Markets and Business News Review

OpenAI’s mind-boggling growth masks challenges

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 12:00:32 -0400

As it races towards 1bn users the AI company needs to explain what, exactly, ChatGPT is for

4 Ways You Can Supplement Your Social Security Income in Retirement

Maurie Backman — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:58:00 -0400

Key Points

The average Social Security recipient today collects under $2,000 per month.
You may need more income than that to live comfortably.
Earning money from a job and choosing the right investments could be your ticket to a less stressful lifestyle.
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Living comfortably on just Social Security is a difficult thing. That’s not to say that it absolutely can’t be done. But you may not have much wiggle room in your retirement budget if you limit yourself to a monthly Social Security check and nothing more.

The typical Social Security recipient today collects a little less than $2,000 per month. Knowing that, it’s important to set yourself up with other income streams for retirement. Here are some ways to supplement your benefits so you’re not left struggling to keep up with your costs.

1. Work a part-time job

A lot of people look forward to retirement specifically so they can stop reporting to a job. So the last thing you might want to do in retirement is work part-time. But it’s also a great way to boost your monthly income and stay busy at the same time.

When you have many free hours in a day, you’re more likely to either spend money or want to spend money. If you’re busy working, it occupies some of your time, which makes it easier to spend less in general.

2. Invest in dividend stocks

Many retirees assume they shouldn’t own stocks because of the risks involved. But owning a small amount of stocks could work to your benefit, especially if you choose stocks that pay dividends.

Companies aren’t obligated to pay dividends, but if you choose stocks with a long history of paying them, you’re more likely to enjoy consistent income in that form. Plus, your dividend stocks could gain value over time, giving you the option to sell them at a profit to pad your savings.

3. Load up on municipal bonds

Bonds are a fairly stable asset, which makes them an appropriate retirement investment for a lot of people. And the nice thing about bonds is that they’re required to pay investors interest on a regular basis (whereas stocks aren’t required to pay dividends – many just do).

Within the realm of bonds, you have choices. One reason municipal bonds tend to be a favorite among retirees is that the interest they pay is always exempt from federal taxes. And buying municipal bonds issued by the state you live in helps you avoid state taxes on that interest income, too.

4. Rent out part of your home

Some retirees opt to downsize to save money on home maintenance and property taxes. But it’s not a given that downsizing will make sense for you, especially given how elevated home prices are today.

Also, real estate inventory is down on a national scale. So even if you’re willing to downsize, you may not find a smaller home in the town you want to live in.

If you’re hanging onto a larger home in retirement, renting out part of it could serve as a nice income stream for you. And you may even be able to get some help around the house from your tenant as an added bonus.

As you get older, a lot of the maintenance work you used to do might get difficult. But outsourcing it could strain your budget.

You may be able to find a tenant who’s willing to do a lot of that work in exchange for reduced rent. That way, you both come out a winner.

The post 4 Ways You Can Supplement Your Social Security Income in Retirement appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

LVMH Names Jonathan Anderson as Dior Men’s Artistic Director

Jacob Gallagher — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:54:16 -0400

A one-sentence statement served as the notice that Mr. Anderson, who reimagined LVMH’s Loewe brand, would lead men’s wear design at Dior.

Google ‘wilfully’ monopolised online advertising market, US judge rules

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:50:42 -0400

Decision by federal court heightens the risks that Silicon Valley behemoth will need to sell assets

Why VIG, SCHD and VYM Are Top Dividend ETFs Worth Buying Right Now

Chris MacDonald — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:47:33 -0400

Income investors looking for ways to supplement their fixed income and alternative asset holdings do have plenty of options to consider in the equity markets. The good news for investors is that there are plenty of companies paying above-market yields (that’s what makes an average, after all). So, for stock pickers out there, it can be quite a journey to build a portfolio of blue-chip companies paying reasonable yields right now.

Key Points

These three top dividend ETFs are among the largest in this space, but also the highest quality.
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That said, it’s a journey I’ve long thought is one worth taking. That’s because as recessionary forces continue to build and analysts and market participants everywhere begin pricing in a greater amount of uncertainty into stocks (while also buying government bonds, which brings yields down), the Federal Reserve may have to follow other central banks in lowering their benchmark yields much lower.

In such an environment, owning a well-diversified portfolio of dividend stocks makes sense. So, for those who aren’t willing to put in the work and locate some of the best individual dividend stocks out there, looking to dividend exchange traded funds (ETFs) that provide that low-cost diversification can be a great option.

Here are three of the top such ETFs I think are worth considering right now.

Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG)

The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) happens to be the largest dividend ETF out there, with total assets under management sitting around $80 billion. That’s a massive chunk of change, and signals to investors that this is the premier option in the market for broad dividend growth over time.

As the fund’s name suggests, VIG focuses on companies that have increased their dividend distributions for at least a decade. Thus, for investors who value quality over all else, this is a top ETF I think is worth considering. That’s largely because companies that have raised their distributions consistently are not only likely to continue that trend over time, but are also far less likely to cut or eliminate their dividends in times of struggle.

This is also a fund that has a relatively high tech weighting (nearly 1/4 of the ETF’s overall portfolio), so there’s plenty of growth upside as well with this fund. For investors seeking a solid mix of dividend growth, stability, and capital appreciation upside – this is a top ETF to consider right now, in my view.

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD)

Another top dividend ETF I continue to pound the table on (and it’s one of my core holdings) is the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD). Like the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF, SCHD focuses on dividend stocks traded on the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index. This means that the stocks held in this fund are among the 100 largest blue-chip dividend paying names out there.

So, for investors who are looking for Warren Buffett-like exposure to the markets, this would be the top option I’d recommend considering. The fund’s impressive dividend yield of 3.7% is nearly triple that of the overall market. And despite this fact, SCHD has actually kept pace with the overall market in recent years, as investors appear to be prioritizing defensiveness over growth.

In an environment where growth stocks may continue to stable, investors of all stripes have good reason to consider a high quality dividend ETF to buy right now. In my books, SCHD is among the best in this space, and I think that’s likely to continue for some time to come.

Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM)

For investors seeking a bit more yield in their portfolios, the Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) is a great option to consider.

Yield matters, and on this front, VYM surprisingly does not take the cake when compared to the aforementioned ETFs. However, with a dividend yield of roughly 2.7%, this is still a fund that many investors choose for its much broader exposure to the market.

Tracking more than 500 stocks, this ETF is more heavily weighted toward financials and consumer discretionary stocks. I’d suggest that investors who believe interest rates could come down materially could do better owning such an ETF, with this fund’s heavy exposure to financials likely to provide ballast in a declining rate environment.

No one knows what the future holds, and if a recession does bare its teeth, this ETF could also have more downside than its peers. Thus, I think this is an intriguing pick for investors with a one-sided view of where interest rates and the economy are ultimately headed over the course of the next few years.

The post Why VIG, SCHD and VYM Are Top Dividend ETFs Worth Buying Right Now appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Daily Pill May Work as Well as Ozempic for Weight Loss and Blood Sugar

Gina Kolata and Rebecca Robbins — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:46:51 -0400

Eli Lilly said clinical results of its GLP-1 in pill form showed safety and efficacy data similar to blockbuster injectable drugs.

Why Does Harvard Have Tax-Exempt Status and Can the IRS Revoke It? What to Know.

Matthew Mpoke Bigg and John Yoon — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:31:25 -0400

The university, like many colleges and charities, is exempt from federal income and property taxes, saving it billions of dollars. President Trump has questioned whether it should enjoy that status.

Should I Downgrade My Credit Card to Save on Fees?

Christy Bieber — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:30:46 -0400

Key Points

A Reddit user is considering downgrading a credit card but is worried about the impact on his credit.
Downgrading a card usually allows you to keep your credit history, but you’ll want to check with your card issuer.
If you can’t downgrade, weigh the pros and cons of closing the old account before you move forward.
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A Reddit user is considering downgrading their credit card to save on fees. The user explained that he has had the credit card for between four and six years and has a positive payment history on it. Unfortunately, the card charges an annual fee, and the poster does not think paying the fee is worth it.

So, what should the poster do?

Is it worth downgrading a card to save on fees?

Downgrading a credit card means contacting a credit card company and asking them to switch you to a different card in their lineup that does not charge an annual fee, or that charges a lower fee than the amount that you are currently paying. It’s a common technique people use when they don’t want to close an old card but don’t want to pay for it anymore.

Not all credit card companies will allow you to downgrade a card. Some will, if they don’t want to lose you as a customer, but they usually require that you have had the account open for at least a year first. Others are not willing to downgrade at all, and you’ll have to decide whether you want to keep the old card or not.

When you are allowed to downgrade, you may find that other changes to your card occur besides just losing access to the card’s perks. You may lose accrued rewards, for example, and you may also get a lower credit limit on the new account. Still, it could be beneficial to downgrade rather than close the account in order to protect your credit history.

That’s because when you close an account, you:

Lower the average age of your credit, which is a problem because a longer credit history is better for a high score
Reduce the credit available to you, which hurts your credit utilization ratio (the ratio of credit used to credit available)
Eventually lose the record of your positive payment history as the card drops off your account

If you can downgrade the card, you can usually keep the history on your record, and your card age won’t change, as a different Reddit poster explained happened when he downgraded. You will, however, want to ask your card issuer what the consequences are of downgrading so you can ensure you understand what will be displayed on your credit record after the downgrade.

What if you can’t downgrade the card?

If you can’t downgrade the card, you have a tough choice to make. You’ll have to decide whether to close down the account or keep it open and keep paying the fee.

Closing down the account will hurt your credit for all of the reasons mentioned above. At the same time, you also don’t want to pay an annual fee forever just to avoid a hit to your credit score.

Ultimately, you’ll need to look at exactly what else is on your credit record to decide whether you can absorb the damage.

If the card you’d be closing is the oldest one in your credit line-up, or is the only one on your credit record, then closing it could do serious harm to your credit score. Likewise, if you have a balance on most of your cards but not on the one you are closing, your credit utilization ratio would likely be pushed up above the recommended 30% max if you closed the account. In this case, closing the card could also do major damage.

In these situations, you may want to wait a little bit longer to try to let other accounts age and to pay down your balances. You’ll also want to wait to close old accounts if you’re going to take out a big loan soon, like a mortgage or car loan, since you want the best possible score before you borrow a lot of money.

If you have plenty of other old accounts on your credit record, though, then you may not take as much of a hit — especially if you will still have a low utilization ratio. If that’s your situation and you aren’t going to borrow a lot of money any time soon, you may want to bite the bullet and close the account rather than paying a fee forever.

Then, next time, be sure you shop around carefully for the right cash back card you’ll be happy to keep for the long haul, so you don’t find yourself facing this tough choice in the future.

The post Should I Downgrade My Credit Card to Save on Fees? appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Google Is a Monopolist in Online Advertising Tech, Judge Says

David McCabe — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:29:47 -0400

The ruling was the second time in a year that a federal court had found that Google had acted illegally to maintain its dominance.

3 High-Yield Dividend All-Stars to Buy Right Now

Chris MacDonald — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:19:34 -0400

The good news for investors seeking high-yield dividend stocks to buy right now is that there are a number of top options for investors to consider in the high-yield dividend world.

Outside of much riskier penny stocks and those with yields in the double-digit range (which is often a clear signal the market thinks a given company can’t pay its yield into the future), finding high-yield stocks that meet long-term investors’ total return criteria can be difficult. Indeed, the absolute number of high-quality stocks that also provide yields that are considerably higher than the market average isn’t an easy task, by any means.

