Trader Talk

Months into working from home, it’s time to check in with yourself. How is your work-life balance? Have you figured out when and how you work best? And when did you last shower? As work and home life meld, it’s difficult to maintain boundaries, stay productive and take care of your mental health amid the

In spring 2020, as the coronavirus spread across the globe, travelers put their plans on hold, canceling trips and taking advantage of airlines’ new flexible change and cancellation policies. Months later, most of us still aren’t traveling, but we’re starting to look ahead to a time when it will be safe to fly again —

Whether you’re sitting on a pile of Hilton Honors points or are just starting your journey to rack them up, you’re likely curious about what types of rooms and hotels you can book using your points. Since Hilton does not offer an award chart, we’re here to help you navigate Hilton’s different booking award levels.

They’ve been billed as a solution to the rock-bottom interest rates weighing down the returns of America’s asset managers. Collateralized loan obligations — which package and sell leveraged loans into chunks of varying risk and return — have been touted as safe, high-yielding alternatives to everything from government bonds and mortgage securities to corporate debt.

Although World of Hyatt isn’t one of the biggest hotel loyalty programs, it has a lot going for it. NerdWallet currently ranks Hyatt points as the most valuable hotel rewards currency, worth 1.9 cents each. Pair that with top-notch elite status benefits and exceptional high-end hotels and the program offers standout value. Where can you stay

Steve Cohen’s Point72 Asset Management told clients it will close to new investments next month, after raising $10 billion since it started managing outside capital less than three years ago. Point72 was one of the biggest launches of 2018, when Cohen returned to the industry after a two-year ban from managing other people’s money. His

Level term life insurance is a policy that has a level death benefit the entire time you own it. Your beneficiaries will get paid the same amount regardless of whether you die in the third year or 23rd year of your 30-year policy. It can also be called level benefit term life insurance, highlighting the

With Joe Biden leading President Trump in the polls, some investors are concerned the age of corporate tax cuts and deregulation may soon end, replaced by a Democratic administration eager to soak the rich. Those fears are unfounded, according to UBS. While Biden has proposed tax increases on high-income individuals and corporations, such hikes would

Traditionally, when you apply for a credit card, the card issuer conducts what’s known as a “hard pull” on your credit report to determine your creditworthiness. Such hard inquiries can ding your credit scores temporarily. But several credit card issuers offer a pre-qualification or preapproval process that lets you avoid that hit to your scores, at least

Amazon, Facebook, and Apple are only the most recent examples of a notable trend: earnings much better than expected. The reopening story may be getting rocky, but one pleasant surprise has been earnings. They are far noisier than normal, but in general they have been better than expected. Much better. And that is one of

Does bigger equal better? Not always. Consolidation continues to reshape wealth management. That means big independent broker-dealers that serve the largest number of financial advisors enjoy advantages, but face distinct challenges. Indeed, some firms have cut from their ranks; others brag about their selectivity. The 10 firms listed below boast the most producing representatives in

For some people, a pension is a route to retirement, but often it’s not the only way to get there. Here’s what pensions are, how they work and options if you don’t have access to a pension plan — or if the payouts will be too small to live off of in retirement. What is

Shake Shack, one of the many storefront businesses boarded in downtown Brooklyn over the fears of looting. Erik McGregor | Getty Images Just looking at the earnings for Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google, you might get the impression that everything is going swimmingly for second- and third-quarter earnings. But that’s not the case. “We continue to

Merrill Lynch is pausing client prospecting for its roughly 3,000 advisor trainees for a few weeks to provide new training on technology and procedures, according to an internal memo. The firm’s training program, dubbed Financial Advisor Development Program, is one of the largest on the Street and lasts approximately 40 months. The pause will effectively

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Founded by a retired farmer and insurance salesman in 1922,

Vanguard is closer to launching the robo technology for advisors it has been building for more than a year. The $5 trillion asset manager is in the testing phase for its new advice software for planners, says Tom Rampulla, managing director of Vanguard’s Financial Advisor Services division, who spoke on a webcast with financial advisors

