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☆ Get the most out of these tax-favored accounts in 2025
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Benefits enrollment season is here, and with it comes an opportunity for workers to tune up their workplace savings plans and sock away more money on a tax-favored basis. Traditional tax-deferred accounts, like 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts, are just the beginning for savers. As tempting as it may be for savers to plow money into HSAs and other tax-favored accounts, they'll need to draw up a strategy before they do so. They can also earmark additional funds toward 529 college savings plans and taxable brokerage accounts. In a tax-deferred account, investors won't be on the hook for the tax bill until they begin drawing down from it.

Persons: Marguerita Cheng, Cheng Organizations: Devenir, Blue, Global Wealth, UBS, Chief Investment Locations: Gaithersburg , Maryland

☆ Chief transformation officers join the C-suite to drive innovation at speed
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

As companies across the US confront complex challenges that require overhauling strategies, reimagining business models, and adapting workforce dynamics, many are appointing chief transformation officers to drive these changes. The core figures, including the CEO, the chief operating officer, and the chief financial officer, focus on delivering quarterly results. Being a chief transformation officer, Jesuthasan said, is akin to "building the train while you're driving it down the tracks." AdvertisementBrandon Batt, the chief transformation officer at Quadient, a company focused on digital transformation, knows this all too well. Kinney recently wound down her role as chief transformation officer at Wex.

Persons: Kristy Kinney, Kinney's, Kinney, Alicia Pittman, Pittman, Ravin, Mercer, Jesuthasan, They're, Brandon Batt, Batt, Chengyi Lin, Lin, it's, Gartner Organizations: Boston Consulting Group, Boston Consulting, Organization Locations: Portland , Maine

☆ Here's what a new Trump administration could mean for your money, financial advisors say
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-11 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Leah Millis | ReutersNow that Donald Trump has been elected president, many individual investors are wondering what that means for their money. Yet, when it comes to long-term performance of the markets and policies that Trump proposed on the campaign trail, financial advisors say it's best to take a wait-and-see approach before making any big money decisions. Lee Baker, a CFP and owner of Claris Financial Advisors in Atlanta, said he's also told clients not to make wholesale financial changes now. Many investors expect Trump to lead with faster economic growth and more market-friendly policies, said Francis during a Friday webcast on what Trump's presidency could mean for investors' money. While those policies would put more money in Americans' pockets, Francis noted, other experts say it's too soon to count on those changes.

Persons: Donald Trump, Leah Millis, Trump, Jude Boudreaux, Boudreaux, Lee Baker, he's, Baker, I've, Stacy Francis, Francis Financial, Francis, it's, Marguerita Cheng, Cheng, Trump's, David Haas, CNBC.com Organizations: Trump, U.S . Capitol, Reuters, Dow Jones, CNBC FA, Claris Financial, Francis, Blue, Global Wealth, Social Security, Cereus Financial, Security Locations: U.S, Washington , U.S, New Orleans, Atlanta, New York City, Gaithersburg , Maryland, Franklin Lakes , New Jersey

☆ Trump says ‘war hawk’ Liz Cheney should be sent into battle in escalation of threatening rhetoric against his opponents
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Eric Bradner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Donald Trump said former Rep. Liz Cheney is a “war hawk” who should be sent into the line of fire, as he raged against one of his most prominent intra-party critics while campaigning Thursday night in Arizona. Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK?” Trump said. She played a leading role on the House select committee that investigated the attack, and later was ousted from her deep-red Wyoming House seat by a Trump-backed primary opponent in 2022. In recent weeks, Cheney has campaigned alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, urging Republicans to set aside party differences to back the Democrat and reject a candidate she says poses a threat to democracy. “I don’t blame him for sticking with his daughter, but his daughter’s a very dumb individual — very dumb,” Trump said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Liz Cheney, ”, Cheney, Tucker Carlson, “, Let’s, ” Trump, ” Cheney, Kamala Harris, Trump, Dick Cheney, Harris, Cheney’s, Scooter Libby, they’re, …, ’ ” Organizations: CNN, Republican, Fox News, Trump, Wyoming Republican Locations: Arizona, Glendale, Wyoming, Washington

Kamala Harris’ deployment of prominent Republican Trump critics hasn’t convinced a new focus group of voters who backed Nikki Haley in the GOP presidential primary. “It’s repulsive,” said Dale J., a 67-year-old from Minnesota who voted for Trump in 2020 and plans to do so again. "I really liked the idea that Nikki Haley was a woman, and I thought she would have more closer values to mine than Trump. (One of these voters is a registered Democrat who voted in her state’s open presidential primary for Haley.) Only one voter, 40-year-old Chris P. from Michigan, backed Trump in 2020 and is considering voting for Harris now.