Key Points

For investors looking for passive income in retirement, or simply companies that can weather whatever storms may be ahead, these are stocks to consider.
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With that said, I’m going to focus my attention in this piece on three of the highest-yielding stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Index. These are three companies that have withstood the test of time, and remain among the 30 largest industrial companies in the U.S.

Without further ado, let’s dive in!

Verizon Communications

First on this list of high-yield stocks investors may want to consider buying right now is Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ). That’s fitting, since this is actually the highest-yielding stock on the Dow, with a current dividend yield of roughly 6.2%.

I’d have to admit that the five-year chart for Verizon certainly doesn’t look pretty, and there’s good reason for this. Investors have quite simply found much better options (many with dividend yields, though most likely much lower than Verizon’s yield) that can provide significant capital appreciation upside during bull markets. This past bull market, one could argue that Verizon has essentially sit out the rally, which makes sense due to the company’s very slow-growth mature status.

However, with more than $37 billion in operating cash flow and nearly $20 billion in free cash flow posted last year, Verizon is also a cash flow machine. Until consumers stop paying their cell phone bills (and who can really do that), this is a company that should continue to spit out cash and pay investors a healthy and growing dividend yield over time.

I think Verizon’s strategic investments in its AI-powered solutions and continued Capex on its existing infrastructure portfolio should provide meaningful low-digits revenue growth over the long-term.

Johnson & Johnson

Another top dividend stock I’ve long pounded the table on is Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ). This diversfied healthcare giant has generated dividend growth for more than 50 consecutive years, making it a top dividend king I think investors would be remiss to ignore.

There are many reasons for this, including the company’s similarly robust cash flow growth profile over the long-term. However, unlike Verizon, JNJ actually saw revenue growth of more than 5% (compared to just 1.6% year-over-year growth for Verizon in 2024), making this a company that could provide more capital appreciation upside over the long-term. For investors seeking a more reasonable mix of both, this is the option I’d go with.

Additionally, I think it’s worth pointing out that most of the company’s legal troubles do seem to be behind the company. Thus, in terms of potential headwinds and regulatory overhang, this is a stock that looks a lot better today than it did a year or two ago.

With a yield of 3.4%, investors certainly have a nice base to build off of. And given where bond yields may be headed (if recessionary headwinds continue to pick up), this is a stock that could catch a bid.

Chevron

For investors looking for further diversification, Chevron’s (NYSE:CVX) exposure to the oil and gas sector could provide the right ballast for those missing any sort of meaningful exposure to this sector.

Unfortunately, with oil and gas prices dipping as investors price in higher recession risks into their valuation models, this is a stock that’s been beaten down of late. Fortunately for dividend investors, this means that the energy giant now provides a dividend yield that’s approaching 5.1%. At this level, which is materially higher than Treasury yields, there’s an easy-to-understand investing thesis most yield-hungry investors can get behind.

Like other Warren Buffett picks in the past, Chevron continues to sport one of the most robust balance sheets in this sector. While the Oracle of Omaha appears to favor Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) in this space, Chevron is a company that’s stuck on my watchlist ever since Buffett initiated a position a few years aback.

With Chevron’s stock price now reflecting a dividend yield that’s near the top end of its long-term range, this is a stock I’m considering adding at current levels. For those with a long-term investing time horizon, I’d suggest giving this stock a good look here.

The post 3 High-Yield Dividend All-Stars to Buy Right Now appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

3 ETFs That Should Make the Centerpiece of Every Stock Portfolio

David Moadel — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:18:12 -0400

Key Points

One Vanguard fund puts practically the entire U.S. equities market in your portfolio.
You can further diversity your holdings with a pair of emerging markets and gold ETFs.
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Exchange traded funds (ETFs) can provide instant portfolio diversification and relieve investors of the burden of stock picking. Yet, these funds aren’t equally worthy, and only a small handful of them deserve the title of “centerpiece” ETFs.

It’s challenging to add variety to your portfolio while also cushioning it when the financial markets get turbulent. It’s even tougher to achieve this without incurring high annual fees.

This is entirely possible, however, when you carefully select a few must-own ETFs. So, I invite you to consider adding these three “centerpiece” ETFs to your portfolio holdings today.

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI)

For diversification across U.S.-focused large-cap stocks, your go-to fund might be the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) or the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:VOO). Those are fine, but they don’t provide exposure to the entire U.S. stock market, including mid-cap and small-cap stocks.

To fill those gaps, you can simply buy the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEARCA:VTI). This fund tracks the CRSP U.S. Total Market Index and, according to Vanguard, it “represents approximately 100% of investable companies in the U.S. equity market.”

In other words, Vanguard’s VTI fund practically puts the whole U.S. stock market in your investment account. With that, you get “Large-, mid-, and small-cap equity diversified across growth and value styles.”

This is important because sometimes large-cap stocks outperform, but other times, small-cap or mid-cap stocks might pull ahead. With the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF, there’s no need to predict which segment of the U.S. stock market will do better than the others.

And by the way, VTI has one of the lowest annual expense ratios (i.e., what the fund’s managers charge the shareholders per year) that I’ve ever seen. If you can believe it, the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF’s annual expense ratio is just 0.03%, which would cost you only three cents for every $100 invested in the fund.

If you want a little bit more large-cap exposure, you can always buy VTI and then add a few shares of SPY or VOO. For full U.S. stock market diversification, however, you’ll definitely want to focus on the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF.

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM)

So, you went ahead and bought the VTI ETF for total U.S. equities market exposure — good move. Now, however, you might think about diversifying beyond the U.S.

After all, there’s a whole world out there and some of the world’s most impactful business reside in emerging-market regions. Examples of these non-U.S. companies include Saudi Arabian financial firm Al Rajhi Bank, Ping An Insurance Group of China, and India-based diversified finance company Bajaj Finserv.

You won’t have much luck trying to find these firms on a U.S. stock exchange. You will, however, find them in the holdings of the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:EEM).

Make no mistake about it: today’s investors can’t afford to ignore Asia, the Middle East, and other emerging economies. It’s an interconnected world, and diversification outside of North America is a must in the 2020s.

That’s easier said than done, though if you’re a stock picker. So, why not let iShares conduct all of the due diligence for you? Granted, the 0.72% expense ratio of the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF is a little bit pricey, but researching hundreds of foreign businesses on your own would be difficult and time-consuming.

Besides, it’s not a simple matter for U.S.-based individuals to invest in foreign businesses like Al Rajhi Bank, Ping An Insurance Group, and Bajaj Finserv. With the EEM ETF, you’ll immediately get access to these emerging-market companies and, in total, 1,190 holdings within the fund.

SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD)

Okay, so you’ve added some VTI shares for full U.S. stock market exposure and some EEM shares to represent international firms. To round out your trio of “centerpiece” ETFs, you’ll certainly want to own a fund that isn’t too strongly correlated with American and international stocks.

In case you haven’t noticed, turmoil and uncertainty in the world have kept U.S. and international stocks down in 2025. Meanwhile, gold has outperformed many American and foreign index funds on a year-to-date basis.

As the old saying goes, gold thrives on uncertainty. That’s why it’s an excellent diversifier — but then, it’s not necessarily a simple matter to add physical gold bars or coins to one’s portfolio.

An easy solution is a gold fund which can be bought or sold like a stock: the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (NYSEARCA:GLD). This ETF is brought to you by State Street, which also manages SPY, the ultra-popular S&P 500 index fund.

The SPDR Gold Shares ETF is a fund that actually holds physical gold — 957.17 tonnes of it, to be exact. The fund’s 0.4% annual expense ratio isn’t rock-bottom, to be sure, but it’s also not outrageously high.

Moreover, it’s probably easier and more cost-efficient for most investors to pay the annual management fee than it would be to purchase, store, and insure gold bullion. Instead of going through all of that trouble, you can just let the GLD ETF’s management take care of it.

All in all, the SPDR Gold Shares ETF fulfills its objective, which is to faithfully track the ups and downs of the spot gold price. In the words of the fund’s management, the GLD ETF lowers a “large number of the barriers preventing investors from using gold as an asset allocation and trading tool.”

Adding this gold-backed fund should provide even more breadth to your holdings if you already bought VTI and EEM. With those and some GLD shares, you’ll have a mighty fine three-pack of “centerpiece” ETFs in 2025.

The post 3 ETFs That Should Make the Centerpiece of Every Stock Portfolio appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

House China panel head urges JPMorgan and BofA to halt work on CATL IPO

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:14:25 -0400

John Moolenaar warns banks of ‘regulatory, financial and reputational risks’ for working on deal

European Central Bank Cuts Rates Amid ‘Exceptional’ Tariff Uncertainty

Eshe Nelson — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:10:27 -0400

Policymakers lowered rates a quarter point and said that the region’s growth outlook had “deteriorated” because of rising trade tensions.

S&P 500 (NYSEARCA: SPY) Live: DLTR (Nasdaq: DLTR), FIS (NYSE: FIS) Rise Despite Hawkish Tone

Gerelyn Terzo — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:06:30 -0400

Live Updates

Live Coverage
Updates appear automatically as they are published.

Markets Spooked

11:07 am
by Gerelyn Terzo

The stock market has erased earlier gains, with the S&P 500 now being pressured lower alongside the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite. In this holiday-shortened week, the markets are on track for their third straight day of losses. The S&P 500 is being pressured lower by UNH and GPN stock on earnings and M&A news, respectively. Energy as a sector is up 2.2% today, fueled by gains in FANG stock. Yesterday’s hawkish comments from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell are spooking markets further in an already uncertain climate.

The markets are struggling to maintain any sort of upward momentum, as the S&P 500 watches its modest gains slip away today. Stocks are being driven by tariff uncertainty between the U.S. and China, hawkish comments out of the Fed and the latest earnings results. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has set a negative tone due to UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) disappointing earnings results, pressuring the healthcare sector lower too. UNH stock is also part of the S&P 500. Tech as a sector is under pressure today, while energy stocks continue to show off with gains.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s comments are still ringing in the ears of traders and investors, leading to greater market uncertainty. Powell warned that the tariffs could thwart the central bank’s efforts to rein in inflation and spark economic growth, placing a question mark on monetary policy surrounding interest rates.

Discount retailer Dollar Tree (Nasdaq: DLTR) is bucking the downward trend today, rising 5% as a beneficiary of an economic slowdown. Investors have been flocking to discount retailers for protection in a potential economic recession that could result from the tariff climate. DLTR stock has gained approximately 25% from its March low of about $61 per share.

Here’s a look at the performance as of morning trading:

Dow Jones Industrial Average: Down 718.47 (-1.8%)
Nasdaq Composite: Down 115.71 (-0.71%)
S&P 500: Down 15.21 (-0.30%)

Market Movers

Fintech giant FIS (NYSE: FIS) is rising 6% on the day after announcing two multi-billion dollar deals in one fell swoop involving WorldPay and Global Payments’ (NYSE: GPN) Issuer Solutions division. GPN stock is falling by 17% today.

Diamondback Energy (Nasdaq: FANG) is extending its gains today as the energy rally continues to unfold in full force. The company is repurchasing stock in the face of market volatility in a bid to return value to shareholders.

The post S&P 500 (NYSEARCA: SPY) Live: DLTR (Nasdaq: DLTR), FIS (NYSE: FIS) Rise Despite Hawkish Tone appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

White House Eyes Overhaul of Federal Housing Aid to the Poor

Tony Romm — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:05:15 -0400

The Trump administration has considered sharply curtailing vouchers as part of its budget for the 2026 fiscal year.

