Category: Saving and Investing ideas

10-year TIPS were yielding a real, after-inflation return of roughly 2.3% as of July 2026, according to Federal Reserve data. That's a genuinely positive real return — a different environment than 2020-2022, when TIPS yields were negative or barely positive. Here's how TIPS actually work, what today's yields mean in…

Robinhood app I have been a big fan of discount brokers, primarily because of their low to zero trading costs and easy to use online brokerage platforms. However it looks the low cost broker wars have intensified with a strong new player in the stock trading scene, who is winning…

There is an important debate brewing around inflation in terms of its rise and sustainability. Many believe we are headed to significantly higher inflation in the coming months as Trump cuts taxes and imposes tariffs. Ultimately, whether we see inflation as a significant or permanent risk is a decision we…

I've had my auto insurance with State Farm for the past few years, and every year their car insurance premiums have been going up. It was only a few dollars difference and I just ended up paying the higher rate. But when I recently received a new renewal notice, their…

As the stock market booms, many new and sidelined investors are getting tempted to jump back into the market. After all, you don’t want to look back in a few years and say, “If only, I had bought stocks then….” However, as past years have shown, the market can fall just…

Nowadays every extra dollar counts more than ever. Despite a paycheck from working a regular job, once taxes and other fixed expenses are accounted for, it is getting harder and harder to make ends meet. Since there are only twenty four hours in day, physically working more (provided you can…

Gold traded around $4,121 an ounce on July 10, 2026, up about 22.8% from a year earlier. It's also down slightly over the past month, which is the point: gold moves, and I'm not going to pretend I know where it goes next. What I can do is lay out…

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), the agency that guarantees bank deposits, is expected to ease rules restricting relatively weak banks and thrifts from paying higher rates to attract deposits. Under current rules, institutions rated below "well-capitalized" are restricted from paying rates much higher than U.S. Treasury bond yields. But…

It is very easy to buy a stock. Selling a share or stock though, especially if it has lost value, is a much harder process because of the emotions involved. Knowing when to sell a stock, and actually doing it, is tough and that is why most people like to…

I received the following email from a reader, Justin, asking me where I would invest in the current market given all the turmoil. Here is part of the discussion that formed the basis for this post, and my thoughts on investing for the year ahead: Original Email from Justin: I'm…

Like most investors still braving this market I keep trying to find a safe place to invest that provides decent returns. With a stock market that seems to have many more down days than up days, it is hard to have confidence in future growth prospects. However with interest rates…

Why are tax free money market funds providing relatively decent yields compared to leaving your money in a regular bank account? Pamela Wisehaupt Tynan, who oversees Vanguard's municipal money market funds says "These unusually high yields are simply a function of how the money market arena is reacting to events…

After driving the same family car for the last 7 years, my wife and I decided it was time to get a new car that provided better fuel efficiency and some of the nice to have modern features. Not having bought a car for quite some time meant that I…