The Motley Fool

Procrastination is costly

Fool’s School

Putting off doing important things is a bad habit — and it can be particularly costly when you put off tending to your finances. For example, don’t wait to pay off high-interest-rate debt or to set aside money for emergency expenses. Delaying building your future financial security by saving and investing is another costly mistake. This example may be eye-opening: […]

Not paying attention

My Dumbest Investment

My most regrettable investing move was not paying attention to SunEdison and Peabody Energy before they filed for bankruptcy protection. Now I’m stuck! — S., online The Fool Responds: Ouch. Both of those companies faced serious challenges and ended up filing for bankruptcy protection. Renewable energy enterprise SunEdison ran into trouble after aggressively trying to grow by taking on debt […]

Tax efficiency swing trading vs. day trading

Ask the Fool

Q: What does “tax efficiency” mean for a mutual fund? — K.R., Dayton, Ohio A: The tax efficiency of a mutual fund describes what portion of the fund’s profits is taxable. A fund with a low rate of buying and selling will generate fewer (or smaller) taxable distributions of gains or losses to shareholders, and is said to be “tax-efficient.” […]

Last week’s trivia answer

I trace my roots back to 1946, when I was founded as an investment adviser for a mutual fund. I soon launched more funds, and in 1974, the first money market fund that offered check-writing. I began offering IRAs in 1975 and 401(k)s in 1982. Today, based in Boston, I boast $11.5 trillion in assets under administration and employ more […]

Dependable income

The Motley Fool Take

Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) belongs to an elite group of companies that have increased their dividends annually for at least 50 consecutive years. The stock had a recent dividend yield of 3.1%, more than double the S&P 500’s dividend yield of 1.5%. Of course, an above-average yield means nothing if the stock declines substantially. But Coca-Cola is on solid financial footing, […]

Name That Company

I trace my roots back to 1946, when a former grocery stock boy and his wife launched Zero Foods to sell and distribute frozen foods. In 1969, it joined with eight other small food distributors, forming me. I grew and expanded, offering meats, fish, fresh produce and more. Today, based in Houston, I’m a food distribution titan, with a recent […]

Financial Terms To Know

Fool’s School

There’s a lot of jargon in the financial world. Here are some explanations of terms you’ll likely run across. • American Depositary Receipt (ADRs) and American Depositary Share (ADSes): Types of securities that allow Americans to easily invest in companies based outside the U.S., such as AstraZeneca and Nokia. An ADR is a receipt for the shares of a foreign […]

Valuation Matters

My Dumbest Investment

My most regrettable investment move happened long ago. I’d bought shares of Cisco Systems on its way up an incredible climb. I did question then whether it merited its price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 200 — and doubted that it was worth that much. I hung on, though. Well, the stock soon crashed, and I lost half my money. — Y., […]

Don’t Charge Stock Purchases

Ask the Fool

Q: Is it smart or stupid to invest in stocks by borrowing against a credit card? —T.M., Bountiful, Utah A: It’s not smart. Think about it this way: The average credit card interest rate, according to a Forbes Advisor report, was recently a whopping 28%. If you’re paying 28% interest on money you borrowed, you’re going to want to earn […]

Name That Company

Tracing my roots back to 1894, I’m America’s oldest branded poultry company. I began on a family farm in New Jersey and was incorporated in 1927 with the name you might know me by. In 1998, I started raising antibiotic-free birds with all-natural feed. In 2005, I debuted gluten-free nuggets and tenders, and in 2017, I opened the world’s first […]


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