This Is What Gen X and Millennials Need to Know About Social Security’s 2033 Trust Fund Projections

Christy Bieber — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:58:35 -0400

Key Points

The Social Security trust fund is at risk of running out of benefits.
An automatic benefits cut could happen as soon as 2033.
Lawmakers are likely to make changes that more likely to affect millennials than Gen Xers.
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Gen Xers are currently between the ages of 45 and 60, so retirement is getting pretty close for many people in this generation. Millennials, on the other hand, are between the ages of 29 and 44. Retirement may seem pretty far off.

However, while these groups are in different places in life, both should be concerned about the most recent Social Security Trustees’ report. The report shows a shortfall in funding that could easily lead to a benefit cut during their retirement, affecting the funds they have available to live on.

Here’s what GenXers and millennials need to know.

Will Social Security benefits be cut for Gen X and Millennial Retirees?

The Social Security Trustees’ report stated that there is enough money in the program’s trust fund to pay 100% of benefits through 2035, if the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund and the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund are combined. If the trust funds are not combined and benefits to retirees are only paid out of the OASI trust fund, its reserves will be depleted by 2033. The current rules do not allow the trust funds to be combined, but it’s widely expected that this would change if the money runs dry.

Social Security can pay benefits out of revenue it collects from current workers, as well as from the trust fund. If the trust fund runs out, though, there will not be enough money. The revenue coming in will only be enough to pay partial benefits. If the fund runs out in 2033, the income coming in would be sufficient to pay 79% of scheduled benefits. If the fund runs out in 2035, then the revenue collected could pay 83% of the scheduled benefits.

Still, this means the best-case scenario would be that retirees get an automatic 17% benefits cut in 2035, and the worst-case scenario would be a 21% cut as soon as 2033. This could put a huge hole in the budget of both Gen X and Millennial retirees, many of whom don’t have enough money saved to support their retirement already.

How likely is it that these benefit cuts will happen?

The good news is that Social Security is a very popular program. It is very unlikely that lawmakers are going to allow a reduction in benefits.

However, the big question is, what are they going to do to stop it? President Trump has promised that there will be no cuts to Social Security, but the options for fixing the shortfall include:

Raising the full retirement age so you don’t get to claim your full benefits until you are older
Raising taxes collected to fund Social Security
Cutting benefits so retirees get less money

None of those solutions is likely to be very popular. When the trust fund was running short in the past, lawmakers did make big changes, including imposing taxes on some Social Security benefits and raising the full retirement age. It used to be 65 for everyone, and lawmakers phased in the change so it gradually moved to age 67 over time.

This may happen again, with some type of compromise solution that is phased in slowly. If that’s the case, retirement age is not likely to change for Gen Xers since they are already really close to retirement. Millennials, on the other hand, could see their full retirement age change. This is a de facto cut to benefits, because if they wanted to claim at the same age as retirees now, they would get hit with early filing penalties.

There’s also a chance lawmakers will just change the rules and allow Social Security to be funded with deficit spending, so the government could essentially borrow to pay benefits. That’s not currently allowed based on the way the program is designed, but it would spare lawmakers at least temporarily from making hard choices about tax increases or benefit cuts. Of course, it would only exacerbate the government’s overall spending and debt issues over the long term.

A lot depends on who is in office over the next few years, and what types of changes lawmakers at the time feel are politically possible. Ultimately, though, Gen Xers and millennials do face a risk of a benefits cut if something isn’t done, and millennials also stand a greater chance of a cut even if a solution is found.

All of this means that saving enough money to fund a secure retirement, even without full Social Security benefits, is going to be the most important move for members of both generations. A financial advisor can help with this process, working with Gen Xers and millennials to make a plan to build a secure future.

The post This Is What Gen X and Millennials Need to Know About Social Security’s 2033 Trust Fund Projections appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

The $500 SPY Maneuver That Could Set Your Portfolio For Life

Rich Duprey — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:39:24 -0400

Investing in stocks can seem daunting, especially for beginners with limited capital and the market seemingly in freefall. Yet starting with just $500 in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) can lay the foundation for lifelong financial security.

SPY, which tracks the S&P 500 index, offers broad exposure to the biggest 500 leading U.S. companies, making it an ideal vehicle for wealth-building through consistent contributions and the power of compounding.

They used to say it takes money to make money, but that’s no longer the case on Wall Street. With just a small stake, you can grow and investment in SPY into a golden nest egg.

Why SPY?

SPY is one of the most accessible and diversified exchange-traded funds (ETF), providing instant exposure to giants like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Walmart (NYSE:WMT) across sectors like technology, healthcare, and consumer goods. This diversification minimizes risk, as no single company or industry dominates, unlike individual stocks.

SPY also offers an expense ratio of 0.09%, making it among the lowest-cost investments and ensuring minimal fees erode your returns. It is an ideal stock for small investors to buy.

The S&P 500’s historical performance underscores SPY’s potential. From 1928 to 2024, the index averaged a 9.8% annual return, including dividends, outpacing inflation and bonds. A $500 investment in SPY in 1993, when it launched, would be worth over $6,000 today, assuming reinvested dividends, despite crashes like 2008 and 2020 — or the one we’re experiencing now. This resilience makes SPY a reliable starting point for beginners with limited funds.

The Power of Regular Contributions

Adding to an SPY investment regularly, even modestly, harnesses the magic of dollar-cost averaging and compounding. Dollar-cost averaging involves investing a fixed amount, say, $100 monthly, regardless of market conditions. It reduces the risk of buying at peak prices.

In volatile markets, this strategy buys more shares when prices dip, lowering the average cost per share. Over time, compounding amplifies returns as dividends and capital gains generate additional growth.

If you invest $500 in SPY and add $100 monthly, assuming a conservative 6.5% annual return (assuming 3% inflation), over 40 years your investment would grow to $256,036 by age 65. With the historical 9.8% return, it could reach $550,404.

This growth stems from consistent contributions, not a large initial sum, making SPY accessible for those starting small. Platforms like Vanguard or Schwab allow automatic investments, simplifying the process even more.

Setting Up for Life

Investing in SPY with regular contributions builds wealth to meet lifelong goals, whether it is retirement, homeownership, or financial independence. By age 65, the $256,000 to $550,000 portfolio could generate between $15,000 and 25,000 annually using a 4% safe withdrawal rate, supplementing Social Security or pensions.

This income provides flexibility to retire comfortably, travel, or pursue passions, far surpassing the average U.S. retirement savings of $87,000.

SPY’s stability suits those with long-term horizons, too. Its diversified holdings weather economic cycles, from dot-com busts to pandemics, as large-cap firms adapt to challenges. Unlike speculative assets like crypto, SPY’s track record offers predictability, which is crucial for risk-averse investors. Moreover, its 1.3% dividend yield — while modest — provides passive income, which can be reinvested to accelerate growth.

Step-by-Step

To start, open a brokerage account with no minimums, such as at Fidelity or Charles Schwab, and buy SPY shares or fractions (SPY stock currently costs $527 a share). Set up automatic $100 monthly contributions, adjustable to income so you’re putting more away the more you earn every year.

Avoid market timing, though, as consistency is better than speculation. And make sure to reinvest dividends to maximize compounding.

Monitor your account annually, but resist panic-selling during downturns, as the S&P 500 historically recovers. Bull markets always follow bear markets.

Certainly there are risks as markets do crash as you can see today. But buying the dip can be the stepping stone to great wealth because SPY’s broad exposure and low costs mitigate these concerns. SPY can serve as a solid core to your portfolio.

Key Takeaways

A $500 investment in SPY, paired with regular contributions, can set someone up for life by leveraging diversification, low costs, and compounding. The S&P 500’s historical returns transform modest savings into substantial wealth over decades, offering retirement security or financial freedom.

By starting small, investing consistently, and staying disciplined, anyone can harness SPY’s power to build a prosperous future, proving that wealth-building is within reach, even with just $500.

The post The $500 SPY Maneuver That Could Set Your Portfolio For Life appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Should You Stop Saving for Retirement and Hoard Cash?

Maurie Backman — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:36:32 -0400

Key Points

Stock market volatility and recession fears have a lot of people on edge.
You may be tempted to stop funding your retirement savings and bank more emergency savings.
Try to stay the course on investing for the future and take advantage of stocks while they’re cheaper.
Are you ahead, or behind on retirement? SmartAsset’s free tool can match you with a financial advisor in minutes to help you answer that today. Each advisor has been carefully vetted, and must act in your best interests. Don’t waste another minute; get started by clicking here.(Sponsor)

The month of April has been a pretty wild one as far as the stock market and economy are concerned. Tariff policies announced earlier in the month send stock values plunging. And while there’s been back and forth in terms of tariff enforcement and market movement, all told, a lot of people are currently unhappy with where their portfolios stand.

There’s also more general uncertainty in the context of the broad economy. A number of financial experts have upped the odds of a near-term recession. And there’s concern that tariffs will drive prices upward, leading to lingering or worsening inflation. An uptick in unemployment is also a possibility.

At a time like this, you may be tempted to stop funding your retirement savings and hoard cash instead. But while it’s a good idea to try to boost your emergency fund, it’s not wise to start letting your retirement savings fall by the wayside.

Don’t lose sight of the big picture

It’s easy to see why you’d want to stop saving for retirement right about now. Stocks are a nightmare and you may be worried about losing your job if the economy sours.

But one thing you should remember is that stock market volatility is normal, and that you need stocks to help grow your nest egg in the long run. Also, a great time to add stocks to your retirement portfolio is when the market is down. If you can load up on quality stocks at a discount, you stand to make money over time as the market improves.

You should also remember that there can be tax benefits to funding a retirement account. Traditional IRA and 401(k) plan contributions exempt some of your income from taxes. If you decide to stop funding one of these accounts to hang onto more cash instead, you could end up owing the IRS more money than you’d like to.

Boost your cash savings, but stick to your long-term plans

Given the state of the stock market and economy, now’s not a bad time to assess your emergency savings. You should ideally have enough of a cushion to cover three months of essential bills at a minimum, because if you end up out of a job, it could easily take that long to find another.

If you don’t have a three-month emergency fund, then it’s a good idea to stockpile some cash in the coming months until you reach that point. But once you’re comfortable with your level of emergency savings, you should continue to prioritize your retirement savings and buy stocks for your long-term portfolio.

At the same time, though, make sure your portfolio is well diversified. While that won’t completely protect you from losses, it could help minimize them during periods of market turbulence.

You should also make sure your portfolio is age-appropriate. If you’re inching closer to retirement, it may be time to start scaling back on stocks. But that doesn’t mean that you should abandon stocks — or your savings efforts.

It’s important to stick to your original game plan if you want to be able to enjoy a comfortable retirement down the line. If you let current market events spook you, you risk ending up with a shortfall later in life.

The post Should You Stop Saving for Retirement and Hoard Cash? appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

I’m 44y old and am worth $10 million. My lifestyle costs $360,000 per year, is a financial advisor worth it?

Christy Bieber — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:35:02 -0400

Key Points

A Reddit user has $10 million and spends $30K a month.
He’s had a bad experience with financial advisors and he’s not sure if he should hire another one.
Many other Redditors have had a great experience, and the key is finding the right professional to help.
Are you ahead, or behind on retirement? SmartAsset’s free tool can match you with a financial advisor in minutes to help you answer that today. Each advisor has been carefully vetted, and must act in your best interests. Don’t waste another minute; get started by clicking here here.(Sponsor)

A 44-year-old Reddit user with $10 million is wondering whether a financial advisor is worth hiring.