Persons: Kamala Harris, hasn’t, Nikki Haley, Haley, Harris, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Margaret Talev, Jennifer S, ”, ” “ I’m, would’ve, Cristel, Joe Biden, Dale J, Treasa, Chase Oliver, John Kelly, Liz Cheney, Rich Thau, Engagious, Cheney, Jason L, Adolf Hitler, “, ” —, Zach R, She's, Ohio Republican Sen, JD Vance, that’s, Barbara Z, that's, John D, Harris hasn’t, John, can’t, Biden, I’m, S, Chris P, he’s Organizations: Republican Trump, NBC, Syracuse University, Trump, White, Republican, they’re Republicans, Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism, Citizenship, Trump Cabinet, Madison, GOP, Republican Party, White House, Wyoming GOP, U.S . Capitol, Fox News, Republicans, North Carolina Republican, Ohio Republican Locations: Trump, New York City, Washington, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Minnesota, North Carolina, Wyoming, Madison, Harris, Arizona, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan

☆ Breakfast with Ohtani: In Japan, watching this World Series may be the national pastime
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Rustin Dodd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

At World Series Media Day on Thursday, no one was a bigger draw than Ohtani. Ninomiya, 59, grew up in the city of Oita, obsessing over books about Japanese baseball history. The comings and goings of Mamiko Tanaka and Ohtani are regular fodder for Japanese morning shows. In Japan, Ohtani is the face of countless advertising campaigns. Ohtani’s presence — along with starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto — could help the Japanese World Series audience approach those heights.

Persons: Shohei Ohtani, Tatsuo Shinke, Ohtani, Shinke, Emiko, ” Shinke, “, She’s, Katharine Lotze, Michael Jordan, David Beckham, doesn’t, ”, Robert Whiting, —, Rahm Emanuel, Chicago ”, Jordan, ” Emanuel, Whiting, Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Nomo, Japan — Whiting, Suzuki, Yu Darvish, Tomoki Negishi, I’ve, ” Negishi, Masanori, Negishi, I’m, Chen Liang, Ninomiya, ” Ninomiya, ” Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhara, Mizuhara, It’s, Mamiko Tanaka, Stringer, Hiroshi Kitamura, William & Mary, Aaron, Judge, Fernando, Tatis, Ronald, Acuna, Foster Griffin, Griffin, ” Griffin, Ryan Yamazaki, Bobby Valentine, Yoshinobu Yamamoto —, Rob Manfred, “ Smart, ” Yamazaki, Shigeru Ishiba, Machiko Kondo, Kondo, Ichiro, ” Whiting, she’s, Andy McCullough, Sam Blum, Dan Goldfarb, Jayne Kamin Organizations: Mint, Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani’s Dodgers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Dodgers, Padres, National League, Nikkei, Yankees, Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s Pacific League, Ninomiya, UCLA, NHK, Hokkaido, Ham Fighters, Angels, MLB, Pacific, William &, Kansas City Royals, Yomiuri Giants, Mets, Chiba Lotte Marines, Baseball, WBC, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Athletic, Fuji, United Nations Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Ohtani, United States, America, American, U.S, Chicago, —, Ōta, Oita, ”, Hokkaido Nippon, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo, South Korea

☆ Boba tea startup rejected by 'Shark Tank' pitches Simu Liu after cultural appropriation debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-23 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The Twrl founders say they hope the initiative they took moves those conversations forward and educates some people along the way. Later, Taiwan would claim to be the birthplace of the boba drink concept, a sweet concoction of an aromatic tea, milk and boba balls. The first U.S. boba drink shops opened in the 1990s but there’s conflicting reports on whether the San Francisco Bay Area or Southern California was the starting point, Phun said. But it didn’t come from a place of, ‘I really love boba tea,’” she said. Meanwhile, the “Dragons’ Den” episode led to some significant fallout.