Innocent spouse relief is a way to avoid paying additional tax you might owe the IRS if your spouse or ex-spouse made significant errors on your joint tax return. Here’s how innocent spouse relief works, and how you can get it. What is innocent spouse relief? On joint tax returns, both filers are generally responsible

GDP down by 32.9%. Double-digit unemployment. Alarming new coronavirus mortality highs. And most financial advisors isolated at home under quarantine. So how has this bleak picture impacted RIAs’ hiring plans for 2020? The answer: Not that much. “Astute RIA leaders recognize that now is an opportunity for growth,” says Catharine Aguilar, chief marketing officer for

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and recession, many Americans are struggling to pay their bills — and as a result, credit card issuers are pulling back on the available credit they are offering consumers. That means not only is it harder to get approved for new credit cards, but cardholders are seeing credit limits on their

The U.S. economy suffered its sharpest downturn since at least the 1940s in the second quarter, highlighting how the pandemic has ravaged businesses across the country and left millions of Americans out of work. Gross domestic product shrank 9.5% in the second quarter from the first, a drop that equals an annualized pace of 32.9%,

Jason Gorevic, CEO, Teladoc Scott Mlyn | CNBC Earnings reports are coming in fast and furiously, and with a large percentage of companies declining to provide guidance, reporters and analysts are combing through corporate press releases and earnings calls for signs of how business is doing.  Semiconductors continue to be the all-round winner Equipment maker

Hyatt has finally made it possible to book suites with points online — and it’s a much bigger deal than it sounds like. Until now, redeeming World of Hyatt points for a suite was extremely cumbersome. You would spend a lot of time researching your options, then call Hyatt with your choice, but even after

Should financial advisors make TikTok part of their digital marketing strategy? The video sharing app has enormous potential for advisors hoping to connect with next-generation investors, digital marketing experts say. Not only that, TikTok’s algorithm makes it easier for an interested audience to find advisors’ content than other social networks, digital marketing experts say. “The

As the coronavirus pandemic took hold early this spring and markets plunged, a wave of Americans saw an opportunity to start investing. But one expert says this new herd is making some old mistakes — namely, chasing hot stocks. “I’ll say it: Individual stocks are terrible investments for people just starting out,” Christine Benz, the

Fidelity Investments is the latest brokerage firm to embrace a subscription fee pricing model for digital advice. The cost? Cheaper than a Netflix subscription. Fidelity’s move could help the firm attract more young investors — and it represents another step in industry’s shift away from the AUM-based fee model. For clients with $10,000 to $50,000

The charge card offers rich rewards on restaurant spending worldwide and on eligible travel and transit expenses, not to mention lucrative annual credits that alone can offset the card’s $150 annual fee. And you can rake in even more value if you get fully acquainted with the card’s terms and benefits. Terms apply. Here’s how to

The stock market is holding up well because it believes three things are happening: A vaccine is coming, there will be almost infinite stimulus from the Federal Reserve, and the second quarter was the worst for corporate profits and those profits will slowly improve. But there’s a subtext to much of the belief in higher

It was all in the families as Ameriprise snapped up two father and son duos — a team of advisors that had managed $367 million in client assets at Morgan Stanley, according to a statement by the firm. The Falldin-Mattson Group is made up of John Falldin and his son Joe Falldin, and Jim Mattson

You don’t necessarily have to be a frequent flyer or business traveler to enjoy the perks of United Airlines lounges.  Even if you’re a casual flyer looking to access one of the 45-plus United lounges around the world, here are five things you should know. 1. What to expect at United lounges Visiting a United

At the moment when so many industries are staggered by the coronavirus pandemic, investors are beating the market by putting their money in companies committed to ESG priorities favoring transparency, diversity and sustainability. ESG is where profits are, signaling that doing the right thing increasingly is the smartest bet. The iShares ETF investing in companies