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The Federal Reserve just cut interest rates one more time this year. In their recent meeting, the Fed decided to cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point, dropping rates to 4.25% to 4.5%. This move was largely expected by economists. The Fed cited indicators of an expanding economy and an easing labor market after its other rate cuts. This is the third time rates have been cut this year, but economists don’t expect as many cuts in 2025.”The median member now expects that there will only be two cuts in 2025 and that the federal funds target will…

By Lin Grensing-Pophal, Next Avenue Mary has worked in marketing at a major health care organization that is committed to promoting from within and has a leadership development program that invites 20 people across the organization each year. Mary has yet to be invited, despite often telling her manager that she was very interested. Is she being overlooked because she is 59 or something else? It’s hard to say. Organization leaders, including those in HR, are quick to deny inherent, or implicit, bias against older workers. Yet there is research to indicate that older workers may be considered for fewer…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Perplexity, an artificial intelligence-driven search engine, has closed its fourth funding round this year, tripling its valuation to $9bn as it seeks to compete with offerings from Google and OpenAI.The $500mn round was led by Institutional Venture Partners, with involvement from Nvidia, New Enterprise Associates, B Capital and T Rowe Price, according to multiple people with knowledge of the deal. Previous investors have included SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2, Nvidia and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, as well as several prominent names from the…

This article was written byFollowI am a value focused investor. Stocks rise and fall for many different reasons that we often cannot predict. Eventually, it is those companies with a wide moat and the ability to generate cash flow that prevail. Therefore, my investment focus is to find value stocks that are able to generate cash flow, with sustainable dividends and provide growth over time. I focus my attention on analyzing large-capped dividend growth stocks, REITs and ETFs. I aim at providing a quarterly update and insights on stocks I follow. Please feel free to browse the articles that I…

A federal consumer watchdog is warning that certain credit card companies may be illegally devaluing accrued rewards such as points or airline miles.  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) said Wednesday that companies may violate federal law if fine print disclaimers or vague terms buried in a contract conflict with promotional language, if companies deflate the value of a customer’s accrued awards, or if system failures result in consumers losing points when attempting to redeem them. “Large credit card issuers too often play a shell game to lure people into high-cost cards, boosting their own profits while denying consumers the rewards…

People often associate the entire realm of digital assets with Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies, but digital assets are much more than that. In fact, digital assets comprise all electronically stored pieces of information used and owned, ranging from emails, text messages, social media posts, self-recorded videos, photos, blogs, websites, downloaded videos, and songs, to art, NFTs, biometric data, financial and medical records, and all of the accounts that hold this information. According to a new Bryn Mawr Trust 2024 Digital Asset Survey, the average American has hundreds of accounts and values their digital assets at $191,516. However, despite this high reported…

Nissan and Honda are in exploratory talks about a merger of the two carmakers that would create a $52bn Japanese behemoth, said people briefed on the matter.The two companies are studying a way to combine that would help them better compete at a time when traditional carmakers are grappling with fast-growing Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturers, and slower than expected consumer demand for EVs.Shares in Nissan surged more than 22 per cent in early trading in Tokyo on Wednesday, on expectations that a deal would put a healthy premium on the company. Honda’s stock dropped as much as 3 per cent. The…

This article was written byFollowDhierin-Perkash Bechai is an aerospace, defense and airline analyst. Dhierin runs the investing group The Aerospace Forum, whose goal is to discover investment opportunities in the aerospace, defense and airline industry. With a background in aerospace engineering, he provides analysis of a complex industry with significant growth prospects, and offers context to developments as they occur, describing how they might affect investment theses. His investing ideas are driven by data informed analysis. The investing group also provides direct access to data analytics monitors. Learn more.Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in…

By Deborah Lynn Blumberg, Next Avenue Gerry Galewski of Milwaukee retired at age 69 after a 47-year career working in computer technology, most recently for a software development company. Galewski lasted six months before he got restless and “unretired,” taking a job stocking shelves at his local supermarket. “It was a way to keep me active,” he says. Since then, he’s taken on consulting projects as a solopreneur. Then, one day at Walgreens while picking up medicine, Galewski observed customers getting impatient in the long line. “It was obvious they needed help,” he says. He talked to the pharmacy manager…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the worldDonald Trump has lost a bid to overturn his conviction in a New York “hush money” criminal case in the wake of a US Supreme Court decision that grants broad immunity for presidential actions.The decision by a judge on Monday comes as Trump prepares to re-enter the White House in January, the first former president to ever be convicted of a felony. All four criminal cases brought against him since his first term have either been dismissed, put on hold or…