Persons: Olivia Chen, Pauline Ang, Simu Liu, Liu, Chi, Twrl, “, ”, Chen, ” Liu, Juily, South America . Colonization, boba, Phun, ” Phun, “ It’s, ” Megan Ruan, they’re, ” Chen, ‘, ” Ruan, it’s, Ang, Manjit Minhas Organizations: ABC, San, Bobba, American, Cal State, South America ., San Francisco Bay Area, Gold House Ventures, Foods Locations: San Francisco Bay, “, Quebec, Taiwan, South America, Pacific Islands, Asia, U.S, Southern California, American, Japan, China

☆ From solitary confinement in China to self-exile in Taiwan: Inside a Hong Kong bookshop owner's fight to keep the free press alive
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementThe acute lack of customers was somewhat surprising, given that Causeway Bay Books is pretty well-known. It all started in Hong KongFor 20 years, Lam founded and managed the original bookstore in Hong Kong — set up in and named after a vibrant district on Hong Kong Island. But the people who go to Causeway Bay Books — whose mainstays are books on politics and history — know what they are looking for. You shouldn't call it Hong Kong but Chinese Hong Kong," Lam said. Although he still misses Hong Kong from time to time, he says it's no longer the place he once knew.

Persons: kee, Lam, —, Hong Kong —, Kongers, Xi Jinping's, Ben Cheng, Huileng Tan, Hong Kongers, Taipei —, Wang, boisterously, Hong, China —, Hong Kong's, Zero, Peter Parks, Cheng, it's Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, Service, Taiwan Beer, Congressional, Commission, Taiwan, Fo Guang, New Taiwan, Hong Kongers, National Taiwan Normal University Locations: Lam, Hong Kong, Taipei, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Fo Guang University, Hong, America, AFP

☆ China’s censorship is among the toughest in the world. So why did it let Kanye West play?
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-12 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hong Kong CNN —It seemed like an unlikely stage for Kanye West to unveil his new music. Music fans cheer during Kanye West's Vultures Listening Experience at Wuyuan River Stadium on September 15, 2024. One of the fastest-growing in the world, China’s music market became the fifth-largest market globally in 2022, according to IFPI, a trade body for the recorded music industry. China’s recorded music revenues grew 28.4% in 2022 from the year prior, compared with the global market rise of 9%, IFPI said. Bieber “engaged in a series of bad behaviors, both in his social life and during a previous performance in China,” China’s Ministry of Culture announced in 2015, without going into details.

Persons: –, Ye –, Ye, ”, Luo Yunfei, Xi Jinping, China “, Chen Dan, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Charlie Puth, Chen, Kanye, ” Chen, “, Ye’s, China’s, Hung Ho, fung, Bon, Jovi’s, Lama, Justin Bieber, Jay, Lady Gaga, Bieber “, Culture “, Ho, Johns Hopkins, it’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Kanye, Communist Party, German, Adidas, Sports, Chinese Communist Party, China News Service, University of, Travelers, Xinhua, Kanye West, Visual China, Johns Hopkins University ., Oasis, China’s Ministry of Culture, Ministry, Culture, China, Nanjing University, China Daily, University of Richmond Locations: Hong Kong, China, Hainan, Hainan’s, Haikou, Beijing, Shanghai, “, Tokyo, British, Asia, Nanjing, Johns

☆ A new report from Redfin shows how stuck the housing market really is
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A rate cut by the Federal Reserve this month has fueled hopes that the interest rate-sensitive housing market will soon experience a fresh jolt. “What this data tells us is that the housing market in 2024 has been really frozen,” said Chen Zhao, Redfin’s economic research lead. Zhao said a market where 30 to 40 of every 1,000 homes changed hands would signify a healthier housing landscape. “That very low inventory on the market was one of the primary drivers of there being so little turnover.”A shortage of new home construction also contributed to America’s sluggish housing market. “Getting to a healthy housing market is very hard from this point,” Zhao said.