He said he spends $30K a month or $360,000 per year, which he is comfortable with, but that he could reduce if needed. After he sold his business, he worked with two different financial advisors, but he wasn’t happy with either of them. Now he’s wondering if hiring an advisor is worth it at all.

Past problems lead to questions about whether professional help is worthwhile

The Reddit poster is questioning whether it is worth hiring a financial advisor because he had two bad experiences when he hired help managing his money in the past.

Both of the firms he hired to help him completed a basic financial plan and worked with him to invest his money in a balanced portfolio. They also hooked his account up to software that performs automated trading. Unfortunately, neither advisor spent much time with him or did any meaningful updates to his financial plans, and neither advisor fulfilled the expectations he had when he hired them.

His first advisor, he ended up firing because it took too long for him to answer basic questions, and the second one he’s firing due to unkept promises and bad advice. He’s thinking about working with a third professional who has quoted him a fee for services equal to a percentage of assets under management, but he’s not sure if he is worth the $50,000 annual fee that the new advisor would charge.

Is it worth hiring a financial advisor to help you manage your $10 million nest egg?

The reality is that some financial advisors out there provide bad advice — but that does not mean that the profession as a whole does. There are people in every profession who aren’t great at what they do, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on the entire profession.

Many other Reddit posters chimed in to share their great experience they had with the advisors that they had hired in the past.

One commentator said they “love” their advisor because the person they work with manages all of their financial affairs, including structuring their investments and debt and getting them into investments not sold to the public, including real estate, private debt, and private equity. The advisor even works with the commentator’s CPA to get taxes done. He doesn’t have to think about his money, and he makes more than he would on his own, even after accounting for fees.

Another poster suggested hiring an advisor who charges on a fee-only basis, and hiring someone only after doing a lot of research to find the right person. And some posters warned that if you overestimate your own abilities to make the most of your money, you could end up missing out on opportunities — and that could come at a far greater cost than the fees you’d pay to a professional.

Ultimately, the reality is that advisors can do a lot for you, as these other Redditors explained. The key is to just find the right one. Do your research to understand the different fee structures, ask detailed questions when interviewing potential advisors to make sure you are aligned on the services you expect them to provide, and check out reviews carefully. You should also pay attention to whether you feel your advisor communicates with you and has a plan for your money that you’re comfortable with.

After finding the right person, you will have an advisor who helps you grow your wealth without much effort on your part, so you can enjoy the money you made with the peace of mind of knowing your finances are being taken care of.

The post I’m 44y old and am worth $10 million. My lifestyle costs $360,000 per year, is a financial advisor worth it? appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

UK bans EVs from some military bases over Chinese spy fears

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:26:01 -0400

Concerns that sensors in electric vehicles could be used to gather intelligence

Live Nasdaq Composite: CSX (Nasdaq: CSX) Rises Amid Pivot to Earnings

Gerelyn Terzo — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:16:38 -0400

Live Updates

Live Coverage Updates appear automatically as they are published.

Market Gains Slip

8:17 am

The Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 are struggling to keep their grip on gains after coming out of the gate higher, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average remains pressured with a 1.2% loss on the day. UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH) stock is a major drag on the Dow, owing to disappointing quarterly results, while CSX (Nasdaq: CSX) remains a bright spot, rising 1.2% on the day.

Chip stock Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM) is up nearly 1% this morning on a bullish report out of Citi analysts.

Sector performance is largely positive, led by a 2.4% gain in energy stocks but dampened by a tech sector that has just turned south.

After yesterday’s massive technology sell-off, the markets are licking their wounds, with the three major stock market averages giving a mixed showing. Among the gainers is the Nasdaq Composite with a 0.63% advance and the S&P 500 also fractionally higher while the Dow Jones Industrial Average is currently erasing over 400 points. Most sectors of the economy are seeing green today, a complete reversal from yesterday’s leader board. The markets are still processing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s comments from yesterday, which were on the hawkish side of monetary policy.

Earnings are capturing some attention away from tariffs with railway CSX (Nasdaq: CSX) gaining 1% on the heels of its Q1 print. CSX faced challenges in the quarter, including a 7% year-over-year decline in revenue, but met consensus expectations amid a backdrop of weaker coal prices and dwindling fuel surcharges.

Big Tech is mostly showing green this morning but remains mired in losses over the past five-day stretch, including a 2% drop in Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), 14% decline in Meta (Nasdaq: META) and nearly 9% drop in Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) over the past week or so.

UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH) is a big drag on the Dow, shaving off 18% of its value today alone on disappointing earnings results.

Here’s a look at the performance as of morning trading:

Dow Jones Industrial Average: Down 446 (-1.09%)
Nasdaq Composite: Up 118.75 (+0.65%)
S&P 500: Up 22 (+0.41%)

Market Movers

Qualcomm (Nasdaq; QCOM) is rising today on the heels of a bullish report out of Citi analysts, who reportedly raised estimates on the company and added it to their positive catalyst watchlist thanks to robust demand for its chipsets out of China. QCOM stock has been volatile and is down 11% year-to-date.

Citi also likes Generac Holdings (Nasdaq: GNRC), upgrading the stock to “buy” with a “high-risk” tone from “neutral.”

BMO has upgraded shares of wood producer (NYSE: TREX) Trex to “outperform” from “market perform,” calling shares attractive. The stock is up 1.8% today.

The post Live Nasdaq Composite: CSX (Nasdaq: CSX) Rises Amid Pivot to Earnings appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

These 2 Dividend Giants Are at 52-Week Lows. Time to Buy?

Rich Duprey — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:08:16 -0400

One man’s trash may be another man’s treasure, but dumpster diving when investing carries risks. You have to wade through a lot of junk to potentially find a nugget of gold.

While cheap stocks trading at 52-week lows are often cheap for a reason, sometimes good companies are mistakenly tossed into the trash bin too. Despite still having solid, long-term growth prospects, they are cast aside by the market along with the dreck.

That’s where being a savvy investor comes in. Being contrarian, you can pick up these hidden gems at a significant discount and profit all the way to the bank when their fortunes turn. Below are two standout stocks that recently hit their low point, but are still gleaming beneath the grime.

24/7 Wall St. Insights:

Stocks trading at 52-week lows often deserve to be discounted, but not all, and investors can find real bargains to buy among them.
The two stocks below recently hit new lows, yet a closer examination shows why they are really hidden gems.
Sit back and let dividends do the heavy lifting for a simple, steady path to serious wealth creation over time. Grab a free copy of “2 Legendary High-Yield Dividend Stocks” now.

Eli Lilly (LLY)

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) recently touched its 52-week low of $677 a share, yet it remains a compelling investment due to its robust fundamentals, innovative pipeline, and resilient market position. The stock’s dip more reflects short-term market pressures than any deterioration in its long-term value, making it an attractive buy for patient investors.

The primary driver of Lilly’s appeal is its blockbuster drugs, particularly its diabetes and obesity therapy tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound, respectively). With clinical trials showing Zepbound caused almost 21% average weight loss, demand for the drug in the $100 billion weight-loss market is soaring. Zepbound sales rocketed to $1.2 billion from $176 million a year ago after it was introduced while Mounjaro soared 60%.

Despite competition from Novo Nordisk’s (NYSE:NVO) Wegovy, Lilly’s dual GLP-1/GIP mechanism and oral drug pipeline, such as orforglipron, make it the more popular therapy today. Analysts project 42% compound annual revenue growth through 2030, driven by obesity and Alzheimer’s treatments like Kisunla.

Down 25% from its peak, LLY’s decline stems from market rotation away from high-valuation pharma stocks and concerns over patent cliffs. However, Lilly’s forward P/E ratio of 25 is justified by its growth trajectory, compared to the S&P 500’s 17. Although its dividend yields just 0.7% annually, it has made a payout for 35 consecutive years while consistently increasing it for the last 10 at an 11% annual rate.

Lilly’s $11 billion R&D investment in 2024, focusing on oncology and neurodegenerative diseases, ensures future revenue streams. Strategic acquisitions, like last year’s Morphic for autoimmune treatments, bolster its portfolio. Despite short-term volatility, Lilly’s leadership in high-demand therapeutic areas, strong financials, and innovation make it a solid buy at its current discount.

Exxon Mobil (XOM)

The second dividend giant to be tossed out with the bathwater is oil behemoth Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), which recently hit a 52-week low of $126 per share, yet remains a stock investors should buy due to its rock-solid fundamentals, strategic positioning, and attractive valuation. For investors seeking stability and income, XOM stock is worth considering.

Exxon’s strength lies in its integrated business model, spanning upstream (exploration), midstream (pipelines), and downstream (refining) operations. Despite oil price volatility, Exxon’s diversified operations ensure steady cash flows. Its 2024 net income of $33.7 billion, or $7.84 per share, down 6% from 2023, but were ahead of analyst expectations as it offered up its highest production levels in a decade. It achieved record production in its oil-rich assets in the Permian Basin and Guyana and its $59.5 billion Pioneer Natural Resources acquisition.

The International Energy Agency forecasts oil demand growth will hit 105 million barrels per day by 2030, while Goldman Sachs analysts expect it to continue growing beyond that till 2034.

XOM stock’s 18% decline to a 52-week low stems from fears of oversupply and economic slowdown, yet Exxon’s forward price-to-earnings ratio of 12 signals its shares are undervalued. Its 3.7% dividend yield, with 42 consecutive years of increases, is what attracts most income investors, and far surpasses the S&P 500’s 1.4%. Exxon’s $20 billion share repurchase program further enhances shareholder value as it returned $36 billion to shareholders last year between dividends and buybacks.

Possessing strong liquidity and a 0.18 debt-to-equity ratio ensures financial flexibility. Despite near-term oil price headwinds, Exxon’s operational strength, dividend reliability, and strategic diversification make it a solid buy at its current discount.

The post These 2 Dividend Giants Are at 52-Week Lows. Time to Buy? appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

IMF chief cuts growth forecast over ‘off the charts’ trade uncertainty

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:01:54 -0400

Kristalina Georgieva warns that Donald Trump’s tariff ‘reboot’ threatens to raise prices and play havoc with markets

IMF Warns Trump Tariffs Will Weaken Economy and Increase Inflation

Alan Rappeport — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:00:06 -0400

Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, warned in a speech that protectionism erodes productivity.

Turkey’s central bank raises interest rate to 46%

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:45:37 -0400

Unexpected move comes after US tariffs and arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival

Nvidia C.E.O. Meets With Chinese Trade Officials in Beijing

Meaghan Tobin — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:42:23 -0400

The day before the visit by Jensen Huang, lawmakers in Washington said they were investigating whether the chipmaker’s sales in China violated U.S. rules.

As Gun Sales Decline, These Companies Continue to Lead the Industry

Jennifer Geer — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:27:44 -0400

Gun sales have been on the decline for several years. Recent reports show that since 2020, after a surge of gun sales during the pandemic, sales numbers have dropped. Also, gun production has been declining since 2021 to match consumer demand. However, sales are still mainly higher than they were before the pandemic. Since 1899, 500 million guns have been produced for the U.S. market.

Despite declining gun sales, there are thousands of gun manufacturers in the U.S. In 1975, according to the ATF, there were 364 licenses issued to gun manufacturers in the United States. By 2022, that number had climbed to 18,784. The largest increase has occurred after 2010. In 2010, there were 4,293 licenses issued. But that number rose over 14,000 in under 15 years. (Also see the top-selling guns of all time.)

