Author: troyashbacher

Beyond expensive valuations, with the S&P 500 trading at roughly 22 times estimated forward earnings, another concern for the stock market is quietly flashing red: U.S. households now have more net worth in stocks than in real estate. On the surface, this might not sound alarming. After all, the stock market has been ripping higher since 2020, aside from 2022. Stocks have dramatically outperformed real estate over the past several years, especially after the Federal Reserve began hiking interest rates aggressively. However, I argue housing affordability has improved as a result of the bull market in stocks. Just look at…

These days, it seems like every other TV commercial is for yet another insurance product. While consumer choice can be a good thing, not all insurance is as essential as the ads make it seem.”There’s a lot of sales and marketing based on fear that especially targets retirees,” says Jonathan Howard, a certified financial planner with Accurate Advisory Group, as well as a former insurance salesman. “People end up buying because they’re terrified of a loss rather than to cover an actual insurance need.”Although Howard believes insurance plays an important role in anyone’s financial plan, some products are more about…

AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini offer new ways to plan your 2026 financial goals. But how can you leverage them without compromising your privacy?With a NerdWallet survey finding that more than 2 in 5 Americans (43%) say they’ve used AI for aspects of their personal financial planning, that’s an increasingly relevant question. Help the chatbot help you. Give it some background about your current situation so it can offer customized advice, suggests Sierra Adare-Tasiwoopa api, an instructional technologist at Nevada State University.Be specific about what you want by typing something like, “I want to save $5,000 by June,”…

Published: Dec. 19, 2025 at 6:28 a.m. ETEquity investors hoping for a seasonal spurt to new record highs have had to be patient. The S&P 500 SPX has been twitching around within just a 180 range since the start of December, fractionally shy of fresh peaks.One reason why bullish sentiment has been constrained is that strong heavyweight performers this year have stumbled of late — think Nvidia NVDA, Microsoft MSFT and Broadcom AVGO, for example.

(Image credit: Getty Images)When you think of natural disasters, you probably think along the lines of hurricanes on the East and Gulf Coasts, earthquakes and wildfires out West and tornadoes in the South and Midwest.But that mental map is about as current as knowing all of your neighbors by name. (And don’t pretend you do.)The last couple of years have been a master class in geography-free chaos: near-historic tornado seasons in the central U.S., catastrophic hurricane-driven flooding pushing far inland, repeated flash floods in places that used to call such flooding a once-in-a-generation event and a West Coast fire season…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Caring for both your aging parents and young children is tough.It can be an overwhelming drain on your time and your finances, and attending to their needs often means putting yourself last.One in four Americans (25%) are part of the sandwich generation with a child under 18 and a living parent, according to the 2025 Annual Retirement Study from the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement*, part of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get…

One of the most common questions Nelson and I get are about our top portfolio holdings. Readers and listeners want to know what we own and why we own it. So this week at DIY Wealth Canada Podcast, Nelson and I pulled back the curtain and discussed our top holdings, including detailed analysis on why we’ve chosen these names. Check out the Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6I1x2FtsLZXYHKZiZVfowu On YouTube: Enjoy!

Key Findings Data centers’ state and local taxA tax is a mandatory payment or charge collected by local, state, and national governments from individuals or businesses to cover the costs of general government services, goods, and activities. burdens are heavily dependent upon policy choices surrounding sales and property taxation of data center equipment. Servers and other data center equipment are exempt from sales taxA sales tax is levied on retail sales of goods and services and, ideally, should apply to all final consumption with few exemptions. Many governments exempt goods like groceries; base broadening, such as including groceries, could keep…

What I Spent I wasn’t in the kitchen much this week because I was busy catching up on social plans! proof of SOME kitchen activity This week, I spent: $20 with Zoe on subs $20 on Wednesday with a friend $20 on Thursday with a friend $19 at Trader Joe’s So, $79. What We Ate Saturday Sautéed tilapia, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Sunday I made pulled chicken sandwiches with green beans on the side. And then I packed some leftover mashed potatoes, chicken, and beans for my Monday work lunch. Monday It was late when I got home from work,…

Pamela de la Fuente leads NerdWallet’s consumer credit and debt team. Her team covers credit scores, credit reports, identity protection and ways to avoid, manage and eliminate debt. Previously, she led taxes and retirement coverage at NerdWallet. She has been a writer and editor for more than 20 years.Pamela joined NerdWallet after working at companies including Hallmark Cards, Sprint Corp. and The Kansas City Star.She is a thought leader in content diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and finds ways to make every piece of content conversational and accessible to all.She is a graduate of the Maynard Institute’s Maynard 200 program,…