Persons: ”, Chen Zhao, “, Zhao, Redfin, —, Jeremiah Vancans, Vancans, ’, Patrick Chamberlin, Chamberlin, Freddie Mac, it’s, ” Zhao, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Federal Reserve, California ., “, Boston, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, National Association of Realtors Locations: —, Redfin, California, California . Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Austin , Texas, The Texas, Sun Belt, New York City, Phoenix

☆ A record number of apartments are getting built this year. That's great news for real estate affordability.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-28 | by ( Kelly Cloonan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US will see construction completed on a record number of apartments this year. The Sun Belt region in particular is seeing this dynamic play out. The US will see construction on a record number of apartments completed this year. They're now seeing rent prices fall, or at least remain stagnant as the rest of the nation lags behind. That means the market will eventually balance itself in the next few years, which will lead rent prices to once again rise, she said.

Persons: —, Laurie Goodman, Goodman, Austin, Chen Zhao, Zhao Organizations: Service, Housing Finance, Center, Urban Institute, Sun, metros, Dallas, Harvard Locations: Dallas, New York, Austin

“I’m here to support my wife and everybody else that deserves the right to have freedom of their reproductive rights,” said Goldberg, a 70-year-old retired computer software developer. Women clearly feel the impact of abortion restrictions, said Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez. At the same time, he argued, there’s no precedent for reproductive rights being a driving issue for men. The couple has become surrogates for the Harris campaign on reproductive rights, including at last month’s Democratic National Convention. “I’m here because the fight for reproductive rights isn’t just a women’s fight,” Josh Zurawski said at the Chicago convention.

Persons: Marcia Ruberg, ”, Kamala Harris, Gary Goldberg, “, Goldberg, Dobbs, —, Harris, Tim Walz, Doug Emhoff, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Michael Cook, Ayres, Republican pollster, ’, ” Ayres, –, Samuel Chen, there’s, Chen, Pennsylvania Sen, Pat Toomey, Mike Mikus, Josh Shapiro, ” Shapiro, she’s, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, Hadley Duvall, Duvall, Roe, surrogates, Morgan Mohr, Harris ’, Governor Shapiro, ” Mohr, Tony Goldwyn, Zachary Quinto, Josh Zurawski, Amanda Zurawski, isn’t, ” Josh Zurawski, ” Alexis McGill Johnson, ” Johnson, Fatima Goss Graves, ” Graves, Shapiro, ” Duvall, Andy Beshear, “ That’s, it’s, Chris Scholding, Larry Padersky Organizations: Philadelphia CNN, Trump, Democratic, CNN, Philadelphia, Republican, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Democratic Gov, Reproductive, Pittsburgh, Democratic National Convention, National Women’s Law, Fund, GOP, Harris Locations: Pennsylvania, Yardley , Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Florida, Philadelphia, Scranton, Allentown, Harrisburg, Chicago, Kentucky, New Jersey

☆ Housing affordability is 'moving in the right direction,' economist says. Here's what to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A slight decrease in mortgage rates in the month of June definitely helped buyers, said Yun. Housing affordability is improving ever so modestly, but it is moving in the right direction. While there's still an affordability challenge broadly, conditions are "moving towards a more neutral market," Orphe Divounguy, a senior economist at Zillow. Total housing inventory registered at the end of June was 1.32 million units, up 3.1% from May and 23.4% from a year ago, according to NAR. Competition is easing fastest in the South, where all major southern markets except Dallas and Raleigh are either neutral or buyer-friendly, according to the June 2024 Zillow Housing Market Report.

Persons: Yun, Freddie Mac, Lawrence Yun, Chen Zhao, there's, Selma Hepp Organizations: Sdi, CNBC, Investors, National Association of Realtors, Zillow Locations: Redfin, Dallas, Raleigh

☆ The first Fed interest rate cut in years is on the horizon. Here's what homeowners, buyers need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Valentinrussanov | E+ | Getty ImagesThe Federal Reserve is poised to make the first interest rate cut in years this fall, which can influence mortgage rates to go down. To that point, people in the market to buy a home have been eagerly waiting for the Fed to cut rates. The Fed is meeting this week, but experts say it seems more likely that the first rate cut will come in September. That would be the first rate cut since 2020 in the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. While mortgage rates are fixed and mostly tied to Treasury yields and the economy, they are partly influenced by the Fed's policy.

