Publication
‘I feel tricked’: My contractor handed my $ 42,000 pool upgrade to a subcontractor I had already rejected. What can I do?
My wife and I decided to have our in-ground pool refinished in October 2025. I got estimates from two contractors. Contractor A was only 10 minutes from my home, but he had a terrible reputation for both workmanship and customer service. He quoted me...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Stocks are stumbling after Labor Day. This year’s easy gains may…
Stocks stumbled out of the gate after Labor Day, with a jittery tone gripping markets as the typically weak month of September began in earnest after the holiday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA was down 1% on Tuesday, heading for its biggest...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
My wife and I are in our 70s . Should we move to California an …
My wife and I are in our early 70s. We currently live in a relatively low-cost, lower-tax Northwest state. Both of our children live in Southern California, where I estimate our cost of living would be roughly 20% higher. As we gradually move from our...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Anxious bond market sends troubling message to investors:…
So much for the brief calm in the U.S. bond market. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s latest effort to control yields on long-dated U.S. bonds was short-circuited after just one day, as the U.S. national debt hit the $40 trillion mark and oil prices...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
My co-workers complain about minor things and make every meeting miserable. How should I deal with them?
argued that being a remote worker should be considered a protected class because our company “treats us worse” than the people who work in the office. Apparently, this was evidenced by the fact that people in the office once got doughnuts during a...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Can I claim 50% of my husband’s Social Security now - and switch…
Dear Quentin
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The average car loan is now $ 785 a month - and lasts for almost 6…
Americans took out almost $211 billion in auto loans this past spring, notching a new record, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The all-time high reflects the sheer amount of money people need to buy new cars now, with vehicle price...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Social Security expands list of conditions to 314 illnesses for
The Social Security Administration will speed the disability approval process for more medical conditions, allowing more people with severe diseases to get benefits faster. With the addition of 14 conditions, the agency’s “compassionate allowances”...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The number of stocks beating the S&P 500 is the highest in 4 years.…
A deeper look into the stock market’s rally to record highs shows that the market of stocks is doing a lot better than it looks on the surface. And there’s good reason to believe that will not only continue, but the outperformance should also...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The last time value stocks beat growth by this much was 2022 -…
Historically, when value stocks are having their moment in the sun, it usually means that the broader market is crashing and burning. Not this time. With major stock indexes dancing in record territory and the bull market about to enter its fourth...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘ My head hit the driver’s window’: A teenager T- boned our car. Will… Dear Quentin,
Dear Quentin, My wife and I are both on Medicare. She is 67 and works part-time; I’m 69 and still work full-time. We were recently involved in a car accident when a teenage driver ran a stop sign and struck our car directly in the driver’s door. My...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
We’re in our 60s with $ 1.5 million. Would a trust be more effective…
Dear Quentin, Two of my husband’s siblings have recently set up trusts for valid reasons. The first sibling’s trust was established to protect the interests of both his second wife and the children from his first marriage. The second sibling’s trust...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Implosion of Situational Awareness has Wall Street …
One of the wildest months in recent memory for the U.S. stock market is ending on yet another remarkable note: A highflying hedge fund run by an AI wunderkind in his mid-20s has apparently just been carried out on a stretcher. Situational Awareness,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
It’s getting easier for terminally ill people to end their own lives.…
On Aug. 5, New York will become the 14th U.S. state to legalize Medical Aid in Dying, or MAID. It lets eligible New Yorkers with six months or less left to live obtain and take lifeending medication. Mandi Zucker’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing. “Many...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘ It’s nothing personal’: Should I tell my 96- year-old stepmother that I…
Is it appropriate to tell someone you don’t want an inheritance? My stepmother is 96 and owns the house I grew up in, in another town. She rents it out, and while she’s never discussed her estate plans with me, I’ve assumed she might leave the house...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A ‘generational buying opportunity’ guarantees inflation…
