They bring enormous promise and peril. But how do they work?
In order to assess the damage, we look at three financial institutions
Conflicts are growing longer. Blame complexity, criminality and climate change
Barron’s Magazine – April 17, 2023:
Tellus’ generous accounts and disruptive business model have won serious backing. One problem: Tellus isn’t actually a bank.
Depressed valuations belie brighter growth prospects and better risk management at companies such as Primerica, Unum, and Equitable.
Wealth management teams can vary widely in culture and investing approach. Here’s what to look for.
The world’s biggest economy is leaving its peers ever further in the dust
In a more transactional world the price of influence is going up
The French leader has made a dangerous situation worse
Barron’s Magazine – April 10, 2023:
The firm plans to hit $10 trillion in client assets over the next decade. If James Gorman can get it there, the stock will keep winning.
Due to shifting market dynamics, some growth funds might no longer hold what have long been considered growth stocks. Three actively managed funds to consider.
Financial-software provider Jack Henry & Associates, at its cheapest valuation in years, can keep prospering even if banks continue to stumble.
A new CEO—and an improvement in earnings—means that shares in the social-media site could rise by 20% from current levels.
Economic growth should help, not hinder, the fight against climate change
The sheer majesty of a five-megawatt wind turbine, its central support the height of a skyscraper, its airliner-wingspan rotors tilling the sky, is hard to deny.
Too many doctors have suspended their professional judgment
For many Americans, the great tragedy of trans rights is the story of how Republican governors and state legislatures are stigmatising some of society’s most put-upon people—all too often in a cynical search for votes. This newspaper shares their dismay at these vicious tactics. In a free society it is not the government’s place to tell adults how to live and dress, which pronouns to use, or what to do with their bodies.
Over 550 banks have collapsed since 2001, according to the FDIC. So what exactly causes a bank to fail? And what implications does it have on the U.S. economy?
Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction 01:41 — Chapter 1 05:28 — Chapter 2 08:55 — Chapter 3
Barron’s Magazine – April 3, 2023:
Americans spent 53 billion hours on TikTok last year, according to one Wall Street estimate. If the service is banned in the U.S., much of that time could go to Meta, YouTube, and Snap. What it all means for stocks.
The former Democratic congressman, of Dodd-Frank fame, has a lot to say about the rapid demise of the New York bank that he served as a director.
With high concentrations of commercial real estate loans, these midsize lenders could come under pressure. But they look to be managing the risks well.
UP AND DOWN WALL STREET
Chinese officials rage at what they see as American bullying
You may have hoped that when China reopened and face-to-face contact resumed between politicians, diplomats and businesspeople, Sino-American tensions would ease in a flurry of dinners, summits and small talk. But the atmosphere in Beijing just now reveals that the world’s most important relationship has become more embittered and hostile than ever.
The world’s most important crop is fuelling climate change and diabetes
The green revolution was one of the greatest feats of human ingenuity. By promoting higher-yielding varieties of wheat and, especially, rice, plant-breeders in India, Mexico and the Philippines helped China emerge from a famine and India avoid one. From 1965 to 1995 Asia’s rice yields doubled and its poverty almost halved, even as its population soared.
The government’s retreat has pulled Israel back from the brink. But its people remain deeply divided
Israel’s citizens have won a rare victory after marching, week after week, to defend judicial independence and the character of their democracy. On March 27th they forced their prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, to suspend his plan to rein in the courts. Yet, although the crisis has abated, it has not passed.
Video timeline: 0:00 The typical family’s 401k and IRA account balance 1:05 How retirement funds should depend on lifestyle choices 1:51 How retirees who save less than $1 million are getting by 3:53 Steps to take to ensure you have enough retirement savings
Many Americans dream of saving $1 million for retirement. Most fall far short of that.
The typical family’s 401(k) and IRA-type accounts come to less than half that goal in the years approaching retirement age, according to the nonprofit Employee Benefit Research Institute. Total household balances in retirement accounts for those 55 to 64 years old are $413,814 on average, according to its estimates based on 2019 data, the most recent available.
Barron’s Magazine – March 27, 2023:
While retirement planning is a decadeslong endeavor, the way you handle your final decade before leaving the workforce will have a critical impact on how ready you’ll be when that day finally arrives.
“It hits about 10 years out—this train is coming to me,” says Danielle Byrd Thompson, a financial professional at Equitable Advisors in Washington, D.C. “It’s like a time clock is starting.”
A Barron’s analysis finds that four states fined the retailer a total of more than $1 million for price inaccuracies in 2021 and 2022.
With fat yields and more safety than common stock, preferred shares can be lifeboats for investors navigating banking’s stormy seas. Why bigger is better for small investors.
The brokerage’s stock has plunged by more than a third this year as customers yank cash from low-yielding “sweep” accounts. What’s ahead.
Boomers Daily 