Persons: Chen Zhao, Freddie Mac, Refinance, it's, Zhao, Selma Hepp, Hepp, Jacob Channel, there's Organizations: Fed, Treasury, Mortgage, Association, Finance Locations: Redfin

☆ Defining a buyer's market 'is always a bit tricky,' real estate expert says: 4 signs to monitor
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Despite those headwinds, some indicators show the housing market is shifting away from a seller's market. That doesn't mean it's a buyer's market — yet: "The term buyer's market is always a bit tricky to work with," said Chen Zhao, the economic research lead at Redfin, an online real estate brokerage firm. There are "rules of thumb" to define a buyer's market, like having more than four months of supply, she said. "We're still nationwide somewhat in a seller's market, not a buyer's market yet," he said. Here are four signs that can help you recognize if the housing market in your area is more in buyers' favor: 1.

Persons: Freddie Mac, Chen Zhao, Zhao, they're, We're, Daryl Fairweather, Redfin, Julie Zubiate, Selma Hepp, Sellers Organizations: National Association of Realtors, NAR, Federal, Zillow, CNBC, Finance, Sdi, San Francisco Bay Area Locations: U.S, Redfin, San Francisco Bay

☆ Taiwan's energy crunch could 'throw a wrench' into the global semiconductor industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Any energy disruption will slow down chipmaking and raise global semiconductor prices, Webster said. "Taiwan's electricity crunch could throw a wrench in global semiconductor markets," he said, adding that interruptions could reverberate across the global industry. The global semiconductor manufacturing industry is estimated to double its market size in revenue by 2030, and is poised to consume 237 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity by then, a Greenpeace report said. Joseph Webster Atlantic Council's Global Energy CenterElectricity consumption from Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing industry is set to increase 236% between 2021 and 2030, the same report found. "The global electricity industry has been surprised by the pace and scale of electricity demand from artificial intelligence's data centers," said Webster, adding that Taiwan's future electricity consumption is subject to "considerable uncertainty."

Persons: Council's Webster, Webster, Joseph Webster, Chen, Chung Organizations: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Apple, Nvidia, Greenpeace, Joseph Webster Atlantic, Global Energy Center Electricity, Hua Institution Locations: Taiwan

☆ Investor home purchases jump for the first time in two years. Here's what that means for buyers
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

watch nowWhat an investor home purchase meansIn this context, investors are defined as any institution or business that purchases residential real estate, according to Redfin. Investor share refers to the portion of homes purchased by investors over a certain period, said Chen Zhao, senior economist at Redfin. Part of the recent increase in real estate investor activity is due to seasonality, as more homes are typically sold during the spring, Walsh said. Sales began to decline as mortgage rates climbed, as higher interest rates affect both typical homebuyers and investors, he said. What investor interest means for buyers and rentersIf you're a consumer buying on the market, you are competing against investors on top of other typical homebuyers, Zhao explained.

Persons: Chen Zhao, Zhao, Matthew Walsh, there's, aren't, Moody's, Redfin's Zhao, Walsh, Sales Organizations: Investor, Parcl Labs, Moody's, Investors, CNBC Locations: U.S

☆ 'Everyone is too scared to come': Taiwan's earthquake deals a blow to top tourism hotspot
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Jan Camenzind Broomby | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

As a bed and breakfast owner in Taiwan's Hualien County, Chen Rei-jia was used to the minor tremors that sometimes disturbed her work. Source: Jan Camenzind BroombyNow, survivors like Chen are facing a new challenge. "It might take five to 10 years for full recovery," Chang Chih-hsiang, director general of Hualien's tourism department, told CNBC Travel. Chang Chih-hsiang, head of Hualien's tourism office, estimates the area's tourism industry could take five to 10 years to fully recover. Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby

Persons: Chen Rei, jia, Chen, I've, Camenzind Broomby, Lai, Camenzind, Liang, Howard Yeh, Chang Chih, Stephanie Zhang, Chang, Cheng Wen, zhong, Lin Ya Organizations: Tourists, Hualien Hotel Association, CNBC Locations: Hualien County, Taiwan, Hualien, Taroko, Taipei

☆ An ex-Google employee shares the 3-part strategy he used to prepare for layoffs and achieve financial independence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewAfter eight years at Google, Shao Chun Chen was laid off on February 14, 2024. "A big part of your identity is where you work," Chen, who was leading a sales team at the time, told Business Insider. He says he focused on three things throughout his 20s and 30s to grow his investment portfolio and achieve financial independence. He about tripled his salary at Google and worked his way up to making six-figures, according to employment verification letters viewed by BI.

