Investing News

The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced today that approximately 70 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients would see a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 8.7% for 2023. This is the largest increase since 1981 when the COLA was 11.2% and a significant increase from last year’s 5.9% COLA. The recent large Social Security

Qualified and ordinary dividends are reported in separate boxes on Internal Revenue Service Form 1099-DIV. Total ordinary dividends are reported in box 1a, and qualified dividends in box 1b. The two types of dividends are treated differently for tax purposes. Ordinary dividends include both qualified and non-qualified dividends, but the IRS separates these on tax

Rates on various mortgage types generally wavered Wednesday. After revisiting its 20-year high on Tuesday, the 30-year average dropped a single point Wednesday. National averages of the lowest rates offered by more than 200 of the country’s top lenders, with a loan-to-value ratio (LTV) of 80%, an applicant with a FICO credit score of 700–760,

There are plenty of sayings about how the act of giving may in fact be the greatest gift of all. Charitable donations allow you to put this philosophy to work, as it can be highly rewarding to make a positive financial impact on the causes you care about. Contributing to a donor-advised fund (DAF) is

World-changing inventions like the printing press, the radio, and the internet opened new ways for people to communicate and share knowledge. In many cases, blockchain technology expands on these inventions. Blockchain provides a method to secure and distribute knowledge, data, and information so that it can be shared without alteration, interference, or be controlled. Although

Wholesale inflation rose more than expected in September as prices for services jumped. The Producer Price Index (PPI), which tracks changes in prices from the perspective of goods producers, increased 0.4% last month after falling 0.2% in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists had forecasted a slower rate of 0.2%. Compared with

Both Merrill Edge and Vanguard are full service brokers that have been around for some time. Vanguard, founded in 1983, has successfully built a reputation serving buy and hold investors with a passive and long term philosophy. It has since become synonymous with low-cost investment. A bit newer to the scene is Merrill Edge, which

Mango Markets, a decentralized finance (DeFi) trading platform on the Solana blockchain, has become the latest victim to hackers who stole $117 million from the platform. According to a tweet from Mango Market, the hack was caused by a price manipulation on the native MNGO token.  Mango Markets has offered the attacker to contact them at

Robo-advisor Betterment has launched its crypto offering after completing a private beta phase. With the new cryptocurrency investment tool, customers can invest up to 5% of their Betterment balance in digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other popular currencies. The news comes on the heels of Betterment’s partnership with crypto exchange Gemini to offer crypto

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on October 07, 2022 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images (Click here to subscribe to the Delivering Alpha newsletter.) Cash, one of the most hated corners of the market for years, is getting some newfound love from money managers as the Federal

The types of gifts people enjoy receiving change as they move through life. A stuffed animal might become a prized possession for a toddler, whereas older kids might enjoy sports equipment. Teens and adults alike could get a kick out of receiving the latest electronic device. Physical gifts like these have varying degrees of staying

Mortgage rates rose higher across most loan types Tuesday, including a bump in 30-year rates that returned the flagship average to its 20-year high, registered just two weeks ago. National averages of the lowest rates offered by more than 200 of the country’s top lenders, with a loan-to-value ratio (LTV) of 80%, an applicant with

Non-fungible tokens were in the news this week after the creators of Bored Ape Yacht Club became the latest high-profile target of the SEC. The financial watchdog wants to determine whether NFTs are securities. While that will happen in the future, for now, digital collectible sales haven’t stopped, and this week brings more exciting new

The G20’s Financial Stability Board (FSB), a global financial authority, has published a report for an international level of regulation for the cryptocurrency market. The FSB says that the crypto market is evolving fast and that it has come to the point where more focused regulation is necessary. The global watchdog has posted a list

Gold is a popular asset among investors wishing to hedge against risks such as inflation, market turbulence, and political unrest. Aside from buying gold bullion directly, another way to gain exposure to gold is by investing in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that hold gold as their underlying asset or invest in gold futures contracts. Some investors

To buy stocks, you’ll typically need the assistance of a stockbroker, since you cannot simply call up a stock exchange and ask to buy stocks directly. When you use a stockbroker, whether a human being or an online platform, you can choose the investment that you wish to buy or sell and how the trade

Large cryptocurrency mining pools exist so that people who do not have the financial and computational resources to mine competitively can pool their resources and increase their chances of being awarded a coin. While it is possible to mine solo, joining a mining pool increases your chances of being rewarded. Whether large mining pools are

When is the right time to retire? It’s a question that depends on your personal needs and circumstances—not to mention your plans for what you’ll do instead. We’ve all had days when we’re prepared to hand our boss a resignation letter and lead the good life of a retiree. While leaving the workforce early might

When it comes to unemployment, different parts of the United States are affected in distinct ways by the current economic circumstances. While the national unemployment rate provides a good indicator of how the country is doing as a whole, it can diverge considerably from what you might be facing in your home state. That’s where

Meta Platforms, Inc. (META), Facebook’s parent company, took another step in its pivot towards the metaverse, unveiling a virtually reality headset called Meta Quest Pro and saying the firm would focus on how to build the future of connection within virtual and augmented reality.” The headset, known while under development as Cambria, comes seven years