I need to start this column with a caveat: I am writing about an asset class that I happen to own myself (although as I happen to own stocks, bonds, commodities, cash and real estate, you could reasonably ask what’s left). Make of that what you will....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
We have $ 8 million in traditional IRAs. Should we tap them to buy …
Dear Quentin, We are a married couple, ages 60 (me) and 69 (my husband), with a net investment portfolio of approximately $9.8 million, consisting of traditional IRAs, worth $8.2 million, and a taxable brokerage account worth $1.6 million. My husband...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Can the ‘Magnificent Seven’ save a stock market that might be…
The stock market in July has settled into an almost eerie calm on the surface. There are growing signs that might not last. Underneath the quiet sits a live wire: the “Magnificent Seven,” nearly left for dead after a punishing first half of 2026, but...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Wildfire smoke ‘ a growing cardiovascular threat’ as Chicago…
Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and New York City are considered some of the world’s most polluted cities on Thursday, with eerily orange skies and dangerously bad air quality affecting residents. Smoke from wildfires in Canada has drifted into several...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘ They are relentless’: A scammer is trying to change the email on my… Dear Quentin ,
Quentin Fottrell Dear Quentin, I keep getting notices from Robinhood saying that someone is trying to change my email address. I don’t have any money in the account, and the number they provide if I want to dispute it doesn’t seem to connect me with a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
As five big US banks report . . earnings on the same day ,…
Every quarter, the largest U.S. banks kick off earnings season with JPMorgan Chase reporting on the first day, typically along with one or two others. On Tuesday we’re in for something unusual, with five of the “Big Six” banks announcing results...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New ‘Ex-Elon’ ETFs let you avoid SpaceX and Tesla - but are they…
A pair of new ETFs are betting that investors will ditch typical index funds to avoid having exposure to Elon Musk’s companies. On Wednesday, Subversive ETFs filed to launch two new “Ex-Elon” actively managed exchangetraded funds. Each would exclude...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘ Our family is broken beyond repair’: My brother took over my…
I became disabled in my 20s, which freed me from the caretaker role my family expected - and set me apart from them permanently. My parents were controlling, and, after my divorce, they moved nearby and tried to assert authority over both my young son...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
OPEC+ raises output levels again despite tumbling crude prices
Major oil producers on Sunday agreed once again to modestly increase their crude production although as in previous , , months the hike is largely symbolic until a peace deal between , the U S and Iran sticks and the Strait of Hormuz is fully . ....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Hybrids are the breakout star of the US car market as EV deman . .
Americans are rediscovering hybrid vehicles, which have turned into a bright spot for the U.S. car market - far outshining traditional electric vehicles. Hybrid electric is the fastestgrowing power train in the U.S., with volume up 82% in the past...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Only a fraction of eligible kids are signed up for ‘Trump accounts.’ A…
Davinya Hinojosa calls the new specialized investment accounts for children a “great opportunity,” but the Kansas mother is not opening the so-called Trump accounts for her five kids, at least for now.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
There’s a ‘Trump account’ hack that can unlock decades of wealth-building for your kid
Parents who have signed their children up for the new “Trump accounts” may wonder what the best way is to use and manage the accounts after they launch on July 4. Amid the steady drip of information about these new accounts in recent months, what is...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Japanese stocks are on fire. Here’s what’s driving the hot streak.
Japanese stocks remain hot, with the Nikkei 225 trouncing the U.S. equities market this year as it posted a fresh record peak on Thursday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index JP:NIK rallied 4.6% Thursday, recovering from a brief pullback. Prior to that, the index...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SpaceX stock’s wild price swings since its IPO show how risky…
The excitement around SpaceX shares has quickly faded after they soared in their market debut this month - providing a crushing reminder of just how risky it is to make leveraged bets on single stocks via the exchangetradedfund market. Shares of the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘ I’ll probably be working until I die’: I’m 60, work as a waiter and have $ 2,000 in a Roth IRA. What will happen to me?
