Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Millions of Social Security recipients may be facing smaller benefit increases in the years ahead, following the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate decision. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points in December, a move widely welcomed by borrowers — but one that could ultimately result in a lower cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for…

The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed some improvement in the overall market sentiment, while the index moved to the “Neutral” zone on Thursday. U.S. stocks settled mixed on Thursday, with the Dow Jones index gaining more than 250 points. Defense stocks surged Thursday, erasing the prior session’s losses, after President Donald Trump floated…

What is an S&P 500 ETF An S&P 500 ETF tracks the performance of the S&P 500 index using stocks or derivatives Are leveraged ETFs safe for long-term holding Leveraged ETFs carry decay risk and work best in strong trending markets, not flat periods Why choose ProShares UltraPro S&P 500 It offers 3X daily exposure…

Shares of Alphabet have surged 559% since Buffett lamented passing on the stock in 2017. Almost a decade ago, the legendary investor Warren Buffett admitted that he made a mistake in not buying shares of Alphabet (GOOGL +1.35%), saying on CNBC’s Squawk Box that he should have realized its potential years ago. The Oracle of…

The US economy added 50,000 jobs in December, according to Labor Department data published Friday, culminating in the worst year for annual job growth outside of a recession since 2003. Years marked by the financial crisis (2008) and the pandemic (2020) were worse. But even the meager gains seen in 2025 are likely to be…

A surprise drop in the unemployment rate in December is likely to keep the Federal Reserve on course to take a breather from cutting interest rates later this month. “The fall in unemployment to 4.4% in December, with November also revised fractionally lower to round to 4.5 rather than 4.6%, confirms that the Fed will…

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares edged up about 1.5% on Friday morning trading after New Street Research said the global robotaxi market appears close to an inflection point. The brokerage expects commercial robotaxi operations to expand in 2026 and views Tesla as well positioned to benefit from the shift. Analyst Peter…

Daniel Foelber, The Motley Fool January 9, 2026 at 10:50 AM Key Points Illinois Tool Works is a highly diversified, high-margin industrial conglomerate with a rock-solid dividend. PepsiCo yields considerably more than Illinois Tool Works and commands a less expensive valuation. Pepsi has plenty of ways to return to growth without overhauling its proven business…

I spend a lot of time watching financial shows. I’m always struck by the hype and constant daily analysis of why things happened in the market. It’s like watching a sports roundup and analysis. If you watch enough financial TV or scroll through enough market headlines, you might think a successful retirement depends on constant…

Laura Gesualdi-Gilmore January 9, 2026 at 7:39 AM Despite his exorbitant wealth, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett has some surprisingly simple advice on how to build wealth. According to Forbes, the 93-year-old investor and philanthropist has a net worth of around $145 billion. Buffett’s financial advice is surprisingly practical, and he often provides guidance that…