On this second day of Christmas, here's SMI's final Money Roundup for 2025!
8 lessons for investors from 2025 (Sam Ro, Tker). Among them: High valuations can still be followed by years of strong returns.
6 simple ways to improve your investment performance (Ben Carlson, A Wealth of Common Sense). Some ideas to consider implementing in 2026, if you haven't already.
6 easy money moves you can accomplish before 2026 (Michelle Singletary, Washington Post via MSN). More news you can use.
Credit counseling vs debt settlement (side-by-side comparison) (Ramit Sethi, I Will Teach You to Be Rich). On paper, debt settlement appears to be the cheaper option, but beware of hidden costs.
Car payments now average more than $750 a month. Enter the 100-month car loan. (Wall Street Journal). The average new loan exceeds $42,000!
30-year fixed mortgage rates (Mortgage News Daily). Good news: Rates are down significantly compared to early 2025. (15-year rates are shown here.)
Trump administration to start seizing pay of defaulted student loan borrowers in January (CNBC). More than 5 million borrowers are in default.
How TIPS fit into a thoughtful retirement income plan (Retirement Researcher). Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities "are most effective when aligned with known income needs over defined time horizons."
Number of centenarians skyrockets in the U.S. (Statista). And 79% of U.S. centenarians are female. Plan accordingly.
Ranked: The world's most powerful reserve currencies (Visual Capitalist). Worldwide, central banks still hold about 58% of their foreign exchange reserves in dollars.
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