Dear Quentin, I’m afraid I’m in a bad place. I am 60 years old, and am a server. I have about $2,000 in a Roth IRA, and I figure I’ll probably be working until I die. I also have $4,400 in creditcard debt, which I’m paying off. Last year, I had to buy...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
The Iran oil shock taught traders these key lessons about demand …
Global oil prices on Thursday touched their lowest level since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began almost four months ago. That marks a drop of more than 30% from their May peak and likely averts the disaster commodity experts had warned about as one...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SpaceX trading hits ‘bonkers’ levels as new ETFs see a massiv…
In short order, SpaceX has become the fifth largest company in the world. And just three trading days into its life on the public markets, there’s been a massive influx of money into a new line of funds helping investors bet on short-term swings in the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Defaults in debt markets are starting again warns Pimco , .…
With defaults set for a comeback and stock-market valuations looking stretched, investors should be turning to fixed income to help anchor portfolios, says bond-fund giant Pimco. “After years of effortless returns, the default cycle is reasserting...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Foster children are getting their own version of ‘Trump accounts,’…
Starting in July, some 330,000 foster children in the U.S. will be eligible for a “Fostering the Future account,” a version of the “Trump account” for children. At the announcement ceremony on Thursday, first lady Melania Trump said that 23 states had...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sales of million-dollar homes suggest inflation is spurring the…
New data suggest rich buyers are fueling a rise in home sales, while lower-income Americans are finding it harder to get on the property ladder - a sign the “K-shaped” economy is growing even more pronounced thanks to the current bout of high inflation...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
S&P 500 companies can’t stop talking about higher oil prices. Bu…
Listen to a few earnings calls this season, and you’ll get the sense that CEOs are worried about high oil prices as the Iran war continues. But a look at the numbers shows those anxieties haven’t had much of an impact yet on their profit expectations...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
My sister, mother and I are giving my son $ 20,000 toward a down…
Dear Moneyist, My son is buying his first home, and his grandmother, aunt and I are giving him $20,000 for the down payment. The loan officer has advised his grandmother and aunt to give me their portions, which I will deposit into my account. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
My student loans are paused until 2028 Should I pay them now . …
Welcome back to Don’t Short Yourself, where we share practical tips for managing your money. Subscribe to Don’t Short Yourself for free. Today’s DSY edition is about student debt, and what to do if your loans are on pause. Should you keep paying them...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘ He didn’t really pay attention’: I told my friend he left millions on…
I wrote to you recently about my own financial journey (“My wife and I retired with 22 times our income. Why don’t more people do what we did?”) and how I see money as a “clone” of myself, and how through compounding it continues to work on my behalf...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Elon Musk’s xAI is draining SpaceX’s cash, with little to show…
Elon Musk is going all-in on artificial intelligence, but his xAI has been gobbling up SpaceX’s cash, diverting attention away from the rocketlaunch and satellite operations. Musk founded xAI in early 2023 before officially announcing the startup’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FCC chair is accused of illegally trying to rein in the media Here .
The head of the Federal Communications Commission has historically been a littleknown figure outside a circle of mediaindustry insiders and regulators. But under the Trump administration, FCC Chair Brendan Carr has been a very public face at the center...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Walmart and Target are about to show just how much shopping
As the Iran war began driving gas prices higher in March, Walmart executives told UBS analysts that consumers’ attitudes start to sour when gas prices hit $ 3.50 to $ 4 a gallon. At around $ 4 to $ 4.50, shoppers start making substitute purchases. At $...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Nvidia earnings alone won’t rescue the S&P 500 from its new sell signal
Some significant, marketinfluencing companies are reporting next week - led by Nvidia and also including Cava Group, Home Depot, Target and Walmart. Companies that could report earnings surprises show a particular trading pattern of implied volatility...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
As Nvidia earnings draw closer , here are 5 things investors need t …
Nvidia is still at the center of the artificialintelligence universe, but its stock doesn’t necessarily reflect that. Yet a Goldman Sachs analyst sees potential for renewed excitement once the company reports earnings later this month. Shares of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The year’s best tech trade is hiding in plain sight - and no, it’s not the…
South Korea has been the world’s single best-performing major market this year - its benchmark KOSPI index has soared 75% in U.S.-dollar terms through May 7. The Nasdaq composite COMP? Up 11%. There’s good reason for stock investors to stick with South...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
This gold-timing indicator just hit a bottom - history says a strong rally is next
and
Read Full Story (Page 1)
OPEC+ announces modest boost in oil production. But here’s why it…
In a largely symbolic move, the OPEC+ nations announced Sunday that they would slightly increase crude production in June, as the war with Iran continues to stifle the world’s supply of oil. In a statement, the group of oilproducing nations -...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Why betting on rising oil prices is now like picking up nickels in front of bulldozer’
It’s been another wild month in global oil markets, with crude prices sinking after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a cease-fire on April 8, only to eclipse prices from their record-breaking climb in March. Brent crude futures early Thursday managed to...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
‘ We believe it’s real’: My mom received a check from a class-…
Dear Quentin, I handle my elderly mother’s finances. She got a check in the mail for a class-action settlement and cashed it. It later bounced and now they are deducting that amount from her account. I believe this is a legitimate case of timeshare...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sen. Thom Tillis drops opposition, says he’ll back Kevin Warsh’s Fe…
Sen. Thom Tills said Sunday he’s ready to support the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as the new chair of the Federal Reserve, now that the Justice Department has dropped its criminal case against outgoing Chair Jerome Powell. Speaking Sunday on NBC’s...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cheap stock options suggest a big post-earnings swing next week f…
Earnings reports next week are led by some of the largest tech companies: Apple AAPL, Amazon. com AMZN, Alphabet GOOG GOOGL, Meta Platforms META, Microsoft MSFT and Qualcomm QCOM. The earnings surprises we look for have a particular pattern of implied...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
This is what critics of Apple and Tim Cook get dead wrong
Tim Cook must feel as though no good deed goes unpunished. Even though his tenure at Apple AAPL has been hugely successful by almost any measure, the financial media can barely restrain itself in belittling his accomplishments as CEO. It shows once...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Investors brace for renewed volatility after this weekend’s Iran developments
After a three-week-long rally that’s brought the S&P 500 to new record highs, investors are again bracing for uncertainty following a whirlwind of weekend developments concerning the war with Iran. Hopes had been raised last week that the war may soon...
