Author: Smart Wealthhabits

PHOENIX – Foreign wars and domestic inflation are among the factors causing market volatility, but these stressors on retirement planning can actually help you straighten out your portfolio. If you can accept weaknesses such as taking too much investment risk or having poorly diversified assets, you can stand firm against market fluctuations. Asset Preservation Wealth & Tax believes retirement no longer looks the same as it did a generation ago, and company president Stewart Willis says estate planning is an aspect that often takes a back seat and shouldn’t be. “It’s really important to make sure your beneficiaries are accurate,”…

Pajiam/Getty Images/iStockphoto Commitment to our readers The GOBankingRates editorial team is committed to providing you with unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methods to evaluate financial products and services – our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our review methodology for products and services. 20 yearsHelping you become richer trusted by millions of readers Although living in a campus dorm is often the norm for college students, room and board at four-year public universities averages about $12,302 per year, according to the Education Data Initiative. This means that…

Ranking Member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks during the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs’ confirmation hearing for Kevin Wersh, President Donald Trump’s nominee for chair of the Federal Reserve, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington on April 21, 2026.Andrew Harnik | getty imagesSenator Elizabeth Warren is demanding answers from the leader of the U.S. Transportation Command about his role in evacuating American citizens from the Middle East after the start of the Iran war, in a letter first shared with CNBC.The Massachusetts Democrat has been generally critical of the Trump administration’s response to Americans stranded…

©Stelantis Commitment to our readers The GOBankingRates editorial team is committed to providing you with unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methods to evaluate financial products and services – our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our review methodology for products and services. 20 yearsHelping you become richer trusted by millions of readers Buying the car of your dreams may be in your retirement plans, but just make sure you choose the right car that won’t drain your savings or put a strain on your fixed income budget.…

Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., arrives for the House Energy and Commerce markup of the FY 2025 budget proposal at the Rayburn Building on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | getty imagesTwo data privacy bills set to be introduced on Wednesday and shared first with CNBC would exempt nearly two dozen state laws to create a national standard to limit how tech and finance companies handle user data. The bills – the Secure Data Act, which focuses on technology companies, and the Guard Financial Data Act, which focuses on financial services businesses – are designed to work…

Oil prices have increased this year due to the war with Iran. Brent, the global oil price benchmark, was recently around $95 a barrel. That’s a $35 premium over its price point at the beginning of the year. Oil companies are cashing in on this premium by earning windfall profits. many oil reserves A portion of this cash is returned to its shareholders through dividends. Here are some notable ones dividend oil stocks This is likely to provide additional benefits to shareholders through higher dividends. Image Source: Getty Images. follow the outline wire energy (CHRD +3.21%) Carved out a prominent…

Denin Arney/Getty Images/iStockphoto Commitment to our readers The GOBankingRates editorial team is committed to providing you with unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methods to evaluate financial products and services – our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our review methodology for products and services. 20 yearsHelping you become richer trusted by millions of readers Homeownership is an important rite of passage and wealth builder for young adults. According to Northwest Mutual, 74% of parents with children at home say they would consider or have begun planning to…

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) conducts US blockade operations related to the Strait of Hormuz in the Arabian Sea on April 16, 2026.Handout | Getty Images News | getty imagesTwo cargo ships were attacked in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, officials said Wednesday, as the United States extended a ceasefire and diplomats seek to bring the United States and Iran together for peace talks.a ship informed The United Kingdom Center for Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, reported at 8:38 a.m. London time (3:38 a.m. ET) that the shots were being fired about eight nautical miles off the coast of…

Artist/Getty Imagesafter 35 years Over a career in the financial industry, including two decades as an institutional stockbroker at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley, I developed an institutional perspective on dividend-focused investing. My tenure at these major Wall Street firms exposed me to fundamental analysis, credit assessment, and risk management practices, which directly translate into the selection of quality dividend-paying companies. After witnessing the 2008 financial crisis and its consequences firsthand – including the collapse of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, which I fortunately avoided because I had left both companies by 2004 – I developed a deep…

Prostock-Studio / Shutterstock.comRemote job postings increased by 20% in the fourth quarter of 2025, driven by higher-paying roles and a shift in worker preferences around flexibility and career mobility. As the remote job market continues to grow, both employers and job seekers are adopting new expectations around flexibility, compensation, and long-term career growth. FlexJobs’ Remote Work Index (Q1 2026) provides a snapshot of where remote…