One thing to consider when opening a 529 plan is whether it should be a custodial or individual account. While both allow you to save for college costs and enjoy some tax breaks, they differ in terms of who has control of the account and the assets in it.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc., UBS Group AG and Deutsche Bank AG are among banks profiting as the growth of Brazilian hedge funds forces them to look overseas to fuel returns.

With mortgage rates retreating from their highest since 2002 and the US housing market cooling, some buyers are expecting to get a deal next year instead of having to contend with sky-high home prices. Unfortunately, that’s just wishful thinking.

Emerging Markets (EM) assets were subject to three strong headwinds in 2022, namely, China’s zero Covid-19 and real estate crisis, aggressive interest rate tightening from the US Federal Reserve (Fed), and the Russia invasion of Ukraine.

The chorus of buy calls on government bonds is growing louder but BlackRock Inc. begs to differ.

The current market environment is attractive for a covered call strategy.

I was reminded in a recent read of Robert Hagstrom’s book, Warren Buffett: Inside the Ultimate Money Mind, how Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger define the economic earnings power of a business.

As one year ends and another begins, we’ll look at how the Outcome-Based ETF industry evolved in 2022, how defined outcome ETFs distinguished themselves during the downturn, and what lies ahead for Outcome-Based ETFs in 2023 and why they’re more relevant today than ever before.

U.S. stocks are soaring in pre-market trading amid a softer-than-expected November consumer price inflation report.

By any measure, America is failing at that task. For the sake of the economy, society and even the environment, it must do better.

As the US economy veered toward the biggest inflation shock in four decades, investors flocked to the one corner of Wall Street that seemed a sure-fire refuge: Treasuries that provide extra compensation to keep up with rising consumer prices.

Rather than feudalism, we are headed toward hyper-capitalism, where each person is an entrepreneur constantly selling his or her services to the highest bidder.

“Verb sales” in retirement income, or in liability minimization, needs regulatory support immediately. By “verbs,” I mean selling services – such as financial planning – rather than “nouns” – such as investment products like annuities.

The Fed’s mandate is stable prices and maximum employment.

Central banks are incurring losses.

We’ve broken down nine of the best 529 plans.

More balanced risk strategies in PLIBs are likely to be optimal (e.g., 40-50% equities), although the ability to personalize the risk level is important based on the household situation and preferences.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has history on his side as he and colleagues split with Wall Street over how long interest rates will stay high in 2023.

For the first time in a long time, muni investors may be able to earn attractive yields without having to take undue risk.

The recent escalation in interest rates is squeezing household budgets.

Many have been asking this question since earlier this year, a question that has no easy answer. As economists – us included – continue to forecast the most ‘telegraphed’ recession in history, it is important to point to those things that make this economic cycle very different from past economic cycles.

For a long time, one acronym reigned supreme on Wall Street — TINA, or “there is no alternative,” which was used to talk about the allure of stocks in a low interest-rate environment. But now, BARB — or “bonds are back” — is the new queen.

The steady drumbeat of warnings that the American economy is careening toward a recession finally struck a nerve on Wall Street.

Economic news—and market reactions to it—increasingly resemble a tennis game. Spectators follow the ball back and forth, thinking something will happen but usually it doesn’t.

As the debate heats up over ESG investing, fixed-income professionals say they need more data than what’s currently out there.

From homeowners renting out spare rooms to publicly traded real estate investment trusts, landlords in colder areas of the US are bracing for their heating costs to soar this winter.

It's the end of the world!

U.S. stocks ended higher in a quiet day, trimming some of the week's losses.

It’s been a spectacular year for the US dollar. Using the popular broad dollar index, it managed to rise to its highest level since 2002 by the end of September. Since then, the greenback has endured a peak-to-trough fall of more than 9% and continues to trend downward.

After a challenging 2022, it is time for investors to look forward to opportunities. Emerging Markets (EM) debt stands out as one place where investors can potentially take advantage of an underutilized asset class that offers attractive yields and diversification.

“95 years ago, your crystal ball reveals: Russian debt default, LTCM fail, DotCom implosion, 9/11 attacks, financial crisis and great recession, pandemic killing millions, 3 market crashes. Would you put your money into stocks? No? You missed a 10X return.”

In his latest memo, Howard Marks weaves together some of the themes he’s explored in 2022 to explain what he believes really matters in investing and what doesn’t. He discusses the disadvantages of short-term thinking, the difference between volatility and risk, and the one word he believes defines the essence of investment excellence.

“Web1” represents static websites, and “Web2” represents the shift in the delivery of the internet to user-centric, dynamic web offerings and platforms.

“Expect a recession by the middle of next year,” Jeffrey Gundlach warned investors. The Fed’s monetary tightening will not be as aggressive as expected, he said, but high rates will dampen housing, consumer spending and other sectors, and will force the economy to contract.

Slowly but surely, bond haters are vanishing across Wall Street — even as fresh market havoc remains a distinct possibility next year if still-raging inflation forces the Federal Reserve to ramp up policy tightening anew.

A yield curve inversion, when rates for two-year US Treasury notes rise above those for 10-year notes, has preceded every recession since the 1960s. The first clear inversion in 15 years happened in July 2022, although there were brief and shallow inversions in August 2019 and April 2022.

As clients age and their financial lives evolve, most reach a point where they stop accumulating investment assets and begin taking distributions from their investment and retirement portfolios. This presentation introduces financial advisors to a comprehensive approach to creating longevity-oriented investment portfolios and managing retirement income.

As global warming worries approach critical mass, corporate bond investors expect issuers to be part of the solution.

Banker Bob Diamond was forced to pull the ripcord this week on his attempt to take stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Financial public via a special purpose acquisition company.

Emerging-market central banks face a Catch-22 where plunging economic growth means they can’t keep monetary conditions tight, but elevated inflation doesn’t allow them to halt rate hikes either.

Drew O’Neil discusses fixed income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.

After 12 years of a liquidity-fueled, Fed-induced bull market, are the markets set to start another “secular” bear market?

Europe needs higher investments, which will only be possible with an overhaul of its fiscal rules.

I explore some of the factors driving the superiority of PLIBs, in particular lapsation, mortality experience differences, accessing the equity risk premium, and the marginal role of annuities as part of a retirement strategy.

New research reveals that stock prices revert to a predictable P/E multiple, which is a function of growth and profitability. It also shows why growth stocks, while more profitable than value stocks, earn lower returns.

Let’s look at the powerful feature set an advisory firm could put together from a collection of the higher-rated, low-market-share programs and solutions that I’ve collected from past surveys, many of which you may not even be aware of.

Most advisors – from lifestyle advisors to the leaders of larger firms – have failed to create their desired level of success because they fail to invest in the asset with the greatest return.

Wall Street is finding a reason to keep plowing into the bond market, even with a Federal Reserve that’s still far from declaring victory in its war against inflation.

A recession looks inevitable for 2023, so how can investors position their portfolios to minimize downside risk while preparing to capitalize on the opportunities to come?

Mohamed El-Erian sees the rollercoaster ride in financial markets, with Friday’s surprisingly strong US jobs report producing the latest drop, as another lesson for Chairman Jerome Powell and his Federal Reserve colleagues.