24/7 Wall St. took a look at which of the thousands of gun manufacturers in America have the biggest sales. The top-selling companies listed below have dominated the firearm market for many years. According to the ATF, the top three companies on this list accounted for 42% of all firearm manufacturing in the U.S. between 2016 and 2020.

24/7 Wall St. identified the 25 most popular firearm companies in the U.S. by reviewing a report from Gun Genius, which analyzed sales data from the online firearm marketplace GunBroker.com. We ranked brands on sales volume in the 2024 calendar year, though exact sales figures were not provided.

(This article was updated on April 17, 2025, to reflect the decrease in gun sales over the past few years.)

Why It Matters Right Now

Gun sales have been on the decline since the rise in sales during the pandemic. And yet, on a global scale, American consumer demand for firearms remains unmatched. Thousands of gunmakers have operations in the U.S. These companies range in size from small-scale operations to major enterprises that rank among the largest names in global arms manufacturing. Despite the crowded field of suppliers, a handful of firearm brands stand out as being especially popular with gun owners in the United States.

See the 25 most popular firearm companies in the United States:

25. Canik Arms

Popular models include: Mete MC9 pistols, TP9 pistols, SFX pistols
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Delray Beach, Florida
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1998 (In 2012, Canik partnered with Century Arms to introduce Canik, USA)
Manufacturer’s parent company: Samsun Yurt Savunma

24. Rossi Firearms

Popular models include: R92 rifle, R95 rifle
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Bainbridge, Georgia
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1889
Manufacturer’s parent company: Taurus Armas, S.A.

23. FN Herstal

Popular models include: Reflex series pistols, 502 series pistols, SCAR series rifles
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: McLean, Virginia
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1889
Manufacturer’s parent company: FN Browning Group

22. Walther Arms, Inc.

Popular models include: PDP pistols, PPK pistols, CCP Pistols
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Fort Smith, Arkansas
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1886
Manufacturer’s parent company: Carl Walther GmbH

21. Benelli

Popular models include: M2 shotgun, M4 shotgun, Nova shotgun, Super Black Eagle shotgun
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Accokeek, Maryland
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1911
Manufacturer’s parent company: Beretta Holding Group

20. KelTec

Popular models include: KSG shotgun, SUB-2000 rifle
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Cocoa, Florida
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1991
Manufacturer’s parent company: None

19. Marlin Firearms

Popular models include: Model 1894 series rifles, Model 1895 series rifles, Marlin Model 336 series rifles
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Madison, North Carolina
Manufacturer’s founding date: 2020
Manufacturer’s parent company: Sturm, Ruger & Co.

18. GForce Arms

Popular models include: GFS shotgun
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Reno, Nevada
Manufacturer’s founding date: 2020
Manufacturer’s parent company: None

17. Remington Arms

Popular models include: 870 series shotguns, 700 series rifles
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Madison, North Carolina
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1816
Manufacturer’s parent company: Roundhill Group

16. Heckler & Koch

Popular models include: VP9 pistol, P30 pistol, P2000 pistol, MR556 A4 rifle
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Columbus, Georgia
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1949
Manufacturer’s parent company: H&K

15. Kimber Manufacturing

Popular models include: Hunter rifles, Raptor II pistol, CDP pistol
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Troy, Alabama
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1979
Manufacturer’s parent company: None

14. Winchester Repeating Arms Company

Popular models include: Model 94 rifles, Super X Pump shotgun, Super X4 shotgun
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: New Haven, Connecticut
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1866
Manufacturer’s parent company: FN Browning Group

13. Savage Arms, Inc.

Popular models include: 110 rifles Axis rifle, Model 320 shotgun
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Westfield, Massachusetts
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1894
Manufacturer’s parent company: Long Range Acquisition LLC

12. O.F. Mossberg & Sons Inc.

Popular models include: Maverick 88 shotguns, Model 500 shotguns, Model 590 shotguns, Model 940 shotguns
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: North Haven, Connecticut
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1919
Manufacturer’s parent company: None

11. Taurus USA

Popular models include: Judge revolver, Model 856 revolvers, Raging Hunter revolver
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Bainbridge, Georgia
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1982
Manufacturer’s parent company: Taurus Armas, S.A.

10. Browning Arms Company

Popular models include: A5 shotgun, BAR rifle, Citori shotgun, Cynergy shotgun, X-Bolt rIfle
Manufacturer’s U.S. headquarters: Morgan, Utah
Manufacturer’s founding date: 1878
Manufacturer’s parent company: FN Browning Group

9. Henry Repeating Arms

describes the F-47 as “the world’s first sixth-generation fighter aircraft.” Boeing will lead the aircraft’s development. The F-47 will have a modular design and will integrate sensor fusion, long-range strike capabilities, and next-generation stealth technology. According to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the F-47 shows U.S. allies that we are capable of power and warns enemies of our abilities in times of conflict. (Compare the oldest and newest fighter jets in modern air forces.)

Part of the ability to project power and earn air supremacy is range — aircraft must be able to travel for long ranges without refueling, providing more support to troops in combat situations that are farther away. Here, 24/7 Wall St. took a look at the U.S. military aircraft with the longest operational ranges. To do so, we used a variety of sources including aircraft range rankings from Military Firepower, fact sheets from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, and articles from The Defense Post, U.S. Strategic Command, and more. We listed these aircraft in ascending order from lowest to highest range. We excluded any aircraft that have been retired from service, but did include aircraft that will soon enter service.

This previously published article was updated on April 17, 2025 to highlight the U.S. military’s attempts to gain air superiority and how that has been perceived throughout the world.

Why Is Air Power Projection Important?

It’s strategically important for the United States to be able to project air power over long distances. This lets the military defeat adversaries with overwhelming force without having to cross other countries’ territories and difficult terrain by land. This means we don’t have to maintain as many overseas military bases, get permission from countries to cross their territory, or lose the element of surprise. But while the U.S. seems to be excited about the F-47, is this enough to earn air supremacy? Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, reported to the U.S. Senate that China was also developing several intercept missiles and stealth fighters that could make it impossible for either China or the U.S. to maintain supremacy. Whether that’s true is yet to be seen.

Check out the U.S. military aircraft with the longest ranges:

11. B-2 Spirit

This heavy stealth bomber has a range of 6,000 nautical miles but can go up to 10,000 with one refueling. The B-2 Spirit is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions, bypassing the most advanced enemy defenses to take out heavily defended targets. Its surface is made of composite materials to reduce its electromagnetic, infrared, and radar signatures, making it virtually “invisible” to detection. This aircraft has a crew of 2 pilots and can reach altitudes of 50,000 feet.

10. B-1 Lancer

The U.S. Air Force currently operates 45 of these supersonic warplanes, which have an operational range of 7,456 miles. The mission of the Lancer is as a long-range heavy bomber carrying the largest payloads of conventional weapons in the Air Force inventory. Among other things, it is able to track, target, and engage moving vehicles. The B-1 Lancer has seen several combat scenarios, including Iraq (Operation Desert Fox, 1998), Kosovo (1999), Afghanistan (2001), and Iraq (2003).

9. KC-46 Pegasus

Approximately 89 KC-46 Pegasus aircraft are currently in service. These planes have a range of 7,581 miles and serve as cargo and troop transports and as tankers for mid-air refueling. Equipped as a tanker, the KC-46 has a fuel capacity of 212,000 pounds. For comparison, the B-2 Spirit has a fuel capacity of 167,000 pounds and a full fuel load for the B-52 Stratofortress is 312,197 pounds.

8. E-6 Mercury

The E-6 Mercury is a U.S. Navy aircraft, with 16 actively in service. The purpose of these aircraft is to provide airborne command posts and communications relays for the military in the event of a national crisis. For example, in a nuclear conflict they would connect the president or other acting authority to the U.S. Navy ballistic submarine fleet to order nuclear missile launches. The range of the E-6 Mercury is 7,519 miles. It has been actively serving since 1989.

7. RAPCON-X

The Sierra Nevada Corporation proposed RAPCON-X as an option for the U.S. Air Force. This Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) special-mission aircraft allows for the rapid reconfiguration of defense systems for new operations, and supports signals intelligence, electro-optical surveillance, and ground moving-target tracking. The aircraft, which has a maximum operational range of 7,596 miles, took its inaugural flight in November 2024.

6. EA-37B Compass Call

Developed by BAe Systems, the EA-37B is an electronic warfare aircraft that U.S. Air Force pilots began training with in 2024. These innovative aircraft have an operational range of 7,767 miles and can fly at an impressive 652 miles per hour. The EA-37B was initially called the EC-37B to reflect its Electronic Attack positioning. Given its upgraded technology, the EA-37B will play a crucial role in disrupting enemy communications, processing information, and deploying offensive counter-information and electromagnetic attack capabilities.

5. Air Force One (Boeing VC-25)

Air Force One is the presidential transport aircraft. This aircraft is equipped for security and communications so it can function as a full-fledged presidential office: a “flying White House,” if we may. It can fly a distance of 7,800 miles without refueling. However, Air Force One can actually be refueled during flight, which can extend its range. Air Force One also has a conference and dining room, medical equipment and supplies, and an executive stateroom on board.

4. LMXT (KC-Y Bridge Tanker)

Okay, so the LMXT (KC-Y Bridge Tanker) has actually not been developed yet, but is slated for delivery in 2029 or 2030. This aerial refueling tanker aircraft will be developed by Lockheed Martin, with a goal of meeting the U.S. Air Force’s need for the standing KC-Y “Bridge Tanker” requirement. The LMXT, which should have an operational range of 9,196 miles, would be capable of refueling all current U.S. Air Force aircraft including F-22 and F-15 air superiority fighters, F-35A strike fighters, F-16 lightweight fighters, B-1 strategic bombers, C-17 heavy airlifters, and E-3/E-7/P-8 special-mission platforms.

3. MQ-4C Triton

The MQ-4C Triton, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), has a range of 9,436 miles. This aircraft is similar in design to the RQ-4 Global Hawk, but a “navalized” version — that is, the MQ-4C Triton is designed for maritime surveillance and reconnaissance. Reaching ceilings of over 60,000 feet, this Northrup Grumman UAV could play a role in addressing instability and conflict in Asia.

2. B-52 Stratofortress

The B-52 Stratofortress is perhaps the most successful air asset the military has ever constructed. It has been in service since 1955 and continues to be an important part of the country’s strategic planning. It flies up to 50,000 feet high, has a range of 10,088 miles, and can carry conventional or nuclear payloads. Reaching nearly 600 miles per hour in speed, the B-52 Stratofortress has played an essential role in Operation Desert Strike (1996), Operation Enduring Freedom (2001), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003).

1. RQ-4 Global Hawk

First introduced in 2001, the RQ-4 Global Hawk, developed by Northrup Grummon for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, is a large-scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with with an operational range of 13,809 miles. These UAVs are designed to perform in all weather at high altitudes, with a ceiling of 60,000 feet. RQ-4 Global Hawk UAVs can loiter over areas for extended time to gather intelligence about enemy activities. The RQ-4 Global Hawk has seen use in several scenarios, including supporting combat missions in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom/ New Dawn, Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya, and humanitarian relief efforts during Operation Tomodachi in Japan. As it stands right now, the Air Force plans to retire the RQ-4 Global Hawk in 2027.

