Perspectives & News

Traditional banks are haunted by financial technology – fintech – firms. Challengers such as mobile-first banks Chime in the US, Monzo in the UK and Germany’s N26 have been around for a number of years now, but big global and regional banks are still struggling to deal with the competition. While fintechs experience a goldrush of investment – US$39.6 billion in 2018, up from 120% from 20171 – banking CEOs find themselves under increasing pressure from shareholders alarmed at the slow rate of change taking place.

It's now clear that the investigations into President Trump are likely to continue through the 2020 elections. What's still uncertain is the impact that these investigations will have on the stock market.

Marvel’s gambit to propel “Avengers: Endgame” to become the top-grossing movie of all time finally paid off. The studio re-released the final film in its “Avengers” series earlier this month with extra footage and a post-credit tribute in an effort to pass James Cameron’s 2009 film “Avatar” as the world box office record holder.

Mid-August is the time of year that our kids pack the U-Haul and head to college. And while they’re excited about a brand-new semester, it can be frightening to see the cost – and rising college debt – that comes with the college experience. What can our college students do to ease the price tag?

Qualified savings, money held in retirement plans, such as 401(k)s and IRAs, are a large part of most families’ plans for their retirement years. Legislation that has passed the House and is currently in debate in the Senate, called the SECURE Act, proposes some changes to retirement savings, both during your working years and during retirement.1

The Federal Reserve is doing homeowners a big favor, keeping interest rates low. That means you should consider refinancing your old higher-rate mortgage. But how do you go about this? First of all, you should know that not everyone can qualify for a new mortgage. If some of your payments were delinquent or your home is underwater, for instance, you may have a problem.