Author: News Room

Existing home sales in the U.S. in 2024 were the lowest in nearly 30 years, as home prices hit an all-time high. The National Association of Realtors released data that showed existing home sales declined to the lowest level since 1995 last year, with 4.06 million homes sold on an annual basis.Meanwhile, the median home price rose to a record high of $407,500 in 2024. “With mortgage rates close to 7% and generally soft homebuying sentiment, strength in existing home sales is unlikely to be sustained,” said Alice Zheng, an economist at Citigroup. “We do not expect much further upside for…

I’ve been well aware of the significant financial advantages of waiting to start my Social Security benefits until age 70, having written and researched about the transition into retirement for the past twenty years. But until my wife and I were actually approaching our retirement years, this awareness was just in my head—I didn’t have the first-hand emotional experience that results from having to wait for a significant source of retirement income. Like many people, just having the knowledge about what’s best for me doesn’t always convince me to make the right decision. Over the years, I’ve learned about the…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the worldOne of Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet picks has been narrowly confirmed by the US Senate to head the Pentagon, despite allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse. Pete Hegseth will become US secretary of defence after the Senate voted 51-50 in his favour late on Friday night, squeaking by after vice-president JD Vance broke the tie. Republican senators Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins joined Democrats in voting against Hegseth’s confirmation. Hegseth survived a last-ditch effort by Democrats to prevent…

My colleague and friend, Michele Holleran, PhD, recently posted her predictions for the future of senior living in an industry trade publication. Michele has a 35-year career working with senior living communities and their leadership in many different capacities, including as a strategic planning consultant and as an executive leadership coach. She is uniquely qualified to be a prognosticator for that segment of society and the businesses attached to it. I’m posting this because I believe her views are worth sharing beyond the circles of those who work in the fields of aging and senior living. Because of our rapidly…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The Bank of Japan has raised short-term interest rates to “around 0.5 per cent” in a well-signalled move that extends the country’s monetary policy “normalisation”.The central bank’s decision by a vote of 8-1 to increase rates from 0.25 per cent lifted the policy rate to its highest level in 17 years and followed weeks of speculation over whether governor Kazuo Ueda would delay the move until there was stronger evidence of rising Japanese wages and sustainable inflation.The yen, which had been edging…

This article was written byFollowDerek is an individual investor seeking to navigate the investment world to provide a wealthy and stable retirement for his family. He aims to help fellow investors, notably younger investors, establish a plan to produce a growing income stream. Derek holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with a minor in Economics from the University of Delaware and lives with his wife and two children.Derek created and operates customstockalerts.com. It’s a suite of utilities for investors to stay on top of all their stocks. Pick a company you’re interested in, pick an alert type (price, dividend yield,…

Mortgage rates finally broke a six-week streak of increases, but the decline will not provide much relief, as long-term rates dipped just below 7%. Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 6.96%, down from last week’s reading of 7.04%. The average rate on a 30-year loan was 6.69% a year ago. “After crossing the 7%-mark last week, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage saw its first decline in six weeks,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “While affordability challenges remain, this is welcome news for potential…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.China has told state-owned insurance funds to invest more in the country’s stock market as authorities push to restore confidence against a gloomy economic backdrop, sending shares up on Thursday.The announcement is the first time regulators have set explicit investment targets for mutual funds and state-owned insurance companies.Starting this year, state-owned insurers will be encouraged to allocate at least 30 per cent of new premium income each year to Chinese shares, said Wu Qing, chair of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, on…

SmartFinancial, Inc. (NYSE:SMBK) Q4 2024 Earnings Conference Call January 22, 2025 10:00 PM ET Company Participants Nathan Strall – Director of StrategyBilly Carroll – President and CEORonald Gorczynski – CFORhett Jordan – EVP, Chief Credit OfficerMiller Welborn – Chairman Conference Call Participants Will Jones – KBWNick Lorenzoni – StephensSteve Moss – Raymond JamesStephen Scouten – Piper SandlerChristopher Marinac – Janney Montgomery Scott Operator Hello everyone, and welcome to the SmartFinancial Fourth Quarter 2024 Earnings Release and Conference Call. My name is Ezra and I will be your coordinator today. [Operator Instructions] I will now hand you over to Nate Strall,…

You’ve no doubt heard that the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period started January 1. Also going on right now is the General Enrollment Period (GEP). It is not as well known but it is very important for those who do not have complete Medicare coverage. These questions address the important points. What is the General Enrollment Period? It shares the same time frame as the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, from January 1-March 31, but that is about the only thing these two periods have in common. The General Enrollment Period provides an opportunity to make up for a past…