Opinion: By buying Splunk, Cisco is closer to becoming a software company

Opinion: By buying Splunk, Cisco is closer to becoming a software company

With Cisco Systems Inc.’s pending acquisition of Splunk Inc., the networking giant is making another major step toward becoming a software company. On Thursday, Cisco CSCO said it was buying Splunk SPLK in a deal valued at about $28 billion, or $157 a share in cash, for the cloud-security company. The match had been speculated…

Opinion: Instacart shares slump to their IPO price as investors have second thoughts

Opinion: Instacart shares slump to their IPO price as investors have second thoughts

Shares of Instacart, the online grocery-delivery service, slumped to their initial public offering price on Wednesday, as investors appeared to have second thoughts, in a setback for the newly energized IPO market. In after-hours trading Wednesday, Instacart CART, known formally as Maplebear Inc., fell slightly below its original offering price of $30 a share, closing…

I’m 50 and went from being homeless to owning a home. Where do I invest $50,000?

I’m 50 and went from being homeless to owning a home. Where do I invest $50,000?

Dear Quentin, I have a question that might appear like a simple one, especially for all the advanced money-management folks out there and for people with more money than I have. I am 50, have very little savings, and I would like to invest $50,000. What is a good type of account to start with?…

Opinion: FTX whistleblower was unusual. Most witnesses are too afraid to speak up.

Opinion: FTX whistleblower was unusual. Most witnesses are too afraid to speak up.

“ Organizations bear the responsibility to foster an environment of transparency for their whistleblower programs to succeed. ” In the years leading up to the eventual collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, insiders blew the whistle about the company’s severe governance and regulatory issues. The flouting of internal control requirements and commingling of client funds…

Why have Americans abandoned their traditional breakfast — and what are they eating instead?

Why have Americans abandoned their traditional breakfast — and what are they eating instead?

Tony the Tiger may not have much reason to wake up with a smile. American families no longer appear to be gathering around the breakfast table, munching on Frosted Flakes and drinking orange juice. Only 35% of Americans eat that sort of traditional breakfast seven days a week, according to a recent study by CivicScience,…

I am disabled and lost everything in my divorce. Can I avoid financial collapse?

I am disabled and lost everything in my divorce. Can I avoid financial collapse?

Dear Quentin, I was involved in a workplace accident that rendered me disabled and recently received a lump sum of $185,000 after deductions for lawyer fees etc. In 2011, when I was injured, I was facing foreclosure and couldn’t take care of our minor children, so life for me fell apart. In 2014, I began…

Opinion: Buying this annuity guarantees that you’ll lose out on big money

Opinion: Buying this annuity guarantees that you’ll lose out on big money

I wrote recently that people who buy life insurance are effectively loaning money to insurance companies at around a 2.5% interest rate, which is a great deal for the companies and a lousy investment for the policyholders. Here’s something even worse: qualified longevity annuity contracts (QLACs), which are sold by insurance companies and other financial-service…

One habit can triple your risk of getting dementia within 7 years: What not to do

One habit can triple your risk of getting dementia within 7 years: What not to do

If you want to lower your risk of getting Alzheimer’s or some other type of dementia, turn off the TV and step away from the internet. Get off your rear end and go do something. That’s not me talking. That’s science. A new study of people 60 and older has found that sitting around for…

These Americans are buying and selling their homes, despite high interest rates

These Americans are buying and selling their homes, despite high interest rates

Elsa Ortega and her husband, David, are expecting a child at the end of October, and the couple closed on a home in El Paso, Texas, this summer. But when they thought about selling their three-bedroom single-family home for a larger three-bedroom house, they initially were hesitant.  The listing went up on a Thursday. “I…

Household income rose in just 5 states last year. Is your state one of them?

Household income rose in just 5 states last year. Is your state one of them?

American workers are feeling the pinch. The median annual household income in the U.S. was $74,755 in 2022, a 0.8% decline from the previous year after adjusting for inflation, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau. The decline in income is “disappointing,” said Sharon Parrott, president of the Center on Budget and Policy…

Opinion: Labor unions are good for workers, and here’s why they also make business sense

Opinion: Labor unions are good for workers, and here’s why they also make business sense

“ Businesses have an opportunity to align their interests with that of their employees. ” Call it the afterglow from a hot labor summer, but a key indicator of U.S. public support for unions recently notched a record high, with six in 10 Americans saying unions are good for the U.S. economy. Nearly the same number agreed a…

Large-cap stocks are a better bet for the rest of 2023 — and 10 you want to own

Large-cap stocks are a better bet for the rest of 2023 — and 10 you want to own

Seasonal tendencies for the U.S. stock market between now and the end of the year will favor large-cap stocks over small caps. That has to be particularly disappointing for beleaguered investors in small caps, who have been underperforming the large caps for several months now. In contrast to the 17.4% year-to-date gain of the large-cap-dominated…

‘Sell Rosh Hashanah, buy Yom Kippur’ market pattern is just a calendar event

‘Sell Rosh Hashanah, buy Yom Kippur’ market pattern is just a calendar event

Is the U.S. stock market a poor performer between the two holidays that mark the start of the Jewish new year? In other words, should you “sell Rosh Hashanah and buy Yom Kippur?” A Wall Street adage indeed suggests that the stock market is weaker over the 10 days these two holidays are observed. Belief…

Opinion: For better gains in tech stocks from here, look beyond the ‘Magnificent Seven’

Opinion: For better gains in tech stocks from here, look beyond the ‘Magnificent Seven’

The so-called Magnificent Seven stocks have been leading the U.S. market this year, but now they look richly valued by many key measures — and they’re crowded trades. One in five funds have more than 40% of their holdings in the Magnificent Seven, says Bank of America. “Upside risk may be capped,” says B. of…

‘Is my husband the cheapest man in America?’ We only eat out on our anniversary.

‘Is my husband the cheapest man in America?’ We only eat out on our anniversary.

My husband never goes out, and he only reluctantly takes holidays — except if we stay in a cabin in the mountains, and even then he doesn’t see why we should be paying for our mortgage and paying to rent somewhere else too. He has never bought me a single piece of jewelry in my…

Ex-bank exec gets six months of home confinement and probation for Wells Fargo fake-account scandal

Ex-bank exec gets six months of home confinement and probation for Wells Fargo fake-account scandal

Former Wells Fargo & Co. executive Carrie L. Tolstedt avoided jail time but was sentenced to three years of probation including six months of home confinement on Friday for her part in the bank’s fake-account scandal, which resulted in billions of dollars in fines and thousands of layoffs. Tolstedt’s sentence handed down in U.S. District…

Paid off your mortgage? Be careful — you’re at risk of title theft.

Paid off your mortgage? Be careful — you’re at risk of title theft.

Homeowners may be thrilled when they finally pay off their mortgage, but the accomplishment comes with risks.  Retirement Tip of the Week: Be vigilant in protecting your identity and assets, and be aware of how you could fall victim to various scams or theft associated with your home. With title theft, thieves transfer a house…