Investing News

For pregnant Americans, giving birth is only half the challenge—the other half is paying for it. The Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation Health System Tracker estimates the average cost of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care for Americans with insurance is $18,865. Nearly $3,000 of that is paid for out-of-pocket. While every baby is different, the cost of

An options contract gives an investor the right, but not the obligation, to buy (or sell) shares at a specified price at any time before the contract’s expiration. By contrast, a futures contract requires a buyer to purchase the underlying security or commodity—and a seller to sell it—on a specific future date, unless the holder’s

On Sept 29, 2022, the United States Department of Education updated the guidance for the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan. Under the updated policy, borrowers with privately held federal student loans are no longer eligible to receive loan forgiveness. Here’s what to know. Key Takeaways Borrowers with federal student loans not held by the

What Is an NCAA Bracket Challenge? Every year, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament whips fans into a frenzy, earning the event the nickname “March Madness.” Much of the interest stems from the ever-popular bracket challenge, where groups of individuals pay into a pool and attempt to pick the most winners. The

Economic conditions can vary widely among states. It’s difficult to get a complete picture of a given area without taking all the key factors into consideration. In the case of credit scores, knowing the average can help residents of a state see how they compare to their neighbors—and make it simpler for those considering a

Fidelity and TD Ameritrade are among our top-ranked brokers for 2021. Both have websites packed with helpful features, news feeds, research, and educational tools. The two brokers also offer intuitive web-based, mobile, and desktop platforms to address the needs of both casual investors and frequent traders. Fidelity, founded in 1943, built a reputation on its

Investment robo-advisor Betterment partnered with crypto exchange Gemini to launch a crypto investing portfolio service for its 730,000 customers. Key Takeaways Betterment has partnered with Gemini to offer clients customized crypto investment plans based on risk profiles and interests. Betterment said it hopes to foster a desire in clients for long-term investment in cryptocurrencies, with the assets coming from

Companies in the semiconductor industry are in a constant race to build smaller, faster, and cheaper chips. The industry, which began in 1958 when fabricating semiconductors became feasible, grew from a $1 billion industry in 1966 to a $600 billion industry by the end of 2022. The semiconductor industry is dominated by some very large

To stay relevant to television viewers, cable channel operators have started spending millions of dollars to create hit shows and programming. Warner Media (formerly Time Warner) operates a handful of leading channels and states that Home Box Office, or HBO for short, is “the nation’s most widely distributed multi-channel premium pay television service.” It also

If your company offers a 401(k) retirement savings plan, as most do, one of the big questions you may have to answer is this: Which version do you want—traditional or Roth? The question is whether you will contribute to your retirement in pre-tax money or post-tax money. The short answer is that saving pre-tax money

A Brief History of the UK pound (GBP) vs. the US dollar (USD) Before WWII, the British pound was the primary medium of foreign exchange, The British pound (aka Sterling) has been nominally stronger than the USD for most of the past few decades, making a high just over 2.0000 USD per GBP around the

Bitcoin vs. Ethereum: An Overview  Ether (ETH), the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network, is the second most popular digital token after bitcoin (BTC). As the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization (market cap), comparisons between Ether and bitcoin are only natural. Ether and bitcoin are similar in many ways: Each is a digital currency traded via

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning taxpayers about a significant rise in so-called ‘smishing’ attacks consisting of IRS-themed texting scams designed to steal personal and financial information. Smishing attacks target mobile phone users by delivering scam text messages offering fake COVID relief, tax credits, or other benefits. The IRS does not send emails or

The acquisition of Scottrade, was completed by brokerage firm TD Ameritrade on September 18, 2017. Scottrade was an online brokerage firm that served more than 3 million accounts in the U.S. and had consolidated assets of approximately $24.4 billion. Founded in 1980 by Rodger O. Riney, the firm had about 500 branch offices throughout the

Fidelity and Robinhood are fundamentally different in that Fidelity is an established, full service brokerage firm and Robinhood is a newer player that has received a lot of publicity, both good and bad. Fidelity was founded in 1946 and has evolved into a significant force in the online brokerage space. Robinhood was founded in 2013

What NFT Collections Are Trending? The non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces continue to be a hive of activity despite continued bearish prices in the cryptocurrency sector. This week’s sales volume was boosted by an appetite for new collections, with PlayDapp & Mikey, Critters Cult, and Exosama leading the way. Key Takeaways In the past week, Critters

Cryptocurrencies have come a long way from their relatively obscure origins. While the mainstream financial world once disdained digital currencies as tools for criminals and speculators, the industry has made significant progress in establishing itself as a legitimate and (potentially) world-changing space. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) have seen massive growth in price and users, but there

Lauren Taylor Wolfe, center, Roy Swan, left, and Shundrawn Thomas at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha, Sept. 8, 2022. Scott Mlyn | CNBC ESG and sustainable investing generally have come under fire recently, with critics pointing to a lack of transparency and differing definitions sparking confusion around what investors are actually buying. Adding to the confusion is

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have levied more than $1.8 billion in penalties on various Wall Street firms for record-keeping failures. The SEC action targets 16 firms, with 11 of them having agreed to pay a combined $1.1 billion. The CFTC action covers 11 institutions,

Dan Ivascyn, PIMCO, at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha, Sept. 28, 2022. Scott Mlyn | CNBC The U.S. is likely headed toward a recession but there’s a chance for the downturn to be comparatively mild due to strong underlying fundamentals, according to Pimco bond expert Dan Ivascyn. In remarks echoed by other speakers Wednesday at CNBC’s Delivering