistently increase their dividend payouts.”
How Much Will Social Security Benefits Go Up in 2017?
Tens of millions of Americans rely on Social Security for a large chunk of their income in retirement, and many of them look forward to the cost-of-living increases in their monthly benefits they typically receive at the beginning of each year. 2016 was an exception to that rule, because Social Security didn’t make any cost-of-living increase at all.
CEO’s Winning Gamble May Keep Scrooge From Deutsche Bank Bonuses
Deutsche Bank AG employees may owe their cash bonuses for 2016, however modest, to a last-minute bargain by Chief Executive Officer John Cryan. The beleaguered German bank, long embroiled in negotiations with the U.S. Justice Department, was inching closer in recent weeks to a resolution over its sale of defective residential mortgage-backed securities that fueled the financial crisis.
These Are The Five Key Battlegrounds For The Big Tech Platforms In 2017
Large platform companies like Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft want to provide the operating system for our lives, and they will fight hard in 2017 to establish their foothold in the emerging technologies we will likely come to rely on in the future. Who will succeed? Those with the most complete product offerings have an advantage.
Why You Must Change! Replace the Words Fear, Pain & Hate Witha
By Michael Kay via Iris.xyz The very idea of change elicits a fair number of four-letter words-think FEAR, HATE and PAIN to name a few. We saw a large number of people vote for change in the last election, saying that the status quo was no longer acceptable.
Ready to Make Budgeting a Success in the New Year?
By Brad Sherman via Iris.xyz As hard as it is to believe, the end of the year is fast approaching. A common theme this time of year is determining what is important for people to accomplish in the coming year, a.k.a. “new year’s resolutions.”
If You Doubt Apple, Inc.’s Interest in Cars, Think Again
Project Titan has died down in the past year, but the tech giant is still tangibly interested in the advancement of autonomous car technology. In this clip from Industry Focus: Tech , Motley Fool analyst Dylan Lewis and contributor Daniel Sparks explain what we knowabout Apple’s interest in self-driving cars.
Huntington Ingalls Bags $1.5 Billion Warship Contract
According to recent media reports, the U.S. Navy has just floated a plan to grow its battle fleet from the current 273 warships to 355 — an increase of 82 ships. So file this story under “one down, 81 to go.”
5 Ways Your Retirement Can Easily Be Ruined
Nearly all Americans share one goal: they want to be able to hang up their work coat after many years in the labor force and know that they’re financially set for retirement. Unfortunately, this is a goal that’s being reached by a depressingly low number of Americans.
3 Reasons SeaDrill Limited Stock Could Rise
But the last few months have brought a little hope to the industry and Seadrill itself. Rising oil prices could eventually lead to more demand and stronger earnings and revenue.
100% Renewable: Las Vegas Is Now a Beacon Of Sustainability
Las Vegas may not be the first city you think of when you think of sustainability, but maybe it should be. When SunPower recently turned on the Boulder 1 solar project, the City of Las Vegas’ government became the first in the country to be entirely powered by renewable energy.
Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Likes Sound of SpinMedia’s Music Brands
The acquisition will boost revenue to more than $100 million a year, expand its online audience to 45 million readers a month and strengthen its reach to millennials. The media group that operates both The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard magazine announced on Thursday that it has agreed to acquire four of SpinMedia ‘s music assets, including some of the most storied music brands: Spin , Vibe , Stereogum and Death and Taxes .
8 Must-Download Apps For Your New iPhone Or Android
If you just unwrapped a new smartphone or are thinking of using that envelope of holiday cash to run out and buy one and you’re eager to fill it up with new ways to distract yourself, then read on. Amid all the other year-end retrospectives, future predictions, and service-y listicles pumped out by every media outlet on the planet at this time of year, this story might be for you.