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: […]
The Motley Fool
Not paying attention
My Dumbest InvestmentMy 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 FoolQ: 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 TakeCoca-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 SchoolThere’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 InvestmentMy 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 FoolQ: 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 […]