Of all the asset classes online brokers typically support, options are one of the easier ones to differentiate because, unlike stocks or ETFs, many options trading platforms still charge for options trades. The growing interest in options as a way to leverage investment dollars has led to an increase in the number of brokers focusing

Dividend-paying exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been growing in popularity, especially among investors looking for high yields and more stability from their portfolios. As with stocks and many mutual funds, most ETFs pay their dividends quarterly—once every three months. However, ETFs that offer monthly dividend returns are also available. While there are many ETFs that pay

Today, the 401(k) is a standard way that Americans save for retirement. Because these plans provide tax benefits and a potential employer match, many investors aim to “max out” their contributions, or contribute up to the IRS annual limit. For 2022, the contribution limit is $20,500 per year for workers under age 50, and $27,000

While U.K. left the EU, an event known as Brexit, on January 31, 2020, the parties agreed on an 11-month transition period for the purpose of crafting a new trade deal, during which the U.K. operated under EU rules. After months of negotiation, the EU and U.K. agreed on a trade deal with just days

You can have a pension and still contribute to a 401(k)—and an IRA—to take charge of your retirement. If you have a defined benefit pension plan at work, you have nothing to worry about, right? Maybe not. While pensions used to be a staple ingredient in the recipe of retirement planning, fewer companies today offer

Square vs. Stripe: An Overview Square (SQ) and Stripe have emerged as two popular payment processing services for small and growing businesses. As the services have become widely used, their simple fixed-rate payment processing fees have drawn in big-name supporters, such as Starbucks (SBUX), to use and promote their systems. For investors and business owners, it’s

Large oil companies in the United States have been paying taxes at a significantly lower rate than most other corporations. The chief reason is that there are provisions in the U.S. tax code that allow energy companies to defer and avoid federal income tax payments. The 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act also slashed the

Medtronic (MDT) is a billion-dollar, global leader in medical technology, offering medical devices and therapies to more than 72 million people across 150+ countries. Medtronic—derived from combining terms medical electronics—was formed in a Minneapolis garage by Earl Bakken, who later created the battery-powered pacemaker, and accomplished engineer Palmer Hermundslie. As of 2021, Medtronic has a

Founded in 2003, NinjaTrader offers software and brokerage services for active traders. With a funded account, the NinjaTrader platform is free to use for charting, market analysis, and live trading (the SIM version is free even without a funded account). To access the platform’s premium features—such as advanced order types, automated trading, and backtesting—you’ll need

Blockchain exchange-traded funds (ETFs) own stocks in companies that have business operations in blockchain technology or profit from it in some way. Blockchain is made up of complex blocks of digital information and is increasingly used in banking, investing, cryptocurrency, and other sectors. Although blockchain is a relatively new technology, many of the companies that

In 2021, a little over seven million acres were burned by nearly 59,000 wildfires. Last year, about the same number of wildfires burned over 10 million acres, constituting the second most acreage affected by wildfires in a single year since 1960. Since 2000, an annual average of seven million acres has burned, reflecting the rapid

The impact of unemployment has far-reaching consequences. Even those who don’t suffer layoffs in an office may find that their jobs (as well as their personal lives) have been negatively impacted. And for those who have lost their jobs, hopes for a timely retirement may be dramatically altered. Employees Work Harder but Earn Less Labor

Candlestick charts are a technical tool that packs data for multiple time frames into single price bars. This makes them more useful than traditional open-high, low-close bars or simple lines that connect the dots of closing prices. Candlesticks build patterns that predict price direction once completed. Proper color coding adds depth to this colorful technical tool, which dates back to 18th-century