As of June 2020, the trailing twelve months’ net profit margin for retail or commercial banks was approximately 13.9%. This is a sharp decrease from June 2019, when the net profit margin for commercial banks was 27.6%. For comparison, the net profit margin for commercial banks in June 2018 and June 2017 came in at
When you’re in need of credit, it can be easy to fall victim to predatory lending scams. Whether demanding an exorbitant interest rate on a payday loan, taking your car title as collateral, or pushing a bigger mortgage than you can afford, there are many ways unscrupulous lenders try to take advantage of borrowers. Predatory
Does the debt from your college days seem overwhelming? You’re not alone: Student loans in the U.S. total more than $1.6 trillion. That’s second only to the size of the nation’s mortgage debt. Ironically, the burden of student loans is making it harder for college graduates to buy a home. Politicians are debating what to
The search for multibagger stocks is always on for growth investors. Some investments may win, but many will lose. Accordingly, finding picks that can provide outsized gains is important. In recent years, multibagger metaverse stocks have been among the top choices for investors looking for outsized gains. Unfortunately, this year hasn’t been very friendly to
If you’ve recently graduated or left college, you might be surprised at how much of your student loan payment goes just to the interest portion of your debt. To understand why that is, you first need to understand how that interest accrues and how it’s applied toward each payment. Key Takeaways Federal loans use a
As we approach the holiday shopping season, the key to selecting retail stocks to buy is to either focus on those businesses that have pricing power and don’t have to alter their approach over the holidays or those that are used to competing on low prices. The companies in between are likely to get squeezed.
The average trailing twelve months’ net profit margin for companies in the telecommunications sector, as of Q2 2022, is approximately 12.5%, according to CSIMarket.com figures. Net margins typically average about half of a company’s operating profit margins. Gross profit margins for the sector can run as high as 70% to 80%, but extremely high overhead
Pedestrians walk past a Gap Inc. store in Shanghai, China. Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images Check out the companies making headlines in extended trading. Affirm — The buy-now-pay-later darling’s shares slid nearly 14% after hours when it reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss of 65 cents per share, according to Refinitiv. It also issued
Source: Blue Planet Studio / Shutterstock [Editor’s note: “9 Reasons This Is the Start of a New Tech Bull Market” was previously published in July 2022. It has since been updated to include the most relevant information available.] Folks, welcome to the new bull market in tech stocks. I know that may sound crazy to
What Is Student Loan Bankruptcy? You may have heard that student loans cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. That statement oversimplifies the truth. You actually can get student loans discharged in some cases, but the bar is higher, and the process is more burdensome than it is for other types of debt. Filing for bankruptcy to
As major indices remain down by double digits year-to-date (YTD), you may be on the prowl for cheap bargain stocks. Even as the market’s downturn this year has been the result of a worsening macro picture, to paraphrase Warren Buffett, being “greedy when others are fearful” can be a profitable move. That said, buying while
Insurance is something needed by all businesses to protect against the risk of loss. With captive insurance, a business can create its own coverage to achieve two goals: protection for the businesses and financial advantages for their owners. Captive insurance is also sometimes promoted chiefly as a tax shelter, but using it this way has its hazards.
This looks like a wonderful time for investors looking for hot growth stocks with very strong outlooks. I believe that the market is really starting to internalize the concept that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is anything but super-hawkish on interest rates and that the economy is well-positioned for a “soft landing.” There are two main
Most people and businesses who file (or filed) certain 2019 or 2020 tax returns late are going to receive penalty relief in the form of refunds or abatements from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Even if you already paid those penalties, the IRS intends to issue refunds or credits. The agency says nearly 1.6 million
With August’s signing of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, investors ought to consider semiconductor stocks to buy on the dip. Primarily, this groundbreaking legislation will make historic investments to bolster competitiveness among U.S. workers and businesses. More importantly, the bill represents a key component of economic stability and national security. Earlier, I
When you change jobs, you generally have four options for your 401(k) plan. One of the best options is doing a 401(k) rollover to an individual retirement account (IRA). The other options include cashing it out—and pay taxes and a withdrawal penalty, leave it where it is—if your ex-employer allows this, or transfer it into
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in Washington, July 27, 2022. Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters Investors are looking for new guidance in Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole, Wyoming, speech Friday, but he could instead deliver the same
There’s a certain reassurance that comes with high-quality dividends. That’s particularly true when we’re in the midst of a downtrend. Many of these dividend stocks not only provide consistent income, but they also tend to hold up better than its high-growth peers. Especially in this environment, investors are looking for blue-chip dividend stocks with plenty
Source: Michael Vi / Shutterstock One of my favorite long-term growth stocks to buy today is fintech disruptor SoFi Technologies (SOFI). In fact, for what it’s worth, all my favorite growth stocks are up more than 55% since mid-June. They’re crushing the Dow Jones, S&P 500, Nasdaq, Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), and Warren Buffett’s
Some investors are comfortable with the idea that unscrupulous means are sometimes necessary for making gains in a portfolio. However, it is possible to profit while using an ethical investment strategy—and you don’t need to join Greenpeace to do so. As more investors demand socially responsible investing (SRI) options, we’ll take a look at SRI