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Jury finds that Live Nation is an illegal monopoly but a breakup ,
After a jury on Wednesday found that Ticketmaster owner Live Nation was an illegal monopoly, fans, smaller venues and artist groups expressed hope for a breakup of the concert-ticketing giant. But analysts said such a split probably wouldn’t happen....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Albertsons cites slower GLP - 1 growth, higher gas prices for a …
Albertsons shares were knocked lower Tuesday after the grocery-store chain forecast weaker-than-expected sales trends for this year and said surging gas prices were starting to squeeze some consumers. Albertsons ACI also announced a roughly $774...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
April’s stock-market rebound is about to face its first major test a…
The recovery in the U.S. stock market since the beginning of April could soon face its first critical test, as the first-quarter corporate earnings season is about to get underway. Many on Wall Street have credited analysts’ sunny earnings estimates...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Software stocks are having a ‘ fullfledged breakdown’ - and they…
Software stocks are experiencing another brutal selloff on Thursday, and one technical strategist suggests more pain could be ahead for the beaten-down sector. The iShares Expanded TechSoftware ETF IGV is off 4.4% in Thursday afternoon trading,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Multimillion- dollar pay these 20 low-wage companies is…
At America’s 20- largest low-wage employers, median wages won’t get you a used car or a two-bedroom apartment. In many cases, workers are forced to rely on government benefits such as SNAP or Medicaid.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
April is usually a strong month for stocks - but three factors now…
Investors had hoped April’s historically strong seasonality could bring a rebound for stocks after a rough first quarter. But several forces may stand in the way. The S&P 500 SPX fell 4.6% in the first quarter - its worst first quarter since 2022 - as...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
OpenAI is officially a media company after buying Silicon
In an unprecedented business move, OpenAI announced Thursday the acquisition of digital media outlet Technology Business Programming Network, also known as TBPN. The acquisition is OpenAI’s first foray into media, and comes just weeks after the Wall...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Oil prices saw a record rise in March Why the US may not ne . . . …
Global oil prices in March cemented their largest monthly gain on record, following huge disruptions to energy producers in the Middle East and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz over the past month. What began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Stocks are teetering on the edge of correction territory. Why the ‘ TAC…
With U.S. stocks on the doorstep of correction territory, the once-reliable “TACO trade” -where “Trump Always Chickens Out” when trouble hits markets - has been looking suspect. Concerns about the escalating Iran war, the surge in oil prices CL.1 BRN00...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
AI wants to spend your money for you. Should you trust it?
Financial planner Stephen Kates thinks using artificialintelligence tools for personal finances is similar to using a chainsaw: “In the hands of the right person with the right capabilities, you can carve a beautiful statue or cut a tree or do...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A picture of a retirement plan is worth a thousand words could help you save more
- and
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The financial sector is sending some spooky technical signals …
A number of charts suggest the financial sector is suffering through a bearish technical breakdown, and that could send a chilling signal for the rest of the stock market. The State Street Financial Select Sector ETF’s XLF chart has been flashing...
Read Full Story (Page 1)