The post Which U.S. Military Aircraft Can Fly Nearly 14,000 Miles Before Refueling? appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

BP suffers biggest AGM protest vote in five years

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:47:55 -0400

Quarter of energy company’s investors vote against re-election of outgoing chair Helge Lund

My New Altitude Reserve Card Was Rejected by a Hotel Due to No Signature Strip—Now What?

Joey Frenette — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:36:33 -0400

Key Points

Never leave home without a backup credit card, especially if you’re traveling.
Having more than one credit card isn’t just great to have as a backup, it can jolt your credit score.
The right travel credit card can take you to places you’ve never dreamed of. Click here now to see our top picks. (Sponsor)

It’s a nightmare scenario for many as they travel abroad: that the one and only credit card in their wallet has been rejected. Undoubtedly, a credit card can be rejected for a whole slew of different reasons. Some may make absolutely no sense in your view.

In the case of a hotel, which needs your credit card details on file so that you can be charged after the fact for room service or anything else you add to your tab during your stay, a chat with the hotel manager may not be enough to get them to accept your credit card. Either way, I’ll react to a recent Reddit post involving a person that suffered a pretty awful experience with their brand-new Altitude Reserve Card. In short, the hotel turned down the card because it lacked a signature strip.

Indeed, this isn’t the only credit card out there without a strip. In fact, more cards could go without in the coming years. Like with taking away ports and headphone jacks on laptops, there’s probably going to be a bit of inconvenience and frustration from taking away older technologies that businesses may have yet to keep up with. In any case, one should expect that not all businesses have kept with the times. That’s why having a backup plan is so key, especially for those who travel abroad often.

In any case, let’s attempt to learn from this frustrated Reddit user’s experience so you don’t ever have to find yourself in a similar situation, which may not have easy answers.

Try a debit card, cash, Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal?

If your credit card gets rejected, it’s always a good idea to have a debit card or cash handy, especially if you’re on travel. Digital payment solutions, like Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal, may be seen as a “plan B” payment method if there’s no cash handy, and one has left their debit card at home.

As always, though, there’s no guarantee that a hotel will take such high-tech payment solutions. If a hotel doesn’t want to serve you because your credit card doesn’t have a signature strip, odds are such app-based payment methods also won’t cut it.

Of course, the last-resort solution would be to take your business with another hotel, preferably a chain hotel that’s adopted all the latest technologies. Though, getting a room without a reservation could prove tricky. As such, it’s best to be prepared with “Plan B” options next time around as there are a wider range of factors that could cause some establishments to not take a certain card.

Just carry a spare credit card and save yourself the hassle.

This one is a must for just about everyone, in my view. A second card, preferably with a different issuer, could save you when your primary card fails to go through. If one advanced card doesn’t have a signature strip, ensure your second one does. As an added plus, you may also be able to get a better credit score by holding onto more than one card, given your utilization rate would be lower given the sum of credit limits from two cards.

In any case, it’s always wise to leave home with more than one card in case the first comes up short for one reason or another. While the bad experience may be enough to cause some to ditch the card, I’d argue that it makes more sense to hang onto it while having a backup.

As premier as some credit cards are, such as the Altitude Reserve card, some may just come up short compared to the good, old-fashioned ones, like in the case of the Reddit user. Some cards, though prestigious, may just be ahead of their time for many businesses.

That’s a lesson that is best learned in the easy way.

The post My New Altitude Reserve Card Was Rejected by a Hotel Due to No Signature Strip—Now What? appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Millionaires Are Betting Big on This ETF—Should You?

Joel South — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:35:28 -0400

From April 2 to April 8, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEArca: VOO) plummeted a stomach-churning 12% as investors revolted against the implications of President Trump’s tariffs war-against-the-rest-of-the-world. The stock market bounced right back 9% last week after the President declared a unilateral ceasefire, however, and a 90-day pause in implementing (most of) the tariffs.

In the days since, the oscillations in the market have been milder, and as of noon ET on Monday, at least, the stock market seems to have found some equilibrium with “the Voo” trading just about $490. That’s still down more than 5% from where it was before the tariffs tantrum broke out, but it’s a bit easier of a drop for the ol’ tummy to take.

Still, investors may be wondering if now’s a safe time to re-enter the stock market, and whether the Voo is a safe way to do it.

On that score, some of the smartest (and wealthiest) players on the stock market seem to agree: Yes.

Key Points

The S&P 500 index lists America’s 500 largest publicly-traded companies.
The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF gives you a way to buy and sell all of these companies at once, just like a single stock, and for very low cost.
Warren Buffett once bet the S&P 500 would outperform the best hedge funds in the country, and he won that bet by a factor of 4x.
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What is the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF?

Let’s start with “what is the S&P 500” first! The S&P 500 is an index aggregating and weighting the stock prices of the 500 largest publicly-traded companies in America. Because of the size and the importance of the companies on this list, it’s often considered a proxy for “the stock market” in general.

Next, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF refers to an exchange-traded fund, which is to say, a mutual fund that trades like a stock, such that you could (theoretically) buy it and sell it multiple times on a given day, that is sponsored by financial powerhouse Vanguard. Like a mutual fund, “the Voo” charges a small fee for managing its holdings for you. But the fee is de minimis, only 0.03% of the value of the amount you invest. Thus, maintaining a $10,000 investment in the Voo will cost you only $3 per year.

Investing in the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, therefore, can perhaps most usefully be thought of as a way to cheaply buy (or sell) the entire stock market any time the market is open, just as if you were buying (or selling) an individual stock.

Why millionaires and even billionaires love the Voo

The next question then becomes, should you buy the Voo, or sell it? And the consensus of millionaires (and even billionaires) weighs heavily towards the former. Historical data show that the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF closely tracks the performance of the S&P 500, and the stock market, in general, such that over long periods of time you can reliably anticipate that the value of your money will rise at about 10% (not counting inflation or fees) annually.

Granted, in any given year, the stock market… and the S&P 500… and the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF too of course, can go either up or down. In fact, as the past couple weeks have demonstrated, you may not even have to wait a whole year to see the stock market go both up and down, and dramatically! But still, the long-term trend holds true:

10% per year, and trending sharply up the whole way, so long as you are patient, keep your money in the market, don’t try to time the market, and sell.

How confident are millionaires and billionaires that this approach to investing works? In 2008, in the middle of the Financial Crisis, Warren Buffett himself made a bet the head of the Protégé Partners LLC hedge fund that he could make more money investing in the S&P 500 over a 10-year timespan, than Protégé’s best stock analysts could make using their most sophisticated investing algorithms.

Nine years later, Protégé conceded that it had lost the bet. It total performance over the contest period was a meager 22%, versus a gain of better than 85% for the S&P.

All of which goes to show you, that if you want to make money in the stock market, the easiest way to do that is just to buy the whole stock market (or a representative sample like the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF), and wait patiently. You won’t “beat” the market…

But you’ll beat just about anybody else who tries to.

The post Millionaires Are Betting Big on This ETF—Should You? appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) Bull, Base, & Bear Price Prediction and Forecast (April 17)

Joel South — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:06:02 -0400

The trade war with China has been rough on Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) shares, which recently hit a year-to-date low below $87 apiece. Like its fellow Magnificent 7 members, Nvidia has struggled due to economic uncertainties due to the potential effects of tariffs, as well as to Chinese AI innovations. Bears see Nvidia stock falling further due to bearish pressure from the broader market. Yet, some investors remain optimistic for a sustained rebound in the coming months. Perhaps even a revisit to all-time highs if tariff fears dissipate and macro data gets better.

24/7 Wall St. Key Points:

Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock has bounced from a recent year-to-date low.
The AI darling is still at a crossroads, and many are confused about where the stock could go next.
This analysis looks at three scenarios and where Nvidia stock could be in 2030.
Nvidia made early investors rich, but there is a new class of “The Next Nvidia Stocks” that could be even better. Click here to learn more.

The bearish argument has won out on Wall Street so far this year. While the AI rally can return if things improve, it remains speculative, whereas the reasons for Nvidia stock’s decline are genuine.

Nvidia is at a true crossroads right now. We do not know for sure where the stock will go next, but with the data on hand, we can speculate. That’s what we are doing here.

Three Key Drivers of Nvidia Stock Performance Through 2030

Will Nvidia continue to lead in AI?

1. AI Infrastructure Dominance: Nvidia controls an estimated 80% of the AI accelerator market through its H100/H200 GPUs and CUDA software ecosystem. It is tough for Nvidia customers to switch to another supplier, and this has allowed it to dominate the industry, with customers coming for more year after year. As such, it is well-positioned to capture growth from the $400 billion AI chip market projected for 2030.

2. Data Center Expansion: Its data center revenue has surged from $4.3 billion in Q1 2023 to over $35.6 billion in Q4 2024. Maintaining leadership here requires continuous innovation in GPU architecture and energy efficiency as AI workloads grow exponentially. So far, Nvidia has managed to do that.

3. Margin Preservation: One of the biggest arguments against Nvidia is that it may not be able to hold on to its massive margins as competitors catch up and become more attractive to Nvidia’s customers. This has yet to happen, and Nvidia has been able to defend its hold on the market quite well. In turn, this has allowed the company to have industry-leading gross margins at 73% in Q4 FY2025.

Nvidia Stock Price Prediction in 2030: Bull, Bear, & Baseline

Will it reach new heights or tumble further?

24/7 Wall St. estimates that Nvidia’s stock price in 2030 will be $491 per share in our bull case, $362 in our base case, and $38 in our bear case. That would be up 388.8%, up 260.4%, and down 62.2%, respectively. Each of these estimates comes from a specific scenario analysis of Nvidia’s business segments.

The Bull Case for Nvidia’s Share Price

Assumptions for our bull case are as follows:

AI growth: Nvidia currently holds about 80% of the AI accelerator market. Analysts project this dominance could continue through Blackwell GPU adoption and CUDA’s software moat. This may allow data center revenue to grow at a 25% CAGR to $351 billion by 2030 vs. $115.2 billion in FY2025. Gross margins could remain above 70% due to limited competition in high-end AI training chips.
Automotive & robotics: A 50% CAGR in automotive revenue to $25 billion by 2030 is achievable if Level 4 autonomy reaches even 15-20% penetration.
Software: CUDA is already a big part of Nvidia’s moat, but this could get even better if the AI narrative succeeds in the long run. Perhaps Nvidia could even shift this to a SaaS model once more developers become dependent on it.

All things considered, $491 per share is possible, with around $240 billion in net income if all that revenue materializes and margins hold up. Investors will still have to pay a 50x TTM earnings multiple for the stock. The market cap would be $12 trillion.

The likelihood of this happening is quite low due to the amount of ground Nvidia would have to cover.

The Base Case for Nvidia’s Share Price

Assumptions for our base case are as follows:

AI growth: Data center growth can grow at 15% CAGR to $230+ billion by 2030. If Nvidia retains a 60% to 65% market share here, it could reach that goal, especially if competitors keep falling behind.
AI narrative success: The AI narrative would still have to succeed for Nvidia to reach our base case price of $362. Otherwise, there would be no growth, and investors would quickly slash the growth premium to a discount.

Nvidia’s valuation for the base case would be $8.9 trillion. I strongly recommend reading this share price forecast for a more detailed analysis of our base case.

The Bear Case for Nvidia’s Share Price

You may have noticed that there is a big gap between the base case and the bear case, and this is mostly because the bear case assumes that the AI narrative would fail.

