Here’s our final-weekend-in-October Roundup! (Wow, where did the year go?)
How much time does the average American spend on personal finance? (The Ascent). Not surprising: Only a small percentage of people are investing time in becoming financially prepared for the future.
Even in strong economy, most families don’t have enough emergency savings (New York Times). Lower-income people struggle with this, of course, but even a quarter of Americans earning more than $150,000 a year have no emergency savings account.
Rating the top 529 college savings plans (Morningstar). State-based 529 plans are not created equal. The good news is you can use any state’s plan — no matter where you live.
Merrill Lynch expands free trades for majority of online clients (Investment News). The stocks/ETFs free-trades juggnernaut rolls on.
High-tech firms aim to upend the insurance market — how to find if they’re the right fit for you (CNBC). Start-up insurers are using apps and algorithms to lower costs and pass the savings on to consumers.
And from the pundits and bloggers...
The yield curve un-inverts (Kevin Flanagan, Wisdom Tree). Flanagan thinks the un-inversion is the result of a) improved US-China trade news and b) the Fed’s plan to buy $60 billion in Treasury bills.
Better than timing (Robin Powell, Humble Dollar). History is littered with the failed dreams of market timers.
It’s open enrollment season. Have you taken a good look at an HSA? (Christine Benz, Morningstar). It’s increasingly likely that your employer-provided health-coverage options include a Health Savings Account.
Shopping for Medicare? What to know about the new Plan Finder (Fred Riccardi, Next Avenue). Medicare has updated its online Plan Finder online tool. The new version is different from the old in three signficant ways.
The world’s 20 most profitable companies (Jeff Desjardins, Visual Capitalist). The number-one company makes a profit roughly equal to Apple, Alphabet, and Facebook combined.
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