Author: News Room

Investment Thesis SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ:SOFI) shares have experienced a significant slump since their peak in 2021 of $28.26. Fast-forward to today, shares have declined nearly 78% to $6.54. SoFi has been experiencing slower revenue growth, and earlier some operational losses, which I think are the main drivers for this drop. However, I think there’s potential for a turn around due to recent developments. I am now more bullish on them than I was when I last wrote on them last fall. In the last two consecutive quarters, SoFi has shown improvement in their financials, achieving GAAP profitability as promised by…

Parents are increasingly saving money for college, but a recent survey said that less than half feel ready to pay for the first tuition bill by the time their child leaves high school, a recent survey said.  Three out of four parents who saved for college had, on average, $45,000 saved, according to the College Ave survey. Of the 75% already building savings, 28% plan to cover their child’s total education costs, but a little less than half (49%) of all parents had a plan to cover the total cost of college before their child enrolled in college. In its most…

Mortgage payments are up from a year ago but haven’t quite crossed the threshold many mortgage experts recommend that homeowners stick to. It’s often recommended homeowners don’t spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. Currently, the average monthly mortgage payment for single-family homes typically requires 24.2% of a buyer’s income, in the three months through March, Realtor.com reported. This is down slightly from last quarter, but up more than 23% from last year.The average monthly payment that Americans face on a mortgage with a 20% down payment was $2,037, the National Association of Realtors said in its…

Do you have a friend who you could call in the middle of the night? Or even help you move a couch? In my book Breadcrumb Legacy: How Great Leaders Live a Life Worth Remembering (Routledge), I challenge readers to think about who they could call to help them move a couch when thinking about adult friendships. Since most of our friendships often emerge from work, we can lack a social network when we leave the workplace. It started a few years ago, when all three of my adult sons were in college, my husband asked me to help him…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the War in Ukraine myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sacked Lieutenant General Yuriy Sodol as commander of the joint forces of the country’s army hours after complaints about his conduct in the war with Russia were made by a prominent soldier.Zelenskyy announced on Monday evening that Brigadier General Andriy Hnatov would replace Sodol, in the latest shake-up to Ukraine’s senior military leadership.The changes came shortly after Bohdan Krotevych, chief of staff of the Azov national guard brigade, accused Sodol of incompetence on the battlefield and blamed…

When I last wrote about the Nasdaq tracker fund Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ) in March, it was losing its edge to the S&P 500 (SP500) index following a significant lead in 2023. However, it’s back to growing faster (see chart below). Price Returns, QQQ and SP500 (Source: Seeking Alpha)This is despite the fact that seven of its top 10 constituents are the same as that for the S&P 500. In fact, the biggest three, Microsoft (MSFT), NVIDIA (NVDA) and Apple (AAPL) have the same ranking among both indices. But what differentiates QQQ significantly, is the higher share for information…

A small group of Americans who took out cheaper but riskier mortgages several years ago are about to see their monthly payments skyrocket. Since 2019, more than 1.7 million homes have been bought using adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs), which initially offer a lower, more affordable interest rate than their fixed-rate counterparts. But eventually, ARMs reset to an unknown future rate, meaning there is a high degree of uncertainty for individuals who take on these types of loans.About 330,000 homeowners who got an ARM in 2019 have already seen their five-year, fixed-rate term end, and another 100,000 will see their rates…

Every great financial advisor has heard some version of the following from a client or prospective client: “I wish I’d met you sooner!” The apparent assumption is that if they had met on an earlier date, they’d have become a client sooner, they’d have better positioned themselves financially, and they’d be better off today than they may be now. Perhaps they’re right, but regardless, it begs the question—or questions: Why do, why don’t, and why should people look for a financial advisor? Why do? Short answer: They’re anticipating or going through a major life transition. In my 27 years of…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Agencies representing TikTok’s biggest advertisers are drawing up contingency plans as the US prepares to ban the popular video app, including seeking break clauses in their marketing contracts. ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, has been given until January to either divest its US business or face a ban on the app by US lawmakers, who are concerned about security because of its links to China.The social media platform, with more than 1bn global users, has become a key part of the marketing strategies…

The S&P 500 (SPY) briefly exceeded 5500 this week and the 5400 inflection point pointed out in last weekend’s article was never in danger of breaking. In theory, it should be quite simple to buy against these levels – the risk is defined (and low), plus the trend is clearly higher so odds are in your favor. In practice, it is, for one reason or another, very difficult; there are always things to worry about. One of these days, buying against an inflection point will not work. We can then take a small loss and re-assess. Until that day, it…