If that happens, the result would be catastrophic for Nvidia and its stock. The only reason the shares trade at such a high valuation is that it is directly linked to AI and its prospects. Without it, it will return to being known as a gaming GPU company with some links to crypto mining.

Obviously, that will not happen. AI demand is not going to disappear overnight. However, what can happen is that AI development could slow down. As a result, Nvidia would slow down too. It needs continuous orders from hyperscalers and AI startups to maintain its momentum and strong margins. If AI slows down and companies are no longer willing to run massive AI models at a loss, they’re also unlikely to upgrade their GPUs to whatever Nvidia has to offer. This would crush Nvidia’s margins and turn revenue growth red, and investors would no longer pay a growth premium for the stock. $38 for such a scenario is reasonable, if not a bit rich, considering that would still leave Nvidia with a $932 billion valuation.

Regardless, our baseline remains at $362 for 2030.

The post Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) Bull, Base, & Bear Price Prediction and Forecast (April 17) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Is $2 Million Enough to Retire On? Ask These Questions to Find Out

Maurie Backman — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:05:20 -0400

Key Points

Whether $2 million suffices for your retirement depends on your needs and wants.
Look at your expenses and see if you can cut back.
Think about what your dream retirement entails.
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As of 2022, Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 had a median $200,000 in retirement savings. And if that sounds like it’s not a lot of money, well, it isn’t.

A $2 million nest egg, on the other hand, buys you a lot more options. With $2 million, you might be able to live quite comfortably and have plenty of money left over for surprise expenses that inevitably arise.

But is $2 million enough for you? Ask yourself these questions to find out.

1. What will my essential expenses look like?

A lot of people assume that their expenses will drop in retirement. And yours might, to some degree.

But there will always be expenses like housing, transportation, food, utilities, and healthcare that you’ll need to pay for. So it’s important to do an honest assessment of what those look like.

If you’re fairly close to retirement, you can probably estimate those expenses with relative ease by combing through recent bills. If you’re still a good five to 10 years away or more, you may need to do some educated guessing. But it’s important to establish that baseline to see how well a $2 million nest egg might hold up.

2. Can I trim expenses without being unhappy?

It may be that some of the expenses you anticipate having in retirement can be lowered. If you’re willing to downside into a smaller home, for example, you might slash costs like homeowners insurance, property taxes, and maintenance. And if you’re able to go from a two-car household to a single car, that helps shed a lot of expense, too.

But you also have to be realistic when you think about trimming expenses. If downsizing will mean moving to a new part of town where you don’t have friends close by, that could impact your quality of life in a negative way. So it may be worth it to pay your $12,000 annual property tax bill and $2,500 homeowners premiums, even if it’s possible to cut those costs and stretch your savings further.

3. What are my ultimate retirement goals?

A $2 million nest egg might do the job of covering your recurring living costs. It might also be enough to manage unpleasant financial surprises, like needing to replace your roof or have transmission work done on your car.

But it’s also important to think about what you want to do with your time in retirement, and how much your plans might cost. If you never got to travel much when you were working and raising kids, and you now want to take three long international trips a year in retirement, you might need more than $2 million to pull that off when you also factor in your recurring expenses.

But then again, you may have dreams of a simpler retirement — one where you spend time volunteering and helping to look after your grandkids. In that case, you may find that $2 million will more than suffice.

Ultimately, the amount of retirement savings you need to enjoy your senior years depends on you and you alone. While $2 million may be more than enough for some people, if it’s not enough for you, there’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s important to know what sort of nest egg to aim for based on your wants and needs.

To that end, it’s a good idea to sit down with a financial advisor. A professional can help you estimate the cost of your dream retirement so you can come up with a savings goal to target. They can also help you take steps to reach that goal over time.

The post Is $2 Million Enough to Retire On? Ask These Questions to Find Out appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Nio (NYSE: NIO) Stock Price Prediction and Forecast 2025-2030 (April 17)

Joel South — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:50:09 -0400

The tariff-driven market volatility has not been kind to shares of Chinese EV maker Nio Inc. (NYSE: NIO), which are off 28.2% in the past month. Though it recently reported a sharp increase in deliveries in the first quarter, its fourth-quarter report fell short of expectations on the top and bottom lines, along with a disappointing outlook for the year. This was the first report since the launch of its new mass-market brands, Onvo and Firefly.

24/7 Wall St. Key Points:

Nio is the third-largest electric vehicle company in China and the first to pioneer swappable battery packs.
Due to new product launches and growing market share, 24/7 Wall St. projects huge upside for the stock through the end of the decade.
If you’re looking for a megatrend with massive potential, make sure to grab a complimentary copy of our “The Next NVIDIA” report. It includes a complete industry map of AI investments, including many small caps.

The stock now is trading 19.3% lower than at the beginning of the year. Compared to a year ago, Nio’s share price is down 7.6%. Analyst sentiment has slipped too, with about half of 27 of them now recommending buying shares. Their mean price target is down to $5.07, though that suggests they see more than 48% upside in the next 12 months. Note that the high price target is up at $8.05. Last month, Citigroup maintained its Buy rating, with a price target of $8.10, after the earnings report. Mizuho just reiterated a Neutral rating.

There are some encouraging tailwinds for shareholders, though. In January, Nio rolled out its latest software update to European customers — version 2.4.0 of the Banyan operating system. This update introduces over 50 new features and enhancements, including a new driving mode specifically for the ET5 and ET5 Touring models. Inspired by Nio’s electric supercar, the EP9, this new “EP Mode” driving experience was previously only available in the Chinese market.

The Chinese carmaker’s high-performance models, which feature a +600-mile range, have caught the eye of vehicle enthusiasts and investors, while addressing range anxiety issues by creating battery swap technology as a supplement to charging. Nio is one of the 10 largest vehicle manufacturers in the world and the third largest in China.

From a stock performance standpoint, Nio has been a tale of two stories. When shares debuted on the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 12, 2018, at $9.90, they struggled to build that momentum. Not until the summer of 2020 did the stock began to surge, gaining over 810% from June 26, 2020, to Feb. 9, 2021, when the stock hit its all-time high of $62.84. Shares have fallen considerably since, but the long-term outlook remains strong.

24/7 Wall St. aims to provide readers with our assumptions about the stock’s prospects going forward, what growth we see in Nio stock for the next several years, and what our best estimates are for Nio’s stock price each year through 2030.

Nio Stock Early Stage Growth

The following is a table of Nio’s revenues, operating income, and share price for its first few years as a public company.

Year	Share Price (End of Year)	Revenues (CNY)*	Operating Income*
2018	$5.39	4,951.2	(9,595.6)
2019	$3.45	7,824.9	(11,079.2)
2020	$40.00	16,257.9	(4,607.6)
2021	$16.70	36,136.4	(4,496.3)
2022	$7.87	49,268.6	(15,640.7)
2023	$4.71	55,617.9	(22,655.2)

*Revenue and operating income in Billion CNY (1CNY=.14 USD)

Now let’s take a look at Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ: RIVN) in the first few years it was a publicly traded company (here is Rivian’s stock price forecast):

Year	Share Price (End of Year)	Revenues*	Operating Income**
2021	$50.24	$55.0	($4,220.0)
2022	$19.30	$1,658.0	($6,856.0)
2023	$10.70	$4,434.0	($5,739.0)
2024	$4.36	$4,997.0 TTM	(5,790.0) TTM

*Revenues in Billions
** Operating Income in Millions

The revenue growth for both firms is similar, but Rivian’s operating loss is more than double the yearly operating loss of Nio.

Nio formerly contracted its manufacturing to Jianghuai Automobile Group, paying a fee for each vehicle produced in addition to fixed cost. They have since acquired the factory from JAC. This agreement is beneficial for a young start-up in a very capital-intensive market. However, when scale is reached, the variable cost model has its downsides.

Three Key Drivers of Nio’s Stock Performance

Product Portfolio Expansion and Growing Market Share
- New Model Launches: Similar to Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), Nio started off with a higher-end roadster and used the higher-end models to re-invest into more affordable, mass-market vehicles. Nio aims to push further into price-conscious markets while also adding options for its more premium customers.
- Add-On Services: With Nio’s battery swap technology, the company plans to roll out an innovative battery-as-a-service solution for its customer base. The company plans on building over 4,000 swap stations by the end of 2025, with 1,000 of them being located outside of China.
Increased Vehicle Deliveries and Market Penetration
- Growing NEV Adoption: The market for new market vehicles (NEVs) is on the rise in China. Nio expects vehicle deliveries in 2025 to double the output from 2023 (roughly 165,000 units). This still only makes up about 2% of the Chinese NEV market and gives Nio plenty of roadway to grab market share for years to come.
- International Expansion: Nio’s strategy includes expanding its market presence outside China. The company built its first overseas battery-swap station in Hungary in 2022 and has several service centers and Nio accessory businesses throughout Europe.
- In December 2024, the company delivered 31,138 vehicles, good for a 72.9% year-over-year increase. In total, 221,970 vehicles were delivered in 2024, which was a year-over-year increase of 38.7% compared to 2023. Cumulative deliveries reached 671,564 as of Dec. 31, 2024.
Advancements in Technology and Customer Experience
- Battery and Charging Solutions: Nio’s advancements in battery technology and charging solutions aim to alleviate range anxiety among consumers and help lower the overall cost of the vehicle by 15% to 30%.
- Focus on Younger Consumers: Nio’s leadership in EV technology will provide brand equity to younger generations of drivers who value enhanced technology packages.

How Nio’s Next Five Years Could Play Out

Year	Revenue*	Shares Outstanding	P/S Est.
2025	97,052	2,050 mm	1x
2026	114,172	2,050 mm	1x
2027	134,643	2,050 mm	1.5x
2028	257,634	2,050 mm	1.5x
2029	176,533	2,050 mm	1.5x
2030	189,548	2,050 mm	2x

*Revenue in CYN millions

Compared to Rivian and Tesla, Nio’s price-to-sales valuation will be moderately discounted. While Nio is in solid financial standing and has a premium brand image, it is still uncertain how much competition the company will face in China and expanding overseas. The company is already spending a quarter of revenues on R&D and if Nio cannot capitalize on this spend, the stock price will be sluggish compared to North American EV manufacturers.

As mentioned, Wall Street analysts give Nio a one-year price target of $5.07, representing 48.22% upside potential from the current share price. Here at 24/7 Wall St., we expect to see revenue growth of 60% for the year, with a price-to-sales multiple of 1x, which puts our price target at $6.63, which would be a gain of 93.8% from today’s share price.

For 2030, we estimate Nio’s stock price to be $25.89 per share. Our estimated share price will be 657.0% higher than the current one.

Here is a look at our projections for the years in between:

Year	Price Target	Upside
2025	$6.63	93.8%
2026	$7.80	128.1%
2027	$13.80	303.5%
2028	$26.39	671.6%
2029	$18.08	428.6%
2030	$25.89	657.0%

The post Nio (NYSE: NIO) Stock Price Prediction and Forecast 2025-2030 (April 17) appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

S&P 500 May Drop 2,000 Points to 3,500

Douglas A. McIntyre — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:31:14 -0400

The S&P 500 trades at 5,360 today. If tariffs bite the economy and send the United States into a recession, it may well reset to where it was the last time bad news triggered deep anxiety about gross domestic product (GDP). It was 2,000 points below today’s level in September 2022, when it was at 3,585.

