Markets & Investing
Coverage of financial markets, investment strategies, and the economic forces that move money. Connects macro trends to real decisions for investors and professionals.
Latest in Markets & Investing
A short-term Treasury bill can pay a retiree more than a big-bank savings account, with no state tax
The savings account at a large national bank often pays a small fraction of prevailing short-term interest rates, quietly leaving yield on the table month...
Treasury inflation-protected bonds raise their payout as prices climb, guarding a fixed income
Inflation works as a quiet thief against a set retirement income: a monthly budget that stretches far enough today buys less each year as prices...
SIPC coverage protects up to $500,000 if your brokerage firm fails
Bank depositors know their money is insured by the FDIC, but investors are often unsure what stands behind the securities in a brokerage account. The...
The Fed meets in mid-September, and top CDs still pay close to 4%
Savers watching their cash accounts have a date to note: the Federal Reserve’s rate-setting committee meets September 15 and 16, its next scheduled decision on...
Treasury inflation-protected securities raise their value with inflation, guarding a fixed income
Inflation is the quiet threat to anyone living on a fixed income, because a dollar that buys a full grocery cart today may cover only...
Series EE savings bonds are guaranteed by the Treasury to double in value after 20 years
Almost no financial product comes with a written promise from the U.S. government that a dollar invested will become two dollars by a set date....
A CD near 4% locks in a return before the Fed’s expected rate cut
Certificates of deposit at the most competitive banks have recently carried yields near 4%, and that window may be narrowing. The Federal Reserve’s next policy...
Edward Zimbardi was deported from Fiji and charged in a $165 million crypto Ponzi that wiped out investors
A Georgia man accused of orchestrating a $165 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that drew in thousands of investors was deported from Fiji on August 14...
Trump signed an order clearing 401(k) plans to hold private equity and crypto, raising the stakes for savers
A single executive order has redrawn the boundaries of what can sit inside the retirement account most working Americans rely on. In August 2025, President...
With the Fed’s September decision near, locking a CD around 4% now can guard against a cut
Savers who have enjoyed the best deposit yields in years are facing a narrowing window. The Federal Reserve meets again in mid-September, and financial markets...
The Fed’s next move could be a hike, not a cut, so locking a CD near 4% may pay off before September 16
The Federal Reserve has held its benchmark interest rate at a range of 3.50% to 3.75% for all of 2026, and with price pressures still...
The Fed is now more likely to raise rates than cut them next month, so locking a CD near 4.5% looks smart
The Federal Reserve left its benchmark rate unchanged at a range of 3.50 to 3.75 percent at the end of July, but the debate inside...
Municipal bond interest is generally free from federal income tax
Interest paid on most municipal bonds escapes federal income tax entirely, a feature that makes them a fixture in the portfolios of higher-bracket retirees hunting...
Warren Buffett’s favorite market gauge is sitting far above the level he once called a warning sign
A valuation yardstick that Warren Buffett once singled out as one of the best single measures of where the stock market stands is flashing an...
The Fed is holding rates, and the best CDs still pay close to 4% with no cut in sight
The Federal Reserve left its benchmark rate unchanged at a range of 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent at its late-July meeting, and for savers that...
Fed researchers find tariffs lift prices 1%–2% and cut spending 4%
A Federal Reserve research paper finds that households did more than pay a tariff-related premium: they also changed what they bought and how much they...
$14 million allegedly flowed into an investment pool that hid losses with Ponzi-like payouts
A North Carolina investment manager and his firm allegedly raised more than $14 million for a commodity pool while reporting profits that did not exist...
The economy grew just 1.5% last quarter while prices stayed high, squeezing fixed incomes
The U.S. economy expanded at just a 1.5% annual rate in the second quarter of 2026, a marked step down from the 2.1% pace recorded...
The Federal Reserve held interest rates for a fifth straight time, keeping top savings and CD yields near 4.5%
The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged on July 29, holding the target range at 3.50% to 3.75% for a fifth consecutive meeting...
Warren Buffett is holding record cash and warns it’s tough to find value, a caution flag for retirees near market highs.
Berkshire Hathaway closed the first quarter of 2026 with a record $397 billion in cash and short-term Treasury bills, a stockpile worth more than a...