Persons: —, Shao Chun Chen, Chen, He'd, Merrill Lynch, It's, you've, WIMUT THAMMAKESORN Chen, you'll, it's, Chen wouldn't, he's, Shao Chun Chen Chen Organizations: Service, Google, Business, BI, National University of Singapore, NFL, NUS, BMW Locations: Singapore

☆ With interest rates expected to be higher for longer, here's what to do with your cash
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

That means those saving cash in money market funds and Treasury bills can expect to see their rates stay higher for longer. The annualized seven-day yield on the Crane 100 list of the 100 largest taxable money funds is currently 5.13%. The appetite for money market funds is evident in the record amount of cash pouring into the products. Last week, there was $6.11 trillion sitting in money market funds, according to the Investment Company Institute , up from $5.87 trillion in mid-December. Then there are moderate risk investors with longer time horizons, which Vanguard surveys show are the majority of investors, he said.

Persons: They've, Peter Crane, Shelly Antoniewicz, Marguerita Cheng, you'll, Cheng, Roth, Barry Glassman, Glassman, he's, Roger Aliaga, Diaz, Vanguard's, Cash, Aliaga Organizations: Federal, Crane, Investment Company Institute, Blue, Global, CNBC, Wealth, Treasury, Vanguard

☆ Should you refinance your mortgage? Here are three signs it's time, real estate experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Thanks to those high mortgage interest rates, refinance activity in 2023 was at the lowest level in 30 years. In the first and second quarters of 2023 there was only $75 billion and $80 billion, respectively, in mortgage refinance originations nationally, according to Freddie Mac, a government-sponsored entity that buys mortgages from banks. "We're just in a much higher interest rate situation with the economy," she said. "We've been so accustomed to mortgage rates as a baseline being at 2% or 3%," said Veronica Fuentes, a certified financial planner at Northwestern Mutual. Some lenders may require a higher interest rate if you finance closing costs, plus you'll be paying interest on those expenses for the life of the mortgage.

Persons: Freddie Mac, Jeff Ostrowski, Chen Zhao, Zhao, We've, Veronica Fuentes, that's, Ostrowski, CoreLogic's Organizations: Westend61, Getty, Federal Reserve, Northwestern Mutual

☆ Housing 'affordability has just totally collapsed,' economist says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"Since the pandemic, affordability has just totally collapsed," said Chen Zhao, a senior economist at Redfin. February 2021 was the last month when the typical household earned more money than they needed to afford the median home. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sets the standard of affordability at 30% of household income. Affordability deficit narrowed in FebruaryThe average household fell short $29,448 to afford a home in February, according to Redfin. The affordability deficit narrowed because rates have been on a consistent decline since the last peak in October, according to Zhao.

Persons: Chen Zhao, They've, Zhao, It's, Jeff Ostrowski, Veronica Fuentes, Fuentes, Ostrowski, Buyers, Redfin, Louis, What's Organizations: Getty, Redfin, Finance, U.S . Department of Housing, Urban Development, Northwestern Mutual, Cleveland Locations: U.S, Detroit, Pittsburgh, St, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Warren, Mich, Cincinnati, Milwaukee , Kansas City , Virginia Beach, Va, Antonio, Columbus , Ohio

☆ Oklahoma Was a Legal Marijuana Utopia. Then Came the Mass Murder
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Matt Stroud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

Fourteen months after the murders, the garage of the abandoned marijuana farm on prairie tableland northwest of Oklahoma City sits frozen and dark. Broadway Avenue in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, about 30 miles south of where Wu Chen, 47, executed four people at a marijuana farm. When Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana, the only real requirement was that Oklahoma residents had to be involved in marijuana growing and selling. But Oklahoma required 75% of any marijuana business to be owned by an Oklahoma resident. Deputies from the Kingfisher County Sheriff's Office were the first to arrive at the scene of a quadruple homicide at an abandoned marijuana farm.