24/7 Wall St. Key Points:

If tariffs bite the economy and send the United States into a recession, the S&P 500 may well reset.
Concerns about inflation and job losses hamper consumer spending.
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The consumer price index rose 8.2% in September 2022, compared to the same month the year before. The price of gasoline rose almost 20%. Fuel oil costs rose 55%. Crude oil prices had topped $100 at midyear. The Russian invasion of Ukraine started earlier in the year, and it was unclear whether Russia might win the war quickly. Russia was among the largest suppliers of crude in the world.

In March 2022, the Federal Reserve began what would be the first of 11 increases in rates. GDP dropped in the first half of the year. It was the first decline since the COVID-19 pandemic started. There was a worry that consumers would pay more for mortgages, car loans, and credit cards. At the same time, consumer sentiment was weak.

Where We Stand Now

Tariffs and consumer sentiment and corporate earnings.

The current economic situation does not look a great deal different than it did in 2022. Fear of inflation has been caused by the supposed effects of tariffs. Not only could these cause inflation, but American jobs are on the line as China puts tariffs of over 100% on goods it imports from the United States.

Consumer sentiment has plunged in the past two months. According to the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers, “Consumer sentiment fell for the fourth straight month, plunging 11% from March.” Worry about job losses helped drag the number down. People also worry about a new jump in inflation.

Consumer spending is the engine of the U.S. economy, and thus the engine of the earnings of a huge number of the companies in the S&P 500. If earnings drive the market, it could be driven down sharply soon.

Americans Are Worried About a Recession. Here’s How to Prepare

The post S&P 500 May Drop 2,000 Points to 3,500 appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

The belated CLO ETF stress test

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:27:48 -0400

$JAAArgh

Global Payments to buy Worldpay in $24bn deal

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:14:28 -0400

Three-way transaction will hand fintech group FIS control of Worldpay’s issuer solutions arm

Powell Faces Pressure From the Markets and Trump Over Rates

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:11:11 -0400

The Fed chair signaled the central bank will stand pat on borrowing costs despite President Trump’s trade fight. Investors and the president aren’t happy.

Trump’s policies could give China lead in global energy race, say experts

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:01:01 -0400

Trade war and cleantech retreat are threats to US producers and may boost Beijing

Is geothermal the new zero-carbon answer to US power needs?

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:00:01 -0400

The renewable energy source is quietly gaining popularity even as Trump pursues his ‘drill, baby, drill’ agenda

Three ideas to energise British tech

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 06:51:47 -0400

A vibe shift is needed to close the gap between the UK and Silicon Valley

The Relief Rally Is Over: 4 Incredible Dividend Monarchs Are Our Safest Ideas Now

Lee Jackson — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 06:44:44 -0400

While it was fun while it lasted, as we have discussed before, inevitably, after vicious sell-offs like the one we saw from the market peak in February, which pushed the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq quickly into a brief bear market 20% decline territory, there is the potential for stunning bear market rallies. Almost every time, the snapback rally is a hedge fund and algorithmic trader contingent covering short positions, not a slew of new, excited long-term investors. While stocks have reset lower, there could be more downside before we see a real volume-led turnaround.

24/7 Wall St. Key Points:

Jumping back into the Magnificent 7 tech giants may not be the best move for investors now.
The Dividend Monarchs are among the safest and most dependable S&P 500 stocks.
Investors with significant unrealized gains should consider taking some profits and resetting to safer, higher ground.
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One of the best and safest ways to stay invested now is to consider moving some capital to the Dividend Monarchs. Like the Dividend Kings, the Dividend Monarchs are a group of stocks that have raised the dividend they pay to shareholders for at least 50 consecutive years. The difference between the Dividend Kings and the Dividend Monarchs boils down to the inclusion criteria required to be a member. To become a member of the Dividend Monarchs Index, stocks must:

Be a member of the S&P Composite 1500 Index.
Have a float-adjusted market capitalization of at least $2 billion.
Maintain a three-month average daily trading value of $5 million or more.

We screened the 39 companies in the S&P Dividend Monarch index and found four perfect safe-haven stocks for worried investors.

Why do we cover the Dividend Monarchs?

An S&P Dow Jones Indices report dated April 30, 2023, noted that the Dividend Monarchs Index outperformed both the broader market and the S&P Composite regarding return on equity and showed more consistent earnings. In addition, index members offer lower volatility and defensive characteristics that help during market sell-offs.

Johnson & Johnson

This American multinational corporation specializes in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical devices. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) is among the most conservative of the major pharmaceutical companies with a diverse product portfolio and a familiar, solid brand. The company researches, develops, manufactures, and sells a range of healthcare products. Its primary focus is products related to human health and well-being.

It operates through two segments:

Innovative Medicine
MedTech

The Innovative Medicine segment is focused on various therapeutic areas, including:

Immunology
Infectious diseases
Neuroscience
Oncology
Pulmonary hypertension
Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

Products in this segment are distributed directly to retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.

The MedTech segment encompasses a diverse portfolio of products utilized in orthopedics, surgery, interventional solutions, cardiovascular intervention, and vision. It also offers a commercially available intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) platform for the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Citigroup has a Buy rating with a $185 target price.

PepsiCo

This top consumer staples stock posted solid fourth-quarter earnings. And worldwide food and beverage company PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP) will continue to supply all the goods for the 2025 summer tailgates and parties.

Its Frito-Lay North America segment offers:

Lays and Ruffles potato chips
Doritos, Tostitos, and Santitas tortilla chips
Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, branded dips
Fritos corn chips

The company’s Quaker Foods North America segment provides:

Quaker Oatmeal
Grits
Rice cakes
Natural granola and oat squares
Pearl Milling mixes and syrups
Quaker Chewy granola bars
Cap’n Crunch cereal
Life cereal
Rice-A-Roni side dishes

PepsiCo’s North America Beverages segment offers beverage concentrates, fountain syrups, and finished goods under these brands:

Pepsi
Gatorade
Mountain Dew
Diet Pepsi
Aquafina
Diet Mountain Dew
Tropicana Pure Premium
Sierra Mist
Mug brands

Citigroup has a Buy rating to go with a $170 target price.

Target

This American retail corporation has a chain of discount department stores and hypermarkets. This stock remains a solid and safe retail total return play despite rough public relations issues over the past few years. Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) is a general merchandise retailer in the United States. It offers apparel for women, men, boys, girls, toddlers, infants, and newborns, as well as jewelry, accessories, and shoes. The company also offers beauty and personal care products, baby gear, cleaning, paper, and pet supplies.

Target also provides:

Dry grocery, dairy, frozen food, beverages, candy, snacks, deli, bakery, meat, and food service
Electronics, which includes video game hardware and software
Toys, entertainment, sporting goods, and luggage
Furniture, lighting, storage, kitchenware, small appliances, home décor, bed, and bath
Home Improvement
School/office supplies
Greeting cards, party supplies, and other seasonal merchandise

In addition, the company sells merchandise through periodic design and creative partnerships, shop-in-shop experiences, and in-store amenities. It also sells its products through its stores and digital channels, including Target.com.

Oppenheimer has an Outperform rating to go with a $165 target.

Lowe’s Companies

This company is one of the best big-box retailers to own now, and with the potential for a recession, do-it-yourself consumers could lead the way. Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a home improvement company that offers a complete line of products for construction, maintenance, repair, remodeling, and decorating.

It offers home improvement products in various categories, including:

Appliances
Seasonal and outdoor living
Lumber
Lawn and garden
Kitchens and baths
Hardware
Building materials
Millwork
Paint
Rough plumbing
Tools
Electrical, flooring
Decor

It is focused on offering a wide selection of national brand-name merchandise complemented by its selection of private brands. Its services include installed sales and Lowe’s Protection Plans and Repair Services.

The company offers installation services through independent contractors in many product categories. It offers extended protection plans for certain products within the appliances, kitchens and bath, decor, millwork, rough plumbing, electrical, seasonal, outdoor living, tools, and hardware categories.

Lowe’s Companies operates over 1,700 home improvement stores.

Telsey Advisory has an Outperform rating with a $305 target price.

Three Stocks Trading Under $10 That Deliver Ultra-High-Yield Dividends

The post The Relief Rally Is Over: 4 Incredible Dividend Monarchs Are Our Safest Ideas Now appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

Netflix Is Perfect Stock as Tariffs Rise

Douglas A. McIntyre — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 06:22:12 -0400

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) is a streaming business with a rapidly growing advertising business. Each is close to tariff-immune. That may be why its stock is up 14% in the past three months while the S&P 500 is down 11%. Netflix is about to announce earnings, which could give shares another boost.

24/7 Wall St. Key Points:

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) is close to tariff-immune.
That may be why its stock has outperformed, and upcoming earnings could give shares another boost.
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Why the Stock Is So Attractive Now

Wall Street optimism and a strong revenue forecast.

One analyst described why the stock is so attractive. TD Cowen’s John Blackledge wrote, “Given macro volatility, we view Netflix as arguably the most defensive stock in our coverage universe amid any broader slowdown.” If tariffs trigger a recession, people may give up many things. A Netflix Standard subscription at $17.99 is not likely among them.

The average price target among the 48 analysts who cover Netflix is $1,066. The stock currently trades at $961. Thirty-three rate it as a “strong buy” or a “buy.”

In the most recent quarter, Netflix revenue rose 16% to $10.2 billion. The company forecast it to rise another 11% to $10.4 billion in the quarter about to be announced. In the recently reported quarter, subscribers rose 301 million from 260 million in the year-ago period. Netflix does not offer a forecast for future subscriber totals.

The company has made positive comments about its advertising business. Subscribers can get a Netflix service supported by ads, which drops the monthly cost of a subscription to $7.99 a month. Management commented, “We’re on track to reach sufficient scale for ads members in all of our ads countries in 2025. A top priority in 2025 is to improve our offering for advertisers so that we can substantially grow our advertising.”

There are no tariffs on streaming services because there is nothing to levy tariffs against. A recent Bloomberg headline read, “Netflix Defies Big Tech Slump as Wall Street Seeks Tariff Haven.”

Hefty tariffs have begun in the trade war with China. The United States may add other countries to the trade war as well. This would batter many American companies. Netflix is not among them.

Netflix Stock Price Prediction and Forecast 2025-2030

The post Netflix Is Perfect Stock as Tariffs Rise appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

TSMC denies chip tie-up in prospect with struggling Intel

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 05:50:05 -0400

World’s biggest semiconductor maker has been under pressure from Trump administration to help out Silicon Valley rival

Can China Fight Deflation and Trump’s Tariffs at the Same Time?

Alexandra Stevenson — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 05:18:31 -0400

China is facing a double whammy: corrosive deflation and tariffs that threaten to block trade. Chinese workers will be the biggest casualties.

Nvidia chief Jensen Huang flies to Beijing for talks

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 05:17:03 -0400

Meetings with Chinese vice-premier and DeepSeek founder come after US clamps down on chipmaker’s sales to the country

A Cheapskate in London: Travel on a Budget

Elaine Glusac and Alice Zoo — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 05:00:33 -0400

Our Frugal Travel columnist took a budget-stretching, four-day trip to one of the world’s most expensive cities. Would chasing bargains lessen, or enhance, her experience?

Maryland Mental Hospital With Painful History to Rebuild

Alexander Nazaryan — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 05:00:14 -0400

The former Hospital for the Negro Insane of Maryland was once the state’s most crowded psychiatric institution. Pulling off a plan to redevelop it won’t be easy.

TSMC’s new shape and two weeks of tariff trauma

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 04:29:00 -0400

The inside story on the Asia tech trends that matter, from Nikkei Asia and the Financial Times