Persons: Wu Chen, Mike Simons, Kevin Stitt, Sean Hannity's, Dan Newhouse, Liu, Chen, Yi Fei Lin, Mark Woodward, —, OBN, Adria Berry, BI Adria Berry, I'm, Barb Miuccio, Jeremy Grable, Jeremy, Barb, she's, Barbara Miuccio, Treez, Matt Stacy, Stacy, Stitt, Jeremy they'd, he'd, OMMA, didn't, Barb didn't, Barbara, Stacy —, she'd, Stacy hadn't, BI Jonathan Riedlinger, Riedlinger, Lin, Qirong Lin, Hechun Chen, Qiang Chen, Fang Lee —, Wenbo Lin, Wu Chen —, Wenbo Lin didn't, Reidlinger, Jed Green, Matthew Alan Stacy, Barb —, — he's, He'd, Woodward, Helen Carillo, He's, Kevin Pham, Pham, BI Pham, ProPublica, recriminations, Green, It's, they're, I'd, Ken Thompson, Thompson, Chen didn't, He'll, Jonathan Riedlinger, Kiki, I've Organizations: Oklahoma City, Broadway, BI, Marijuana, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, Republican, Sean Hannity's Fox, Fox News, Chen Inc, Narcotics, BI Adria, Oklahoma's Army National Guard, OBN, Business, Oklahoma State Bureau of, Sheriff's, Prosecutors, CSI Accounting Services, Whitney Economics, NBC, Cannabis, Virginia Slim, Florida . Police Locations: Oklahoma, Kingfisher County , Oklahoma, Ames , Oklahoma, Kingfisher , Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, California, Arkansas, Republican Washington, China, Kingfisher County, Dallas, Moore , Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, He's, Moore, Kingfisher, Hennessey , Oklahoma, OMMA, Mexico, Edmond, Tulsa, Russia, Bulgaria, Armenia, Steakhouse, Virginia, Florida, Miami Beach, Miami

☆ How real estate's pain could be Wall Street's gain as Blackstone, Goldman, and others dive back in.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

That's not to say predictions of a commercial real estate rebound are a sure bet. Here are four signs that support Gray's prediction that the commercial real estate market may be bottoming. (New York Community Bank had previously purchased $2.7 billion in Signature's loans and deposits, but not the real estate loans.) According to David Seifert, partner at private equity real estate firm Velocis, there are some sweet deals to be had in secondary sales of private-equity funds tied to real estate. The road aheadWhere Gray sees signs of bottoming, others think commercial real estate has much further to fall.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Buffett, Paul Getty, Getty, Steve Mnuchin —, Blackstone, Mnuchin, Donald Trump's, George Soros, John Paulson, It's, Jonathan Gray, Jim Garman, That's, Barry Sternlicht, Gray, Tracy Chen, Chen, BGO, secondaries There's, Ares, Brian King, King, David Seifert, Seifert, Velocis, Goldman Sachs, Dan McNamara, McNamara, Scott Rechler, wallop, Janet Yellen, Rechler, there's Organizations: Business, Goldman, Reuters, Starwood, Brandywine Global, Federal Reserve, . Bank, New York Community Bank, FDIC, Signature Bank, Community Bank, Fund Management, Community Preservation, New, Commercial Observer, Blackstone, Homes, Digital Realty, Polpo, RXR Locations: Blackstone, , New York, New York, BREIT, Real, Velocis

☆ ‘Two sessions’: China’s key political gathering gets underway as leaders try to repair broken economic confidence
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Xi is under the spotlight as economic pain has sparked growing frustration within China. Xi has also overseen a political shakeup in his own ranks, further marring the start of the new term. Those challenges may not pose a threat to Xi, who is China’s most powerful and authoritative leader in decades. But the two sessions provide an important platform for China’s notoriously opaque government to broadcast its strategy for economic, social and foreign policies and announce key indicators including China’s economic growth target, its budget deficit limit and military spending for the coming year. Analysts widely expect Li to reveal a relatively ambitious growth target of “around 5%,” showing that policymakers are still focused on economic growth, even as challenges pile up.

Persons: —, Xi Jinping, Xi, ”, Chen Gang, Li Qiang, It’s, Xuezhi Guo, Guo, Wang Yi, Qin Gang, Li Shangfu, Li, Qin, Pedro Pardo, Neil Thomas, Premier Li, Asia Society’s Thomas, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN —, Communist, National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute, Getty, of, National People’s, Guilford College, Observers, Washington, Asia Society, Center for Locations: China, Beijing, Chongqing, AFP, Taiwan, China's, Henan, Center for China, Asia

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